Listen—I know I like to have a good gripe and groan about Dungeons & Dragons, so much so that anyone familiar with my writing for this site might think I hate the damn thing. I don't, honest. I just hold it to a high standard in the way you might hold a politician under scathing scrutiny. It's the central monolith of the TTRPG gaming space, and it can take its licks—but I'd be lying if I said I didn't still like going on a high fantasy adventures, rolling to swing my sword, and getting shiny magic items.
The issue is though, when you like something, and wind up playing a lot of it, you start to notice its flaws, and boy does D&D have those—especially for the DM. Action economy is all over the place, encounter balancing feels like trying to spin plates covered in oil, and the game tears apart at the seams when you get to its higher levels.
