With the slow rollout of the 2024 edition of Duneon & Dragons 5e, there’s been considerable discussion about the game’s underlying design philosophy and how it shapes player behavior at the table. While every edition has had its share of rules lawyers, the current design trajectory might actually be encouraging more rules-focused play - and not always in ways that enhance the experience.

Unfrozen Barbarian Lawyer.

“If it pleases the court, your honor, I choose to rage, throw our rogue as an inprovised weapon with elemental damage, and have them return to my hand.”

The Exception That Proves the Rule

Since its inception, D&D 5e operates on what I call an “exception-based” design philosophy. Rather than providing broad, flexible guidelines that empower creative play, the system builds character capabilities through stacks of specific exceptions to basic rules. Your fighter doesn’t just “fight well” - they have Action Surge, Second Wind, and various fighting styles that each modify base rules in particular ways. So they’re not just fighting better than everyone else, they’re operating under a complete different set of rules than anyone else. A unique set of exceptions just for them.

This might seem like a minor distinction, but it fundamentally shapes how players engage with the game:

1. It trains players to think in terms of “what special rules apply here?” rather than “what makes sense in this situation?”
2. It creates an implicit promise that if something isn’t explicitly permitted by a rule exception, it might not be allowed
3. It rewards system mastery through finding and combining favorable exceptions

The Complexity Stack of 5e 2024

The 5e 2024 revision appears to be doubling down on the exception-based design philosophy the edition started with in 2014. With more class features, more specific interactions, and more granular rules, we’re seeing what might be the most complex stack of exceptions yet in 5e’s history.

This isn’t inherently bad - some players genuinely enjoy engaging with complex rule systems. However, it creates some challenging dynamics and can sometimes put a game at odds with itself when situations arise where a rules exception runs counter to the DMs attempt to run a cohesive game. I want to be clear here that, were this to happen, it’s not the fault of the DM or a player. DMs are trying to create smooth fast fun, and players want to naturally use the abilities that make their character unique. It’s just a natural part of the game. But they do sometimes conflict in the best of cases, and can sometimes incentivize arguments over rules interpretations in the worse cases.

The Incentive Problem

When your character’s capabilities are defined primarily through rules exceptions, you’re incentivized to:

• Search for more exceptions
• Find ways to combine exceptions favorably
• Argue for beneficial interpretations of exception interactions

This naturally leads to more rules discussions, more time spent debating edge cases, and potentially more friction at the table.

The New Rule 0 Problem

In almost every previous edition of D&D, there was a Rule 0. This was the catch-all rule that allowed the DM to make decisions about how to handle situations that didn’t fit neatly into the rules as written. It was a narrative safety net that allowed the DM to weave a story that fit the theme of the adventure, even if it wasn’t spelled out in the rules.

In 5e 2024, it seems that Rule 0 has been replaced by a well intentioned and good sounding version “Rule 0 of D&D is simple: Have fun. It’s fine if everyone agrees to change the rules as long as doing so means the game is more fun for everyone.” and this works fine for many groups. However, for games with rules lawyers problems, it fuels the fire of delays and arguments over rules interpretations. First, fun is subjective so it jumps right past the idea of a conhesive experience and the DMs role in managing that to a sort of palementary process. Second, it abandon’s the idea of making quick rulings to keep the game moving and directly sets the expectation of stopping everything for a debate whenever someone wants to. Third, it firmly enforces the idea that D&D is a game or rules, not rulings, and that things run like a computer program, not like a story unless the entire groups stops and debates every single thing. Last, it flips traditional games on it’s head and establishes for the DM to be overruled by the players, which is a powerful and dangerous idea.

This is powerful because player input should be one of the most important things driving the game. However, it’s also dangerous because pushing this too far in a direction the DM isn’t interested is going to cause them to burn out and games to collapse. It can incentivize some very bad player behavior where they treat DMs like a low functioning gaming console they yell at whenever the game doesn’t go the way they want.

Finding Balance at Your Table

Despite these design considerations, it’s crucial to remember that system design influences but doesn’t determine player behavior. I’ve seen groups play highly tactical games using narrative systems, and groups play narrative-focused games using crunchy systems.

The key is understanding these design influences so we can actively choose how to engage with them:

1. Be Up Front: Everyone in the group should be up front about their play styles, what their deal breakers are, and what they expect from each other at the table. This is NOT just a DM responsibility, it’s the responsibility of everyone at the table to both communicate and listen to each other and to abide by any agreements made.
2. Embrace The DM’s Role: The DM should be supported by everyone at the table. This means they will everyone will do their flat best to be mindful that the DM is doing their best to run the game smoothly and that we’re all in this together.
3. Focus on Fun for Everyone: If a rules discussion is slowing down play, help everyone make a quick decision and move on. Anyone can offer a quick suggestin or alternative to keep things moving.The DM should be empowered to make these decisions and everyone should be mindful that the game is more important than any one ability or ruling.

Moving Forward

The 2024 edition of D&D 5e is a good game, just as its predecessors have been. Understanding its design philosophy helps us engage with it more intentionally and adapt it to our preferred play styles. People can lose sight of this when commenting in this way and assuming I’m saying the game is bad. It’s not, but design does effect how we play and how we interact with each other at the table. It’s important to be aware of these things so we can make choices about how we play that enhance the experience for everyone.

Remember that every game system has its strengths and weaknesses. The goal isn’t to find a perfect system, but to understand how to work with the system you’re using to create the best experience for your group.

Tips for DMs

1. Set aside time between sessions to review any “rulings over rules” you made during the last session
2. Be confident in making rulings that prioritize game flow over perfect rule accuracy, and don’t feel shy about asking players to help you keep the game moving
3. Consider house rules that simplify exception chains that commonly cause confusion and write them down
4. Unless something is going to wreck the game for everyone, let it slide and say yes. Remember you can revisit the decision in between sessions.

Tips for Players

1. Focus on understanding your character’s capabilities thoroughly, not just on the letter of the ability but the spirit of the rules
2. Consider the greater flow of the game, the style you’ve all agreed on, and what the DM is trying to do at the table
3. Save complex rules discussions for between sessions and trust the DM to make the call when needed. However, don’t just forget about it until the next session. Actively discuss things between sessions and don’t just leave it until the next situation.
4. Remember that D&D is collaborative, not competitive. Also keep in mind that once something is decided, accept it and move on.

By understanding these design elements, we can better navigate their influence and focus on what truly matters: creating memorable stories and having fun with friends around the table.