what do you think is dnd tradition

[Tanarii]

In terms of sheer familiarity and persistence, one of the most time-honored D&D traditions for me is not playing D&D on D&D night, because Ben has to write his big paper, and Jane forgot and picked up an extra shift at work, and Alan couldn't find a babysitter and...

Yeah, the scheduling DC is about a 35 sometimes ..

Beat me to it. THIS is the THE d&d tradition. A group of people expressing enthusiasm to play without the commitment to back it up.

Oh definitely. I won't run "home games" any more, because of single-group-of-player campaigns falling apart from lack of attendance for 2 sessions in a row. It's inevitable, and seems to happen no later than the end of month 2 or so of weekly games.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Oh definitely. I won't run "home games" any more, because of single-group-of-player campaigns falling apart from lack of attendance for 2 sessions in a row. It's inevitable, and seems to happen no later than the end of month 2 or so of weekly games.

I guess I'm non traditional. The home games I've run have had much more regular attendance than the school club or FLGS/open table ones I've run.

As for traditions...meh. I started with 4e for the tabletop, then switched to 5e. I'd played 2e-3e through the crpgs, but that's different. So tradition doesn't mean much to me. In fact, "but in X edition" arguments that are appeals to tradition fall flat and often are counterproductive for convincing me. The past is dead, let it lie. We can learn from the past, but we are not bound to it.

[Tanarii]

I guess I'm non traditional. The home games I've run have had much more regular attendance than the school club or FLGS/open table ones I've run.

You're saying you get better attendance from a single party, than you do from an open table?

Hey, I guess miracles can happen!

[loki_ragnarock]

Whelp, okay:

Experience Points and Levels - If there isn't progression, it's not D&D. A points based system, that's not D&D. D&D has levels, D&D has experience points.
STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA - These are the stats, as handed down to us on a tablet from Gygax. Other stats are other games.
Fighters, Wizards, Clerics - These are the classes. They have history. If they aren't there, it's not D&D.
Elves, Dwarves, HobbitsHalflings: If they aren't there, it ain't D&D. They can be pretty warped (thanks, Darksun), they can be classes (thanks the far past)! But if they're absent it means it's a different game.
Saving Throws - Oh, man. How they've morphed! But they're still there.
Magic Swords, Magic Rings, Magic Musical Things - Loot, loot, lute!
Dungeons, Dragons - It's in the name.
Just a metric buttload of specific monsters - No beholders? Not D&D. No Flumphs? Not D&D. No Otyughs? Not D&D.

A specific individual table doesn't really need to have any of those things, but the larger game? All those are musts.

[PhoenixPhyre]

You're saying you get better attendance from a single party, than you do from an open table?

Hey, I guess miracles can happen!

My current group has really only missed pre-scheduled dates. A couple people dropped early on (session 1, 2), but since then it's been solid. My home game before that was basically constant.

The open table I was part of had widely fluctuating attendance, which made coherence a big issue. And the school club games... Yeah. Teenagers who aren't on control of their own schedules are hard.

[Tanarii]

The open table I was part of had widely fluctuating attendance, which made coherence a big issue. And the school club games... Yeah. Teenagers who aren't on control of their own schedules are hard.

Oh yeah, you have to design an open table campaign to be an open table campaign. Even if you allow sign ups for specific stuff later on, it has to be possible for people to just drop in for a session.

[PhoenixPhyre]

Oh yeah, you have to design an open table campaign to be an open table campaign. Even if you allow sign ups for specific stuff later on, it has to be possible for people to just drop in for a session.

Which really cramps my personal style. I don't do grand quests from start to finish, but I do like arcs of 3-5 sessions. Frequently adventuring days take 1.5 sessions.

[Democratus]

You're saying you get better attendance from a single party, than you do from an open table?

Hey, I guess miracles can happen!

This seems like the norm to me. I've had regular home campaigns that went for 5+ years.

A group of close-knit friends will often find a way to make it work - in a way that strangers at a FLGS won't.

[Necroanswer]

I think you guys missed some low hanging fruit:

Armor class
lots of different dice
d20's for attacks,saves (and skills later on)

[MaxWilson]

I think you guys missed some low hanging fruit:

Armor class
lots of different dice
d20's for attacks,saves (and skills later on)

If two handed swords don't do 3d6 damage to large creatures, it's not D&D.

[noob]

I think you guys missed some low hanging fruit:

Armor class
lots of different dice
d20's for attacks,saves (and skills later on)

Lots of different dice was the case since the first edition.
Early editions had thac0 which is basically ac but described in a different way so saying armor class is a tradition is true.
However there was a lot of saves that were not D20s in early editions and it got more uniform so it is not the oldest tradition either.