D&D 5E Players, would you play in a multi-year campaign that used only the 5.1 SRD?

overgeeked

B/X Known World

• Mar 3, 2024

• #1

A fairly simple follow-up question.

As a player, would you play in a multi-year campaign that only used the 5.1 SRD?

Only the races and subraces in the SRD. Hill dwarf, high elf, lightfoot halfling, standard human, dragonborn, rock gnome, half-elf, half-orc, and tiefling. No others.

Only the classes and subclasses in the SRD. No artificer, only the base 12 classes. Only berserker barbarian, college of lore bard, life cleric, circle of land druid, champion fighter, open hand monk, devotion paladin, hunter ranger, thief rogue, draconic sorcerer, fiend warlock, and evocation wizard. None of the other subclasses.

One background or a custom build your own. One feat and no others. Only the spells from the SRD. Etc.

Would you play in a multi-year campaign that only used the 5.1 SRD?

 

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Audiomancer

Adventurer

• Mar 3, 2024

• #2

Close call… but I ended up voting no.

I’d probably want more than 9 race/subrace options. This list covers the classics, but feels a little vanilla.

More subclass choices would be fun, but 12 is pretty good. Put it this way: The SRD creates 108 different possible race/class combinations—more than I could play in a lifetime.

Same with the SRD spells. Even with the more limited choices offered by the SRD, it will be YEARS before I’ve actually tried all of them.

What pushes me into the no column, though, is the effective lack of feats. Just finding another stat to boost is boring to me. It’s much more fun to shop for a feat that fleshes out my character concept, or gives me a specific fun combat action, or allows me to “own” a niche in the party (“Investigation Guy”), or…

So, if this was a thing I had to live with for more than a year, I’d pass.

But if it was pitched for a one-shot, or a short “Back to Basics” palate cleanser (because the last campaign had all the gonzo options switched on), then sure.

 

Yaarel

🇮🇱He-Mage

• Mar 3, 2024

• #3

Again, I wouldnt DM a bare-bones 5.1 SRD game. If a friend wanted to DM it, I would play for the sake of my friend.

But a commitment to a game spanning multiple years? I must say, no.

Also, there are problems in 5e 2014, that since then have resolved over the years. I dont want to return to those problems.

 

aco175

Legend

• Mar 3, 2024

• #4

I play mostly like this already, so it is fine.

Another thought is if I was teaching the game to new players and took the box set LMoP and just taught them with the basic stuff and next campaign we can expand.

 

ezo

Where is that Singe?

• Mar 3, 2024

• #5

overgeeked said:

Would you play in a multi-year campaign that only used the 5.1 SRD?

Click to expand...

Very gladly and with renewed enthusiasm.

 

Zeromaru X

Arkhosian scholar and coffee lover

• Mar 3, 2024

• #6

That's my secret, captain: that's the only 5e I've played in at least the last 5 years, because I don't own any 5e books (they are quite expensive here in my country). A friend has the books, but he moved to another city, so I was left with just the basic rules and the SRD...

 

GrimCo

Adventurer

• Mar 3, 2024

• #7

Yes, no problem. It has all the classes i need, custom background and multi classing. With that, i can make pretty much any character i want mechanics wise. Lack of feats doesn't bother me since they are so rarley used at our table, and i personally prefer to max out main stat and raise at least 2-3 more in 16-18 range. In a game like that, i would probably go for high elf rogue 3-5/bard 2/ fighter rest. Good stats, skill monkey, decent damage output, solid crit fishing potential and some spells on top of that.

 

Distracted DM

Distracted DM

Supporter

• Mar 3, 2024

• #8

Yaarel said:

Again, I wouldnt DM a bare-bones 5.1 SRD game. If a friend wanted to DM it, I would play for the sake of my friend.

But a commitment to a game spanning multiple years? I must say, no.

Also, there are problems in 5e 2014, that since then have resolved over the years. I dont want to return to those problems.

Click to expand...

@overgeeked Is the DM restricted to the 5.1SRD or can they use 3pp and/or make up their own stuff? I wouldn't run a game only using the SRD. And if you're going to be allowed to make up your own stuff, then you might as well be able to use 3pp.

I'm abstaining from the vote since I don't enjoy being a player as much anymore, but that's an important distinction for players and DMs of this hypothetical game. I'd assumed this was targeting PLAYERS only for character creation and options, and that the DM could use whatever they liked.

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2024

overgeeked

B/X Known World

• Mar 3, 2024

• #9

Distracted DM said:

@overgeeked Is the DM restricted to the 5.1SRD or can they use 3pp and/or make up their own stuff? I wouldn't run a game only using the SRD. And if you're going to be allowed to make up your own stuff, then you might as well be able to use 3pp.

I'm abstaining from the vote since I don't enjoy playing much anymore, but that's an important distinction for players and DMs of this hypothetical game. I'd assumed this was targeting PLAYERS only for character creation and options, and that the DM could use whatever they liked.

Click to expand...

Yeah. This is directed at players and is about character creation restrictions only.

 

greymist

Lurker Extraordinaire

• Mar 4, 2024

• #10

I voted yes in both of the SRD polls.

I ran (and may run again) a 40-50 session game, that I had to stop due to real-life commitments. The game is PHB minus some stuff (including multiclassimg). I would have no issue playing basic PCs, in fact, I prefer simpler to complex.

 

Last edited: Mar 4, 2024