Tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons come with a set list of rules which are meant to guide and enhance players’ experiences. In D&D, many of these rules are important for having fun and getting off to a great adventure. However, some rules in Dungeons & Dragons should just be avoided, especially so players can make the most of their time together and keep fun levels at a maximum.
If there’s one rule in D&D that everyone needs to abide by, it’s “have fun.” This rule needs to be followed, even if it means avoiding other rules. Thankfully, 5e is the most streamlined and comprehensive edition of Dungeons & Dragons ever, so a lot of the fat has already been trimmed from its rulebooks. While there are definitely rules that DMs should enforce, there are quite a few that everyone should just avoid.
The rules that players and DMs should avoid in D&D really have one thing in common: using these rules can turn even the best campaign into a slog. Whether through micromanaging or taking up all of a session’s playtime, these Dungeons & Dragons rules shouldn’t be included simply because they’re too disruptive or take too long.
D&D Rule To Avoid – Encumbrance & Item Weight
Keeping up with item weights can be a pain for everyone. Adding in over-encumbrance to players who are carrying too much makes it even worse. Most DMs don’t want to keep track of everyone’s items, and players don’t want to worry about losing their precious goods because they’ve reached a carrying limit. It’s why most players avoid this mechanic already, even though it’s still technically a part of D&D 5e.
D&D Rule To Avoid – Disruptive Characters
Alignments can be an important part of adventures and getting used to a D&D character’s personality. Sometimes, that might even mean a character alignment is chaotic or downright evil. However, even if a character in Dungeons & Dragons is chaotic evil, it’s not an excuse to be a disruptive player. Constantly interrupting sessions because it’s “something that character might do” can get old really fast. Even if it means foregoing realism for the sake of a smoother adventure, constant disruptions should be avoided at all costs.
D&D Rule To Avoid – Gathering Components During Sessions
Gathering materials is a necessity for certain spells, but pausing gameplay every five minutes so someone can search for agates or dried carrots to use Darkvision can really break up a campaign. It’s also extremely boring for other D&D players who want to continue with the adventure instead of waiting for a wizard or cleric to find the components they need. Players and DMs can choose to completely ignore this mechanic if they want. And if not, gathering components should be something done outside of the session (with the DM’s permission, of course) if players want the D&D group to last.
Each adventure in D&D is unique, so adapting rules to fit with a group and setting is always something that needs to be considered. However, in order to get the most fun out of Dungeons & Dragons, these rules can simply be avoided.
