Dungeons & Dragons, 5th edition

Released in 2014, this is the edition that conquered the world… with a little help from Stranger Things being a phenomenon, COVID keeping everyone at home, and the invent of online hosting platforms (Fantasy Grounds, Roll20, etc.). Wizards of the Coast strove to make a system that was easy to learn, easy to play, and easy to run. Characters start out much stronger than in previous editions and the power increases in a scale somewhat similar to video games. All of the rules that complicated previous editions were replaced with rules that improved gameplay, not inhibited it. WotC released new rules in 2024 that simplified and standardized things even more. This edition is great for players with no experience in roleplaying games as well as those who have been gaming for decades.