For veteran tabletop RPG fans like me, it can be hard to discuss changes in Dungeons & Dragons and other games with newer hobbyists, because game design concepts that were old have become new again, and newer advancements in design are perceived as old. I started playing tabletop RPGs with 2e Advanced DnD. The game was a mishmash of different systems pretending to be one game, with percentiles used for certain thief abilities, a roll high d20-based system for certain checks, roll low for others. I happily left 2e DnD behind, but old-school gaming has returned, muddying the RPG waters.

The Old School Renaissance (alternately, Revival or Revolution) trend in RPGs has been around for a while, and there are many great OSR tabletop RPGs that excel in capturing the vibe of DnD from last century, often paired with some modern design conventions. Many of these games are quality products, and OSR has certainly established itself as a genre, rather than a fad, in the hobby. The problem arises when the throwback ideals of OSR are treated as the norm for RPGs, or even misinterpreted as progress, rather than the nostalgic regressions they are, and DnD absolutely should have stayed away from OSR mechanics.

Since 2000, D&D Was About Advancing The Hobby

From 2e To 3e, and 3e To 4e, D&D Consistently Focused On Improving Itself

When looking at every edition of Dungeons & Dragons prior to 5e, there was a clear pattern and trajectory for the game. DnD has long been the market leader in most regions among tabletop RPGs, but starting with the release of 3.0 DnD in 2000, the game seemed like it also wanted to advance game design, and maybe the hobby at large, with each new iteration. Third edition DnD was a godsend after the nightmarish design of 2e, for me, abandoning nonsense like asymmetrical experience charts among classes, and rolled statistics, thanks to the introduction of a point buy option.

Discussing these changes with newer fans is hard, since the old-school design of 5e is a throwback, but because it was published more recently than 4e, many perceive it as new.

While some DnD editions were in print longer than others, each revision seemed to have a clear goal and mission statement to improve it over its predecessor. The 2e DnD game was entirely focused on combat, with no consideration for other types of challenges or fantasy storytelling. Third edition DnD added a robust skill system, which legitimized social skills and other specialties. It pared down a confusing, bloated list of saving throws to three intuitive saves, and made tactical grid-based combat more rewarding, while aiming for improved game balance. The 3.5 revision helped smooth out many of 3.0’s rough edges.

Many consider 4e DnD a deeply divisive game, but in truth, it was absolutely the ideal design advancement from the 3.5 system. Pathfinder continued the legacy of 3.5 in its first system, but contrary to some fans’ perceptions, 4e DnD was more financially successful than Pathfinder, as well as both 3.0 and 3.5 DnD. Once a large company like Hasbro becomes involved, simply being more successful than the competition is not enough, however. Instead of continuing to advance and improve on DnD’s game design, as 4e did over 3e, the focus shifted to “money left on the table,” not quality.

D&D Should Not Have Chased The OSR Movement's Fans

Competing With The Brilliant OSR Games Already Available Was A Bad Idea

Some saw DnD’s 2024 Player’s Handbook as a new edition, but it operates as more of a lateral move to the 2014 5e rules, not a real improvement, when taken as a whole. The original 5e rules were a bit worse, in that regard, as they represented a calculated step backwards for the game, intentionally ignoring much of 4e DnD’s forward momentum in design to embrace a throwback mentality. It is evident that this was done to court those who skipped 4e DnD for Pathfinder 1e, and those who turned to OSR alternatives to DnD. This was a huge mistake.

Every 5e DnD Starter Set is beginner-friendly because the system is incredibly simple, the most streamlined edition since certain versions of Basic DnD. This is great for onboarding entirely new players to the tabletop RPG hobby, but other design choices were clearly aimed at luring OSR fans back from their real games of choice. The 5e designers knew the “right answer” in many cases and simply chose to ignore it. The game could have mandated the use of point buy, and flat Hit Point increases with level-ups, instead of rolled hit dice, but it presents these solely as options.

2024 DnD offloads design decisions to the DM.

Feats are integral to the balance of 5e DnD’s martial characters, but the 2014 rules presented Feats as optional, which is one element the 2024 revision fixed. The decision to make Feats optional was a blatant effort to attract OSR fans, along with pushing the notion that magic items are entirely at the Dungeon Master’s discretion, and not required for party balance, when the game’s design proved otherwise. Discussing these changes with newer fans is hard, since the old-school design of 5e is a throwback, but because it was published more recently than 4e, many perceive it as new.

2024 D&D Is Currently Caught Between Worlds

The Game Wants OSR Fans, Which Holds The System Back From Growth

With all three core books now released, it is clear 2024 DnD is still extremely ambiguous, and the major driver of that ambiguity is the game’s desire to be all things to all people, instead of aiming to be the best game it can be. It is caught between worlds, as it relies heavily on design advancements of 4e, like Short Rests, subclasses, and bounded accuracy, but still wants to avoid committing to any design choices that might frighten off OSR fans, or those who jumped ship for Pathfinder’s first edition. Instead, 2024 DnD offloads design decisions to the DM.

The OSR movement has its own games that earned their own fanbases. They may have been inspired by DnD’s 20th-century entries, but games like Shadowdark, Worlds Without Number, and Mörk Borg all have their own identity that is well-earned. DnD could have continued to pioneer advancing design for the hobby, and its flagship fantasy game, and left its legacy to the successors in the OSR. Instead, it wants to have it all, leading to a confounding environment where old and new are conflated. Dungeons & Dragons has flipped the script on new and old, and all TTRPGs suffer for it.