Dungeons & Dragons 5e vs Tales of the Valiant: which TTRPG fits your group?
Dungeons & Dragons 5e and Tales of the Valiant side by side: dice, rules weight, prep, playstyle and what each game is about. Still split? Put both to a group vote.
| Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Tales of the Valiant | |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast | Kobold Press |
| Dice | d20 + modifiers | d20 + modifiers |
| Players | 3–7 | 3–6 |
| Complexity | ||
| Prep | ~15 min | ~1 h |
| Foundry VTT | Official | Official |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Playstyle | Combat Exploration Narrative Tactical | Combat Tactical Exploration |
| Setting | Fantasy | Fantasy |
Send both games to your players as one vote: everyone votes from their own phone, no signup.
What Dungeons & Dragons 5e is
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is the fifth and most popular edition of the world's first tabletop roleplaying game, released in 2014. A d20 system with the elegant advantage/disadvantage mechanic, 12 classes, 13 ancestries, hundreds of spells and monsters. The SRD is free under Creative Commons. The game that brought RPGs back into pop culture through Critical Role, Stranger Things, and Baldur's Gate 3.
- you want the default fantasy game your new players have already heard of
- your group enjoys class builds with new spells and abilities every level
- you want a huge choice of official worlds, from Forgotten Realms to Eberron
- you want short, lethal sessions with minimal bookkeeping
- your players find long spell lists and class options overwhelming
- Advantage / Disadvantage
- Bounded Accuracy
- Classes & Subclasses
- Short & Long Rest
What Tales of the Valiant is
A standalone RPG from Kobold Press built on the open Black Flag engine and compatible with D&D 5e. Your 5e books and adventures work as-is, but the rules are retuned: Luck instead of Inspiration, ancestry split from upbringing, talents instead of feats, and Monster Vault creatures that bite harder. The core is free under the ORC license.
- you love 5e but want retuned rules that still run your 5e books
- you want tougher monsters and Luck instead of Inspiration
- you want a free core rules text under an open license
- you want a break from d20 tactical combat
- your group would rather play plain 5e with no rule changes to learn
- Luck
- Lineage and heritage
- Talents, not feats
- 5e compatibility
Send both games to your players as one vote: everyone votes from their own phone, no signup.
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