This was prompted by me viewing this clip
here.
Where players were struggling to figure out how to learn about the world and infomation in a setting, or to gather information on how to investigate a scenario. Andi realized what was missing from 5e/One Dnd, is the old Gather information skill.
In every other edition of DnD even the original, their has been a way for players to actually gather information from rumor tables, and learn about how to investigate or navigate in a setting, to learn about the world.
In the Original DnD it was this mechanic.
This loosely carried on in B/X-ADnD.
In later editions it became
this.
Even 4e had this in the Streetwise skill...until 5e.
5e mostly removed this mechanic from the game and it makes the game harder to run and play.
Before players had a good framework of how to interact with the setting to learn info about whats going on, and get knowledge on rumors, NPCs, or things they are interested in, and DM's can use this framework to prep around this, making it easier for them.
Now we dont have this, so a lot of new players, are just lost in space, not knowing how to interact or engage espeically in a more open scenario without a way to gather information about what they are interested in.
And DM's lost a way to prep hooks in a player-driven manner, and a way to prep content and guide players too it. Its harder to run floating NPCs since their is no actual good player driven way for players to just find these NPCs, you basically have to shove them in their face, and kinda rail them into them. And it feels bad, and not quite good at all.
The lack of this basic mechanic that has been featured in most editions of DnD is startling and the effects of it has lead to moments when players are just flailing around not even knowing a basic default method of engaging with the world and setting, in a meaningful way.
And i hope that we get it back in One DnD/5e 2024, because it would make the lives of players and DMs a bit easier, and open up more doors to nonlinear play?
How do you feel about this?
TLDR: Gather information was a cool player driven mechanic for players to learn and interact with information and characters in the world, and they removed it from 5e despite being a mechanic in most editions of the game, and its left a terrible hole in DnD's gameplay loop and i think it should comeback proper.