D&D (2024) Is Combat Tedious on Purpose?

[MGibster]

Yeah, it's a contentious title, but we're living in a post-social media world where click bait titles are how you get views. But let's start from the beginning. Is combat in 5th edition tedious? After a few weeks of running it with the players moving from levels 1 through 4, I can safely say, yes, combat is a bit tedious. Between movement, bonus actions, actions, and keeping track of everything, including spell effects and weapon masteries, I'm finding combat, something that should be the highlight of D&D, to be a grind.

It got me to thinking, is this a deliberate design choice on the part of WotC? An effort to get us to rely on their APP and/or VTT so they can more effectively monetize D&D? I hate to be a Conspiracy Carl here, but I can't help but wonder.

 

[billd91]

Since we usually find combat in 5e a lot faster than 3e or 4e, I'm going to go with no - it's not particularly tedious nor, of course, intentionally tedious to get people to rely on their APP or VTT.

 

[aiouh]

Bandits usually stop fighting after you've split their leader in two

 

[SteveC]

To me, when you roll initiative you step into a mini-game that should ideally be super fun. Does 5E do that? I think it does a decent job, but I wonder how many campaigns it will stay interesting for. Similarly, with slow advancement, I wonder how long that interest will stay. The edition with the best and most engaging combat was 4E (again, to me) but that was by design. You can have a really mediocre DM and if they have interesting combats, they can run a good 4E session.

I think 5E can be that interesting, but as the DM you need to work to make it interesting with stakes and interesting locations.

I just finished a Feng Shui campaign where combat is the most exciting part of the game, and have played CoC not too long ago where you don't ever want to get into combat. I'd put 5E combat past the middle, towards the Feng Shui edge of the scale.

 

[The Firebird]

I don't think it is a deliberate move to push people to the VTT. But it is a deliberate response to the views of the most highly engaged players who fill out their playtest surveys. These players tend to want more mechanics, because divorced from the table, more mechanics/options seems to equate to more customizability and characterization.

 

[DragonLancer]

The only time I find fights tedious is when combatants just stand there and roll dice. Have opponents and monsters move around. Use the environment to make fights more interesting. Don't just think 2D on the battle mat.

 

[aco175]

Some depends on the table and the DM. Is every fight a deadly encounter where the PCs are outnumbered and they will need to rest afterward? Are some over in a couple rounds as the survivors flee from the PCs? Are some over with words before fighting starts?

If every fight is the same, then the tactics are the same.

 

[Distracted DM]

Yeah, it's a contentious title, but we're living in a post-social media world where click bait titles are how you get views. But let's start from the beginning. Is combat in 5th edition tedious? After a few weeks of running it with the players moving from levels 1 through 4, I can safely say, yes, combat is a bit tedious. Between movement, bonus actions, actions, and keeping track of everything, including spell effects and weapon masteries, I'm finding combat, something that should be the highlight of D&D, to be a grind.

It got me to thinking, is this a deliberate design choice on the part of WotC? An effort to get us to rely on their APP and/or VTT so they can more effectively monetize D&D? I hate to be a Conspiracy Carl here, but I can't help but wonder.

I'm on-board with @mearls saying Bonus Actions were a mistake/bad patch, and result in slowdown. But does slower = tedious? Well if you're not enjoying the actual mechanics and thematics of the combat, then it's probably something else.

 

[payn]

I think its an unnecessary by product of short and long rest intermingling design. It draws out a bunch of piddly fights to wear down the PCs. Combats should be in interesting places and for interesting reasons. Though, im one of those combat is a fail state, but also love me some adventure path campaign, weirdos.

 

[mellored]

I don't think it is a deliberate move to push people to the VTT. But it is a deliberate response to the views of the most highly engaged players who fill out their playtest surveys. These players tend to want more mechanics, because divorced from the table, more mechanics/options seems to equate to more customizability and characterization.

Compared to...

Attack for damage
Attack for damage
Attack for damage
Attack for damage
...
Attack for damage, you killed it.

Then yea. Throwing in a bonus action to knock prone now and then is good thing.

But throw in too much and you it becomes convoluted.