D&D: Lore and Legends - Time to Celebrate 5E?

My review of Dungeons & Dragons: Lore & Legends - amzn.to/3SEvuxM
Art & Arcana: amzn.to/40CYVlS
Support WASD20 on Patreon: / wasd20
Check out the WASD20 Amazon Storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/wasd20
Check out my partners at Absolute Tabletop: absolutetabletop.com/?trackin...
Thanks for watching!
Come back for new RPG videos at least once a week on WASD20. D&D, fantasy maps, and more.
Join us on DISCORD! / discord
Supported locally by GrandCon Gaming Convention: www.grand-con.com/
________________________________________
⏩FOLLOW ME ⏪
Instagram: / nate.wasd20
Twitter - / wasd20nate
Facebook - / wasd20net
Store - www.wasd20.spreadshirt.com
Website - www.wasd20.net
Maps & Commission requests - www.sellswordmaps.com
Business inquiries - email [e-mail]
SUBSCRIBE: goo.gl/qiwFFv
SUPPORT: www.wasd20.net/support-me/

[@ZviadTsetskhladze]

The OGL scandal forced me to find alternatives to 5e and I was opened up to a world of fun! So some curses are a bliss. Now I'm running 3 different campaigns with 3 different systems.

[@WASD20]

That is certainly something I also appreciate about the whole thing. More people playing different games is pretty cool.

[@theyoungfool.1895]

3 different systems with 3 different groups?!? You sir have done great work to introduce others to other systems

[@williamobraidislee3433]

Wizards of the Coast is not “the creators of D&D.”

[@Joshuazx]

Agreed.

[@WASD20]

True. I misspoke. Creators of D&D fifth edition. Or current publishers of D&D.

[@Helghast73]

I’d say they were more a publisher of D&D but some get all riled up with WotC and use them as a bit of clickbait 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Joshuazx]

If you think about it, 5e isn't even D&D. D&D is not compatible with 5e. 5e is a different game based on or inspired by 5e.

[@pewprofessional3181]

​@@Joshuazx Fact. 💯

[@captainbloth]

I switched to other systems and games long before the scandals. I also don't intend to support WOTC greed anymore. There is a lot more fun with other systems. That being said, it makes me really happy that the OSR scene is thriving.

[@thomasl486]

5th edition will always have a place in D&D history as the edition that saved Dungeons & Dragons role playing game from the deathspiral that came with 4th edition. I agree if you have the Art & Arcana you dont really need this new book, but if you love 5th edition and feel deep for it, and do have the money...well perhaps it is a fair deal to get this book for yourself or a gift to a gamemaster who have given your group a lot of fun over the years, i am sure he or she would love such a gift.

[@old_geeky_Michael]

Thanks Nate! Another informative review as always. Yeah, will give this one a miss but you've reminded me to pick up Art and Arcana! Thanks again dude, hope you're doing well.

[@nexusoldbind5015]

I bet Dave Arnison isn't mentioned even once 😡

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

Was his memory cancelled by WoTC some time ago?

[@drewzen7462]

Nice video. Thanks Nate.

[@karlbolt7159]

Thanks Nate! I agree with your recommendation but for someone who started playing recently, Lore & Legends is a good addendum. Maybe Wizards should produce similar books but wait 15 years or more.

[@bytecode5834]

Thanks for the gift

[@Ryan-rt9wn]

Thanks for the great video, Nate! I always appreciate your honesty!

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

That's cool I have the Art and Arcana book too

[@drforest]

Just ordered this yesterday. Should be here tomorrow. Sorry I found this video. Sounds like 5e was successful overall. Don’t forget WoTC bought TSR. Then Hasbto bought WoTC.

[@Cubannerd]

It looks more like a fancy product catalog than a coffee table book.

[@WASD20]

Yeah, I'm with you.

[@Cubannerd]

@@WASD20 does the other book you mentioned have a lot more info on game design? I'm very interested on how these books are made. Even though I've designed the layout of a couple myself. Lol

[@WASD20]

No, the other one doesn’t too talk much game design if I remember correctly.

[@Cubannerd]

@@WASD20 Bummer. I would love to peek into what these bigger companies do for a lot of their creative direction decisions.

[@Satori2046]

Loved and still loving the game since 1992. I own the first book (amazing) and will purchase this one. Let's celebrate Dnd !

[@pi8chyt]

Hi Nate, nice review - I bought it as I also found Art and Arcana a great product and expected something similar. But I was slightly disappointed - same reasons you laid out very well. Over all if had the feeling of a advertising of the product catalog, and I wondered why I need to pay for it.

[@therocketboost]

I was already getting tired of Wizards of the Coast's awful handling of D&D 5e and just their general bullshit. The OGL shenanigans (and WotC's piss poor response to being called out for it) was the dealbreaker. Cancelled my D&D Beyond sub and I'm not spending a dime on WotC products or running their games for the very long foreseeable. You can definitely count this very poorly timed victory lap as a product I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. There's much better games with more ethical and competent companies making them.

[@_Diggler]

I still have a copy of the original Chainmail. Them polyhedra dice are long gone.

