My TTRPG Fork in the Road
Recently, I have become less obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). I just don’t find myself reaching for it anymore when the topic of starting a new game comes up in conversation—neither as a Game Master nor as a player. You might think it’s burnout, but I don’t believe that’s the case. I’m still playing tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) regularly, so it’s not a lack of wanting to game. I am currently primarily a GM, with some playing on the side, so it’s not that I don’t want to be at the table. Despite my love of high fantasy, I think D&D has just slowly morphed into something that no longer appeals to me. I am still an avid reader of fantasy, regularly consuming both new and classic novels, so I know theme burnout is not the root cause.
When D&D 5th edition (5e) launched, I absolutely loved it. I think it struck this magical balance where the races (5e14)—now called species (5e24)—still had that old-school, very distinct mechanical feel, but at the same time, the game mechanics were streamlined to eliminate massive table lookups and complicated calculations. It brought back a feeling of roleplay magic that was lost with 4e, but made sure not to bring back the spreadsheets of 3.5e.
- For those unfamiliar with the D&D editions vernacular, 5e14 refers to the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset released in 2014, and 5e24 refers to the updated ruleset released in 2024. You might come across other alternative references for 5e24 such as 5.5e or One D&D.
I’ll say this now: there is no such thing as the perfect system. Art is in the eye of the beholder (pun intended—groans all around), and to my eye, the 5e14 core books and early adventure settings—like Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Curse of Strahd—really nailed it. As time went on, though, D&D continued to become both more complex and more generic at the same time. This isn’t a dig at 5e24, as I think 5e24 is a culmination of ten years of 5e material and customer feedback, now codified and reworked. At one point, my bookshelf literally snapped under the weight of all the 5e books; I’m one of those obsessive collector “buy every book and read it” types. There was a lot of customization added and spread throughout all those books.
Alongside that, 5e was on a trajectory that focused more on the player character taking center stage instead of the adventure, and many players no longer wanted their character-creation choices to impose limitations. For me, it feels like this has culminated in less depth of species lore and mechanics, while increasing complexity in class and combat—neither of which I was particularly looking for in my Dungeons & Dragons experience.
So in the end, for me, with the evolution of 5e14 and the release of 5e24, D&D has become a game that just doesn’t scratch my TTRPG itch as it once did. It’s too simple where I value complexity, and too complex where I value simplicity. Its approach doesn’t do it for me when it comes to creating, running, and playing in imagined worlds. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t play 5e24, only that 5e24 is not for me right now. This is clearly a me problem. You should play what you love with people you like.
So what has replaced 5e at my table?
For Part 1 of this series, let’s talk about Pendragon 6e, published by Chaosium. Oh boy, I love this game, even while I find myself in an eternal struggle of frustration with it. The best quotes I have encountered regarding Pendragon are: “Great to play. Painful to GM.” and “You can tell it is an ’80s TTRPG that has just been iterated on for 40 years.” I find it hard to disagree with these sentiments.
And yet I continue to enjoy running this game for many reasons. I’m a big fan of Arthurian legend as I like the medieval combat setting (as I think many of us who like high fantasy do). People often complain about the nine-box alignment system of Dungeons & Dragons. This is where Pendragon shines, by making roleplaying a character much more fun and engaging with its Traits and Passions system. Is anyone really just simplistically Lawful Good (LG) or Chaotic Neutral (CN)? Most Dungeon Masters I know gave up on a strict nine-box alignment system long ago, or they track it meticulously and let you know when you’ve veered far enough into a new box to force an alignment change. Wouldn’t it be great if this were more nuanced and, as a player, you had more direct control over it?
Well, if you love roleplay and courtly settings, Pendragon has you covered. Traits come in opposing pairs—think along the lines of Generous/Selfish, Energetic/Lazy, Forgiving/Vengeful, etc. Each pair must add up to a fixed total, so if you increase one, you decrease the other. With thirteen trait pairs, that’s a lot of customization for roleplay! On top of this, you have Passions—the things your character feels strongly about. They can be a boon or a bane, and this is all built into the system. You still have a number of skills you can train: you can become a better leader on the battlefield, a better equestrian, a better provider of first aid, better at swordplay, and so on. The level of character customization for roleplay is extensive, while the basic skill and combat rules keep things relatively simple.
I should also mention the generational aspect of Pendragon. As each session, aka an adventure arc, equates to a year in game time your character "levels up" quickly, but also ages equally as quickly. The awesome thing here is, you can build a family legacy! The game purposefully supports building a family (though not required), as well as moving your way up the knightly nobility ladder. You can own land, estates, and more, and when it is time for your character to shed their mortal coil, this passed down to the next generation (aka G2). G2 will not only inherit title and lands, but also traits and passions. So you might play your child, grand child, or even great grandchild... if you manage to survive that is. The game is deadly, as medieval combat often was.
It’s not perfect by any means (if such a thing exists), but it scratches an itch for deep character development without the need for combat spreadsheets. While roleplay may be deep, and combat relatively simple, I cannot heap the same praise on the layout of the books as information is all over the place. Due to the books’ rather disjointed layout and the lack of a GM screen for 6e, Pendragon is a game where having a player also serve as a GM assistant goes a long way. The last thing you want is to slow the game to a crawl while navigating the labyrinth of the Core Rulebook during an exciting moment.
The game has its bumpy, warty nuances: a combat system that is essentially a more complicated rock-paper-scissors mechanic, paired with a wound and healing system that feels like it was designed in the Middle Ages. But all in all, if you’re looking for a low-magic, deep-story, strong-roleplay game, you really can’t go wrong giving Pendragon 6th edition a try.
At the time of writing, the Gamemaster's Handbook for Pendragon 6e isn’t yet published, but it does have a retail release date of March 2025. This is another drawback to the system at the moment: the books are being released slowly overtime. That said, the Starter Set is great—it gives you everything you need to begin and see if it’s the right system for you. But if you want a complete set of rules and lore, set your expectations accordingly.
Happy gaming!