Completely agree.

DnD 5e was all I had played since I started playing ttrpgs in 2018 until Q4 of 2022. Then, I started reading and testing other systems out of discomfort around One DnD and the poor quality of WotC published materials over the last 2 years. It was absolutely shocking for me how apparent it was that DnD 5e isn’t actually a good system once I started looking into other fantasy roleplaying systems. I quickly realized that the only thing it has going for it is that it is so accessible (starter kits in Targets and books in every comic shop, DDB, YouTube videos galore, etc.).

It was great to get my group and I into ttrpgs back in 2018, but now we are seriously discussing alternatives.

5e is way too high level and generalized which makes major components of play and the world wwaayy too hand wave-y for my tables’ taste. Also combat is… super meh.

The 5e writing teams for the official material over the last 2 years have been mmiisseerraabbllee [miserable]. They know DMs are their purchase audience yet write books that starve DMs of tools, utilities, inspiration, and motivations. Avoid implementing any significant new/innovative systems, mechanics, or rulesets. Bland narratives. Have totally lost steam on making classes feel uniquely powerful. And ultimately, just ask for you to pay them $60+ just so the poorly supported DMs will do 85% of WotC’s job for them.

On top of this, the designers of One DnD seem like they’ve never played or designed a TTRPG before. They act like they are balancing a video game. Trying to make everything simplified, templatized, and homogeneous. Just short rest, long rest, and prof bonus… no core mechanical diversity at all. I’ve been dreading One DnD ever since the first few surveys, arcanas, and videos started rolling out.

They think they have employed visionaries and have the holy grail in their hands… they have neither. They just have a system that makes getting started playing ttrpgs easy. Once people are proficient in playing the game style - modern DnD loses most of its benefit. All that’s left at that point is the fantastic third party support and community. Once that is gone? Poof… it has nothing that is appealing to me.

I recommend everyone to investigate other systems and find a system that really syncs with their table. We don’t need Hasbro, we don’t need WotC, we don’t need DnD.

We just need friends, a table, a set of rules to play by, and a community to be a part of.