I feel this generation could care less about the classic 1970s fantasy books like the ones in Appendix N. Every 5E book I watch feels influenced by either Harry Potter or anime.
I have to ask myself, with 5E, does 1970s fantasy matter anymore?
It is a sobering feeling coming to this conclusion, which influenced my decision to rid myself of all my 5E books. I was never really into Harry Potter (which is like a bible to this generation), and I do like anime, but not in my tabletop gaming.
Did Harry Potter kill Appendix N?
My 5E and Pathfinder 2 books felt like they were talking to an alien audience. I did not care for the art, which was all too disconnected, floating on the page, and too happy fluff. The content was overwritten and bloated, and it felt like pay-by-the-word filler.
The books weren't speaking to me.
Even if some were written for a more mature audience, the inconsistency between the core rulebooks, which looked like YA comic books, and the darker-themed books like Inferno or Dante's gave me this horribly inconsistent, food-at-a-low-quality buffet feeling (with a few great entrees) that turned my stomach.
There is a reason Dragonslayer was created. The game has a strict art requirement and consistent style. I can get into the feeling and vibe of the game. Shadowdark is the same way. Reading the book makes you want to play what it is showing you. Free League does an impressive job in terms of art and direction.
Shadowdark is amazing. This is what 5E should be instead of the narrative superhero game it turned into. I greatly respect this team and what they managed to do, fix 5E and bring it back to its roots. The original designers of 5E have yet to learn how bad it has gotten, and a patch 2024 release by Wizards will not fix the bloat and fatty mess the game has turned into.
Shadowdark is emergent storytelling based on fear and tension.
5E has strayed so far away from dungeons that it feels like it has become a FATE-style story game.
Dungeon Crawl Classics is fantastic in terms of art direction, even though the styles vary widely - they all fit that old-school theme. This is also the game that holds Appendix N to be the inspiration for the hobby it should be. But do those 1970s fantasy books speak to people who create 5E books?
With my old-school games and classic modules, I know they speak to me.
And I can't say the presentation of 5E, Open 5E, or even Pathfinder 2 excites me. This may change with Tales of the Valiant, but I grow less hopeful knowing the mess of books I already have.
I can't play 5E without feeling like I am forcing myself to like it. The system works at low levels and worsens at higher levels, like 4E's broken promise. Level Up A5E addresses the problem, but I feel overpowered and bored at level six even with those rules. And I need more than a broken promise to give 5E shelf space.
But Appendix N is the heart of the hobby, and it feels irrelevant today in many of the newer games. Harry Potter was so huge, developmentally, to so many that I am begging to wonder if the earlier classics are being forgotten, and the trends in gaming are more inspired by Marvel, 3D animated movies, and anime than anything the hobby started with.
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