Bret Ripley wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 3:22 am
It appears I have some thinking to do, and any advice/observations will be appreciated.
This is very similar to how I ended up reentering the TT space. So, approaching 2 years in, way too many minis and books, and the fact a day literally (yes, literally) doesn't go by that I don't spend some time thinking about D&D and the campaign because everything could be a potential bit of inspiration, well. Maybe what I should say is walk away and don't look back. But seriously, I think this sounds like an amazing opportunity I encourage you to take. The creative outlet is a huge aspect of it for me. But I also just like playing big, ranging games with immense scope with other people. Video games have never filled the same space for me that playing games fills, and getting back into TTRPGs has been a meaningful positive addition.
Other advice:
1) Have a get-to-know-you non-session before making any decisions.
I suggest having a conversation with the group, preferably all together, to talk about what they would want to play (vague idea about settings, high- or low magic, ect.), what they expect in terms of an experience, and what their thoughts on a system might be. We did this informally since they were hanging out and I just stopped in to chat about it. It helped me understand that for the group 5e was the right choice. Three hadn't ever played more than a single short one shot in 5e so they were on-board with playing any edition. The guy who plays all the time was almost more interested in playing an old edition, and the other player with experience had only played 5e but was open to playing whatever. So on its face it seemed like I could have done anything. But in that conversation two important things became apparent. First, the expectation of what the game would be like for most of them was very modern, very much like the actual play podcasts they had heard/seen. And second, the learning curve for playing a crunchy older game would probably only appeal to a couple of them while I got the clear impression too much focus on crunch and mechanics would likely lead to a couple of them dropping out. If I took the game back to AD&D it would mean me with my rusty memory would be the only one who had any experience, and we'd be playing with limited support resources. Whereas the resources for DM help on 5e is a multi-million dollar industry right now. 5e made sense for us, but it helped to have that discussion. It also helped me get a feel for the dynamic between the group and their general interest in the game.
2) Take advantage of it being 2022.
Regardless of what system or edition you end up choosing, it's an entirely different world from when I played over 30 years ago. The internet is awash in resources. There are dozens if not hundreds of Youtubers with game advice, a bajillion actual plays, countless websites and apps, Reddit threads and Facebook groups, online publishers like the DMGuild and DriveThroughRPG - there is so much out there it's too much if you don't filter. But that's a good problem to have.
When we started, the group told me about an app/website they had used the one time they all played in a one shot which at first sounded like it was primarily a 5e character builder help website. It is called DnDBeyond. I initially missed just how much it actually does, but it basically makes character creation a much easier process. And that is probably one of the barriers for new players. It was recently purchased by Wizards of the Coast. I currently do all of my combat encounter building it in, run the encounters in it, and it means I have the books I purchased through it on my phone at all times. It's pretty cool. Not to make this into an ad for it, the point is that the new games have many more tools out there that can make the learning curve significantly less steep.
3) Unsure? 5e D&D is a safety net to get started and pivot if that makes sense.
5e is a flawed system, out of the gate. But its selling point is it has one of the lowest barriers to entry of any TTRPG I've ever played with high levels of enjoyment. I've found over time that there is a lot of lifting that falls to me in the gaps created by that low bar, but if you are getting the band together for the first time it's an easy run through of
House of the Rising Sun. Anyone under the age of 40 who is interested in playing D&D almost certainly envisions 5e when they picture what D&D is like due to the popularity of Critical Role, and it's built to make players feel powerful in a wonderous world. PC death is rare starting around 3rd level, the game has made magic accessible to almost everyone, and the game is focused on encounters rather than survival.