Would a 5e-based ruleset for gaming in the modern era work? Why or why not?

What if it ditched classes for partial point buy (select new abilities every level)?

Does the benefit of using a ruleset that lots of players are likely to be familiar with outweigh whatever awkwardness would arise from the adaptation of a medieval vagabond simulator to a gunfights and white-collar jobs simulator?

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;871985Would a 5e-based ruleset for gaming in the modern era work? Why or why not?

It would work about as well as the D20 version didn't.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;871985What if it ditched classes for partial point buy (select new abilities every level)?

It stops being D&D.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;871985Does the benefit of using a ruleset that lots of players are likely to be familiar with outweigh whatever awkwardness would arise from the adaptation of a medieval vagabond simulator to a gunfights and white-collar jobs simulator?

What does the track record of D20 Modern tell you?

It would need a completely revamped 'skill' system, to start off.

It's not going to work if you want a skill-centric game, and you need to still have classes or it's not D&D.

There is one good model of class-based modern/sf play I know of - Cyberpunk 2020, with its Solo, Nomad, Cop, Fixer etc. I definitely think the 5e Fighter and Rogue at least would be adaptable to a CP:2020 playstyle.

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;871985Would a 5e-based ruleset for gaming in the modern era work? Why or why not?

It will work about as well as D20 Modern did. (note the different phrasing from CB)

QuoteWhat if it ditched classes for partial point buy (select new abilities every level)?

No, not D&D then.  If you're going to make that kind of change, then use a system that can actually do a good job with a skill based system.

QuoteDoes the benefit of using a ruleset that lots of players are likely to be familiar with outweigh whatever awkwardness would arise from the adaptation of a medieval vagabond simulator to a gunfights and white-collar jobs simulator?

Not to me, but then I use Gurps/BRP/EABA for most things that a 5th ed Modern would be used for.  However, there are a pretty fair number of folks I know and see that use D20 Modern and might just very well use 5th ed Modern.  I tend to think that it would work for people who use 5th ed.

I thought d20 modern was interesting. But it was also very flawed. D20m Gamma World just magnified those flaws.

If I were doing a modern setting using the D&D rules then I'd start with 5e Urban Arcana and not bog the game down with skills skills skills for every damn thing.

Use 5es broad proficiencies adapted to a modern setting.

Id avoid "point buy" classes in 5e. They tend to fall apart unless REALLY well thought out. Something like BX or 2e which had point buy systems for them could be a better fit. And even so it can get really messy really fast.

You might be better off taking 1st or 2nd ed Shadowrun and just shaving off all the fantasy and cyberpunk aspects.

Bad.

The whole D20/OGL thing has been done before, already and there are plenty of other generic systems out there. Can't we just let D&D be it's own game?

Alternative settings, yes! Modern references, akin to Ebberon to 20th Century Pulp, yes! Homebrew world creation, yes! Generic fantasy, yes!

A full generic, universal, all purpose system? No.

If they were going to create a d20 Modern: Revised Edition, I would just take Star Wars Saga and fix the flaws. It would work fine.

If WotC uses 5e for anything beyond D&D, I am hoping for a Star Frontiers revival. Drasalites 4 teh win!

Quote from: SionEwig;871998It will work about as well as D20 Modern did. (note the different phrasing from CB)

Given how badly it bombed and was promptly abandoned, I'd say both our statements are valid.

I just like to think mine's a little more obvious about it.  

Quote from: Christopher Brady;872032Given how badly it bombed and was promptly abandoned, I'd say both our statements are valid.

I just like to think mine's a little more obvious about it.  

Exactly!

Quote from: Spinachcat;872021If WotC uses 5e for anything beyond D&D, I am hoping for a Star Frontiers revival. Drasalites 4 teh win!

I'd be up for that.

Quote from: Christopher BradyIt stops being D&D.

I'd argue things like the ability score array, proficiency bonus, advantage/disadvantage, the various dice and what they are applied to, and other such elements would still make it very approachable to those familiar with 5e.

Someone already did a very professional science fiction conversion for 5E. You can download it here:  https://www.mediafire.com/folder/b92nwlwcu98wm/Fifth_Age
I'm toying with the idea of converting my Stars without Number campaign

Notice something about the assumptions of D&D itself about the pseudo-medieval fantastic setting: everyday functionaries are not given their own classes because they are not the core conceit premise of play.

Milkmaids, chancellors, and tanners — essentially professions — are not given their own classes. Literary heroic archetypes are. If you are to bring 5e into our modern world, and what a diverse world it is, what sort of assumed premises do you want to narrow the scope of play?

When you can answer that question, "what slice of the modern world do I see as popular playable fun?", then you can establish the setting that births the needs of the system. If you can see a slice of modernity as close to a playable spread of literary heroic archetypes (and prepared to endure all the baggage that may entail), then more power to you.

Naturally, since "the fish may not have the distance to recognize the ocean its in, but intimately knows its own reef," you're facing an uphill battle in pitching this to others. People will not easily distance themselves to see their reality as a larger fabric with apparent broad patterns. They will focus instead on the detailed nuances of difference and in the end lose the suspension of belief. Archetypes speak to a generalization of individuals, whereas now we often live our individuality as glorified, irreducible monoliths. People generally don't 'disassemble self' well.

It's why even now most Modern games are in some way fantastic, or at least slices of the unusual (or heroic).

Bad idea.

There are already a plethora of games that do modern well, considerably better than any d20 offering perhaps without honorable mention of CoCd20 or Monte Cook's World of Darkness.

BRP, GURPS, Unisystem, Chill, Delta Green, One Roll Engine like Nemesis...

These vary from simple to complex and all do modern well IMHO.

D&D should stick to D&D. The new focus is spot on and should afford them much success in the future.

Quote from: S'mon;871992It's not going to work if you want a skill-centric game, and you need to still have classes or it's not D&D.

There is one good model of class-based modern/sf play I know of - Cyberpunk 2020, with its Solo, Nomad, Cop, Fixer etc. I definitely think the 5e Fighter and Rogue at least would be adaptable to a CP:2020 playstyle.

well neo tokyo works quite well at it to but its never had an English release so most ppl dont know about it