D&D 5E DMs are annoyed players keep comparing games to Baldur’s Gate 3

Scott Baird
Astarion from Magic: The Gathering Baldur's Gate Commander's Set

D&D 5E Dungeon Masters have revealed the worst things they hear at the table; amongst them are endless comparisons to Baldur’s Gate 3’s gameplay and story.

Dungeons & Dragons can be a difficult game to play, as it usually requires the alignment of at least five schedules to pull off. This is why Baldur’s Gate 3 is so attractive to D&D 5E fans, as it offers a true single-player tabletop RPG experience.

Once players have finished Baldur’s Gate 3, they might be tempted to try D&D 5E. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a fantastic commercial for D&D 5E in this regard, as it opens the door for players who are already hooked to tell new stories in the same setting.

The problem is that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t a direct adaptation of D&D 5E rules. This has led to confusion amongst players who started out playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and then jumped to the tabletop game and its different take on combat.

Lae'zel from Baldur's Gate in her Magic: The Gathering Commander appearance

D&D 5E DMs reveal their most hated things players say at the table, including Baldur’s Gate 3 comparisons

A thread on the DnD Reddit page asks DMs what words they hate to hear in campaigns. The usual suspects crop up, from rules lawyering to being inconsiderate to other people, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is also making its presence known, as players keep bringing it up.

“One of my players said he started to understand DnD better due to BG3,” one user writes “I told him that’s great but just remember not everything transfers from one to the other.”

“Yes. The bane of my existence most recently is my players saying, ‘It works in BG3′” another user writes, “To which I usually say, “Cool, this ain’t BG3.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t the only bad thing DMs keep hearing, “I have dark vision” whenever the DM describes a dark place is a common saying at tables, as is “seduce,” unfortunately.

“It’s what my character would do!” is likely to make many DMs run for the hills, depending on what flavor of murderhobo the player is currently running.

The fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 is introducing players to D&D 5E is a good thing. There is a big difference between what works in a video game and how the same thing functions in a tabletop RPG, which is something that players (and their DMs) have to learn the hard way.

About The Author

Scott has been writing for Dexerto since 2023, having been a former contributor to websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started as a film student before moving into journalism. Scott specializes in Pokemon, Nintendo, DnD, Final Fantasy, and MTG. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.