So why do people play DnD? This is not so easy to anwser, especialy as will not be the same for everyone but I will try to lay down my ideas and though on why people like it and what makes it fun.
To start I would first go about why I like playing DnD.
Why do I like to play Dungeons and Dragons?
Fights
Blandly, I like to fight!
The intense moments of multiple characters/friends being at the brink of death, while you perform a heroic and critical decision, just feels amazing and rewarding.
The feeling of everyone surviving with just 1 HP (Hit Points) really bonds everyone and makes me connect to my character like nothing else.
Furthermore, the many different decisions you can take while fighting make it feel alive and always different. Fighting coupled with the team play for example, when combining said actions, is what makes the fights feel alive and make them fun.
„Do I strike with my Hand, Axe, Sword or do I cast magic, shoot an arrow, yell at them….“ Just intrigues me and leaves a lot of tactical depth, regarding the many choices you have.
The fight helps to bring the rest of the world and story to life and gives it stakes as well as a deeper meaning, as a fight will always bear the risk of someone dying.
Also for me, I really love to get to know new enemy types.
We are very lucky as we play with selfprinted figurines *Which I can highly recommend*
This helps to bring more immersion into the fights, and I wouldn’t miss it at ANY cost.
Exploring and Creating Worlds
From deep caves, majestic citys to dence forests and wild seas.
I love to create these magical places as an DM – spending hours on hours to bring a massive city to life.
For me its always important that my players can do what every they want in such a big city, without it feeling hollow and repetitive. From secret Bathing houses to big casinos and shady characters i love to give my players opportunities to find these things and even ask if anything of the sort might be around.
But not every environment or story is settled in a city. Therfore I love describing the scenery, if its very epic, dark, happy and so on, I always will try to create a certain feel in my players.
Also on the other side, while playing myself discovering these new places and imagining them in my head, has its own unique reitze. Not knowing what comes next, what the next tree might look like, intrigues me deeply.
My urge to see and adventure new places can never be stiled and imersing myself into the environment, helps me to bring the world alive.
What makes playing Dungeons and Dragons so special for other?
Although, Fights and Exploring are probably also very important aspects for many players, I think that Role Playing makes it special for most people.
Sure, I can only speak about my own experiences and the various groups I saw play on YouTube, but the most important moments always seem to relate to a death, wether an emotional or a funny momemt, of a character or the group.
Many people seem to connect very deeply to their characters, as naturally many people tend to play themselves or make the character align with their own ideals and interests. Which has its own problems in its own right, but that is a topic for another time.
So as many players connect to their character, like its themself, if something happens to them or any character they care about, they are emotionally invested and have real emotions towards them. Especially after already spending a long time with a character that dies, I made the experience that many people are shaken as they feel like someone real just died.
But it’s not all about death, also the funny and epic moments tend to stick around in many players heads, for the epic heroics to the failed rolls and misadventures.
To answer this question, everyone has their own reasons that make Dungeons and Dragons special for them, and that is what makes it suitable for many different types of people.