[@WASD20]

I have a reprint and played it once at GaryCon. Fun game!

[@mtgemperor]

Despite its blunders, D&D 5e did help the TTRPG industry in more ways than one. We can celebrate the fact that the Old School Renaissance and other systems had a huge boom because of 5e blunders. All jokes aside, 5e was the stepping stone of two new generations of players; the younger millennials and Gen Z. We cannot blame WotC for bringing more people into the hobby. However, we can blame WotC for some subpar material and horrible PR nightmares surrounding the vastly important community. I do not have Art & Arcana yet. I may have to put that on my Xmas wishlist. However, this Lore & Legends; not certain yet.

[@maromania7]

Honestly it wasn't even THEM. 5e was doing decent, but Critical Role is what brought in the new generation. And then Covid giving people time and boredom. 5e would've been decent enough to survive off of perhaps, but for better and for worse Critical Role was the biggest reason.

[@johnandrewbellner]

They say that the winners write the history books.

[@knaz7468]

I am newly returning to TT RGPs after 30+ years and trying to catch up on the industry including D&D (I am presently playing very old school RMv2). In 10 words or less, what is "the controversy" about 5e and/or WotC? From an outsider's perspective I only see the massive swell of popularity at my local game shop.

[@knaz7468]

Never mind, I found an article on the whole thing at gamesradar. Definitely a bummer that they would undermine the trust of their player base like that. Honestly pretty typical of a company that is basically a monopoly (earnings-wise). Well, I have yet to move over to 5e, but wouldn't mind checking it out at some point.

[@WASD20]

10 word is impossible. WotC announced changes to the Open Gaming License which would negatively impact third party creators. There were several tonedeaf and downright dishonest statements in response to fan outcry.

[@knaz7468]

@@WASD20 I ended up downloading and reading the existing license (SRD5 v1.0a) they hoped to rewrite earlier this year, but then bailed on their changes after the outrage. What is always alarming in these things is there is no "lifetime" span given. It's all changeable at the whim of WotC. They tried to do it once, and so can do it again. I can see why people were/are angry! Almost feels like what Unity tried to do this year.

[@maromania7]

Which controversy? Trying to have partial rights to all content created? The royalty percentages larger than most profit margins, choking the entire market? Trying to overturn an OGL that was designed to be impossible to overturn? The statements on how they're under monetizing us and plan to triple profits made off us? Or if we're going broader, sending the Pinkertons to someone's house to threaten thier family over a mislabelled package, instead of just asking for it back? That's just scratching the surface of months worth of issues, and they haven't really stopped piling up.

[@03dashk64]

D&D had its time. Now it’s time to expand into brighter futures. The king is dead. Long live the king.

[@MarkHyde]

TBH this is really isn't unprecedented - TSR used to do this with its art back in that era. Far from having me move to other systems uninformed, the whole OGL debacle had me re-visit the WIDER developments in the history of ttrpgs to see how we all got here as a hobby. It's nothing new - and follow clear patterns that were there for those in the know. D20 based resolution mechanic games have been in existence in some from or another for DECADES - and some other resolution mechanic games just as long. I hope it all doesn't get ingored when solely focused on one corporation and its shenanigans over how a rule set is licensed. Chasing the latest greatest in ruleset perfection can sometimes be a fools errand when it all gets abandoned too. And you're left with orphaned print books that take shelf space not getting used. Anyway great video - been a long time sub but sadly not always a regular viewer - keep up the great wok anyway.

[@Joshuazx]

This video is too generous to 5e.

[@TrentonBreske-dd2ln]

Hello

[@damagedchromosome]

Stranger Things brought me back to DnD after many, many years away from it. I was one of those kids in that time period, obsessed with the game. Still have the early ADnD PHB, DMG and MM. Your channel helped me reconnect with the game. Now my kids are getting into it. I reject all the hate against this game. Long live Dungeons and Dragons 5e!

[@ericdodd1209]

Well said 😎👍

[@johnmaher5887]

I personally agree with you. It’s part of this modern cancel culture to just throw away something (or someone) immediately, just because they make a mistake. WotC is a corporation, and like most corporations they want to make money. Sometimes they go overboard and get greedy. They will probably self correct. I personally don’t care that much, as to me, it’s just a game, and it’s a game that I played when I was in elementary school and middle school, took a break from for like 25 years, and then 5E got me back into playing. Now all of my kids play, they have great groups of friends because of it, and I play biweekly online (way more often than I ever played when I was a kid). I definitely celebrate 5E, because the game is not the corporation behind it.

[@robertyoung8486]

5e started going downhill when they pushed Mike Mearls out of the helm.

[@iamcoolalot]

who knew there were scandals in d&d

[@Neruomir]

5e, born out of the major F'upp that was 4th ed and ended by the major greed F'upp of the OGL scandal and the digital VTT push to sell microtransactions. Art & arcana was an excellent book tho celebrating better times.

