Since the release of The Legend of Vox Machina, Dungeons and Dragons has been back in the minds of the public. As fans flock back to the game or discover it for the first time, many fans have been sharing their perspective about many of the issues about the game.
With so many fans taking interest in it, there have been some notably unpopular opinions related to the series. Some are certainly more surprising than others.
Sometimes players can get a little tired of playing beside a character they've seen a thousand times before, but some fans disagree. "The edgy rogue and the noble paladin are tropes because they work, so there's no shame in using them," says kidra31r. "And playing an "anti-trope" character doesn't automatically make them interesting."
It makes some sense. After all, a brilliant barbarian might seem like a great idea, but it could be a challenge for the DM to keep parity in the party when running a large D&D group. Besides, sometimes playing that edgy rogue can help keep things interesting, and the noble paladin can help keep the players from veering too far into murder hobo territory.
There are many player races, classes, and subclasses in D&D. But, while there is a good amount of consensus about which subclasses in D&D are overpowered, there's less consensus about races. "Too many playable races have a dark vision," argues Reddit user clig73. "Should only be available to dwarves and drow (or other subterranean species)."
It's hard to disagree. With so many races having access to dark vision, it's questionable why light is even a mechanic in the game at all. It's just another quality that makes it hard to play a human, but almost everyone else is immune. Well everyone except cats, that is, but that's a point for another day.
Many DMs feel pressured to keep players alive, even when the party is making dangerous decisions that should reasonably get them killed. The problem is that desperation to keep the party alive can make the stakes disappear, which hurts the fabric of the entire roleplay itself.
Some players agree. "As a player, I don't mind character deaths," says Reddit user gittlebass. "It's part of the game." Without that element, there's nothing to keep players from charging into fights without planning or wreaking havoc on NPCs. Sometimes part of the realism of a world means having to let characters die, and that's okay.
Some fans of D&D insist that there's something in the game for everyone, and that means anyone even remotely interested in gaming needs to give it a shot. Others disagree. As ATLander puts it on Reddit, "I know people who never touch D&D because it’s too rules- or combat-heavy."
With entire handbooks filled with information describing a thousand rules and one, it's understandable that some players will struggle to comprehend even the basics of the game. When fans come to them spouting about the best homebrew classes in D&D or the best spells for their wizard to use, many will tune it out or simply put down the game entirely. It just isn't for them.
Some fans insist that evil campaigns are boring, repetitive, or just downright disturbing. However, that isn't always the case. "Playing an evil campaign is pretty fun," says Redditor wibe1n. "You just need the right group like with every DnD game ever."
In the right group, fans can make morally ambiguous — or downright evil — decisions without having to worry about anyone taking it too far and making the group uncomfortable. It can be a rewarding experience too. Some of the most badass classes in D&D are at their best when players don't have to worry about the moral complications that may come with their decisions. Sometimes it's fun to just sit back and be a bad guy for a while.
With the chance to play as a drow, a dwarf, or a Dragonborn, it can seem a little ridiculous for players to sit down at the table to play a human. To make matters worse, many combine what may seem to be the most boring race with the most boring class: The Fighter.
But Reddit user Crinkle_Uncut says, "People who think human fighters are boring are just bad at writing interesting characters. If your character isn't interesting without having an exotic race or class, then they aren't interesting at all." There is truth to it. Characters can have interesting personalities that make up for boring traits, and players can even make seemingly droll classes interesting if they plan things out right. D&D is a game about creativity and imagination, and as long as a player has both, any character can be fun.
Certain players, like Critical Role's Laura Bailey, love just one thing more than the game itself: Collecting dice. Bags filled with dice allow many fans to dig through and find whatever dice they think best fit the occasion. Some fans don't see the logic.
While dice are something every D&D fan needs to own, Reddit user adesimo1 argues for simplicity. "I just have a couple of sets of basic, functional dice, and don’t feel the need to buy more. It seems like every other D&D meme is about spending ridiculous amounts of money on increasingly superfluous dice, and I just don’t get it." While there isn't any monetary or in-game benefit to owning the dice, there is an argument that it's part of the fun of the game, even if some fans disagree.
Many fans like to take to homebrewing, which means that they enjoy changing up the rules of the game or adding new elements to make it more fun. But some Redditors believe that homebrewing can go too far sometimes.
"Spells work in very specific ways and RAW should be respected because that's what keeps the spells balanced and fair/useable in the game setting," says Reddit user Darestare87. Balance is an essential component of the game and helps ensure that one or two party members don't dominate the narrative. If homebrewing goes too far, balance will likely be completely disrupted, which can ruin the game for many of the players.
In any D&D group, there is one prevailing sense of logic above all: Don't split the party. Whether it be in a major battle or even in a minor incident in roleplay, D&D groups despise nothing else quite like it. But Redditor OrienRex says, "Splitting the party is a viable and occasionally desirable option."
It can be true at times. Sneaking around the back of an encampment or keeping some of the more brash party members away from a diplomatic event can be the smart move for a party (even if it's a little less fun). However parties need to be aware that it is a risky move, and it can easily mean the end of a group if the dice decree it.
There is a large contingent of fans that believe that D&D games should start at Level 3, after players claim subclasses, or even at Leven 10. But there is some related discontent in the community. "Level 1-2 is good for setting up the story and defining the party's allies and patrons," says Reddit user Lumancy.
Besides, early levels also help players figure out their characters before deciding on subclasses and making key decisions regarding feats. After all, players may not always realize that an element of a character is broken, until they've been through a few fights with them. It also gives DMs the chance to adjust course early on, which is always a good move with an engaged party.
