The most significant factor in the long-term success of a TTRPG, IMO, is how it sustains being played again, again and again by the same group.

The initial success requires a hook of some sort. Either a quality game+concept (and luck), or borrowing a quality concept from elsewhere.

It really is!

The series I have the most platinums in is Yakuza - 8 so far - with Final Fantasy having 6 and Assassin's Creed having 5.

There are a lot of VERY good games that I've played, especially story-based games.

Good to hear!

It's one of the few 3.5E books I didn't pick up. That and Tome of Magic.

Meanwhile, my campaigns made EXTENSIVE use of Magic of Incarnum.

The mechanics aren't well distributed or balanced. Vex is just so, so good for the dex paladin in the group. While others feel like "whatever".

Thankfully, I haven't had to deal with topple/pushing much.

I was just thinking about how much I hate the Steady Aim ability for rogues... So random for me to get upset by, but still...

There are things in it which are fantastic improvements... but so much stuff that I dislike as well.

Never had an edition - including 4E - which gave me this reaction.

I *really* liked D&D 2014. But I feel that I may need to homebrew the game a lot now to get the game to a place that I like.

I was trying to remember which of the other JRPGs I was playing recently where damage type also mattered a lot - and now I remember it was Yakuza: Like A Dragon (and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth).

Because each character had different abilities, your choices mattered.

Just drop it on them. Let them figure it out... :)

Approach *may* be intended to work with the target using the Dash action. And if a rogue, also Cunning Action to Dash. (The wording with Flee sort of implies that).

It's very imprecise, though.

(Also, shout "Approach" to a creature on top of a 60-foot cliff!)

Mixing 4E material with 5E? Heresy! ;)