[@JazzyBassy]

I know a lot of people have checked out of the playtest documents, but by all intents and purposes, the 2024 PHB is not an entirely unique edition, especially when taking into account all the changes done in the middle documents (5 and onwards) for backwards compatibility. The suggested changes for universal subclass level progression, the three spell lists, the class groups, and the better name changes for some features (Channel Nature), all got reverted for Backwards compatibility with current subclasses and books like Xanathar and Tasha, for better and for worse. I feel like saying "One D&D" is an entirely new edition is just a piece of misinformation that should have stopped spreading a while ago. A lot of the people that kept up with the playtest actually wanted some of those Quality of Life changes and wished that it was a new edition, but if anything one of the main complaints is that it isn't a new edition, not the other way around. Also, One D&D is just the name of the overall 50th anniversary projects including the VTT. The new core books are being called the 2024 PHB, DMG, and MM.

[@WASD20]

That's fine. It's just hard to believe them when they've pulled the "it's not a new edition" card in the past, and then what do you know - they did become new editions! However, I'm not up on the current playtest material so I can't speak to how similar/different it is.

[@pewprofessional3181]

5e is nothing to celebrate

[@chaosexhaust7533]

Nothing to celebrate about this garbage edition that arguably saved D&D as a brand (although that's mostly due to Critical role). At least it paved way for more people to discover the hobby. Great video!

[@Bear-bx7yo]

Lore & Legends? I thought wotc got rid of that useless stuff. What do we even need lore for?

[@williamhoover6902]

I won’t spend a dime on it. One, I’m done supporting WOTC period. Two, I don’t trust it not to be tainted with woke bullshit ideology. Three, I honestly don’t care for the art. The quality of many of the art pieces is very high and the artists are talented but the themes miss for me. I prefer the old survival, against the odds themes as more evocative than the super hero themes of 5e. There is also less risk and safer themes. Perhaps better for kids but it lacks adult maturity.

[@pewprofessional3181]

I definitely agree with this statement.

[@Kenpokid4]

Anyone who bitches about "woke ideology" can be safely ignored

[@Kenpokid4]

And what the fuck are you talking about, D&D is still rife with Gygax's braindead race essentialism and celebration of colonialism

[@williamhoover6902]

@@Kenpokid4You Didn’t.

[@boxylemons7961]

@@williamhoover6902 what on earth does "woke" even mean and what the fuck does it have to do with dungeons and dragons

[@johnmaher5887]

I love your channel, but honestly this seems a little disingenuous coming from you when your entire channel is like 90% D&D 5e and related stuff (like maps and minis, etc) and you’ve clearly benefitted financially from the explosion of D&D with 5th edition and all of the new and returning RPG players. Did WotC make mistakes? Absolutely. Do we “not celebrate D&D 5e”, which is an awesome edition of the game that we’ve loved playing for the last 9 years, just because the corporation that made it screwed up? The game is not the company. This book looks great. I’ll buy it, and I’m still playing D&D too. It’s fun, and that’s all I care about.

[@WASD20]

Thanks for the input :)

[@maromania7]

What, it's disingenious to change your mind? To speak differently with a situation changes, and acknowledge the present? Analyzing new information and changing your opinions from it isn't disingenuous, it's healthy growth. 90% of his channel is 5e, which makes it mean a lot when he starts moving away from something he obviously cares a lot about.

[@johnmaher5887]

@@maromania7 That’s fair. I guess the whole thing just seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Be mad at Wizards of the Coast if you want, but to give up on D&D just because of a mistake that the corporation makes seems a bit overboard. As I said, I still love the game, and I love 5e, and I’m going to keep playing. But admittedly, that’s just my opinion. He is obviously entitled to his, as are you.

[@jonhunt1419]

I run 5e for 50 somethings. I have been playing since 1978. What wotc is warping this game into is just a shame. Touchy feely content creators like Ginny D, Dungeon Dudes, Pointy Hat and others are steering D&D toward a cliff. Who wants art to remind you of that? More money grab by wotc than anything else. Will also not be buying One D&D - I still have all my 1st and 2nd editions if I want something different...

[@03dashk64]

“Touchy Feely” content creators did not ruin D&D. Wotc and terrible rules did that easily.

[@therocketboost]

​@@03dashk64Little column A. Little column B.

[@therocketboost]

I unsubbed from The Dungeon Dudes for being spineless. They had a very late reaction to the OGL and when they did they falsely pledged they would try to cover other systems to not be so dependent on D&D 5e for content. Not entirely cut themselves off, just diversify. Something said to placate everyone. Several months after that promise was made, with almost no non-D&D 5e content produced, I called them out in the comments. One of them tried to angrily tell me off in a back and forth, assuring me they would cover something else soon but were taking a while to learn other games. A few months more following that blatant fib and they still haven't changed their output. Like I say, spineless.

[@MarkHyde]

I gave up fussing as an angry grognard years ago - wastes so much effing energy really cbf caring anymore. All it really does is turn people off of tabletop gaming in general really. Still not going to see me play 5e though.

[@Z0mb13ta11ahase]

? If you feel like DnD is being warped by WotC then maybe you're just relying on rulebooks a bit too much. PHB and DMG are the only books any of my crew has. I have the monster manual but even that is just an outline for monsters stats to me.

[@tasadiqhussain6008]

Art and aracana looks way better. Art in dcc is amazing as well, especially if you like older stuff.