I finally got around
to opening up my Player's Handbook today and started reading. I had
been putting that off for I don't even know what reason, but I
figured I'd better familiarize myself with the new rules, as I am
kicking off a new D&D campaign (probably) this coming Saturday. I
decided to let my players vote on a rules set to use out of every RPG
I own and 5e D&D seems to be a front-runner, it seems that some
of them want to try something new (my inner grognard protests).
So, my initial
impressions-
The art: I can't say
I am a big fan, but I am only about 50 pages into the book, so that's
one caveat. The art seems dark and somewhat uninspired. Technically
the art is only mildly proficient, with many anatomy errors
throughout. The subjects of the art range from mildly homely to
butt-ugly, with only a few standouts that could be referred to as
average looking. There is a distinct tone to the art that speaks to
me as having a lack of inspiration among the artists, as though they
were art directed to near death. I say all of this knowing that some
of my favorite D&D art is somewhat amateurish at best, but in
first edition AD&D and it's contemporaries (B/X, BECMI) the art
was, at least, inspired; it was D&D fan art, and that made it
subjectively good, despite it's technical imperfections. I know that
art is subjective, so your mileage may vary. Zak S. was a contributor
so why couldn't they have used him for some of the art?
The rules: I went
through every phase of the public play-test, so I had an inkling of
what to expect. I am not going to say I like everything about them,
so far, but at least where changes were made they were either
building upon the legacy of previous editions, or they were pretty
well thought out. That said, I had an initially good impression of
3e, and I ended up hating it because it was a pain to DM and a
playground for rules-lawyers. I have said before on this blog,
probably more than once, that I don't like any rules set that takes
away the power (and creative spontaneity) of the game master. I am a
little gun-shy as a result of 3e, and that's probably why I have had
this book for months and not cracked it open before now. All of that
being said, I am willing to give it a shot, it still (despite the
funky looking Gnomes, Dragonborn and Tieflings) feels like D&D. I
just hope it retains the agency of the DM.
Funky looking
Ugly
Too dark in the book.
See, I didn't even notice the Dwarf until I saw the lighter version
Poor anatomy, at best average looking people, dark and not inspiring.
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