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Countdown to 5e

Started by 1989, May 13, 2014, 01:24:38 PM

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Sacrosanct

Quote from: Haffrung;749342It feels really weird to be excited about a new edition of D&D. I'd pretty much given up any expectations that WotC (or any other mainstream RPG publishers) would publish a game suited to my preferences. And I frankly don't understand why more old-school gamers don't recognize this as the biggest shift in the industry towards towards traditional play modes in the last 15 years. I suppose the OSR is such an indie movement these days, the contempt for anything mainstream is reflexive.

I'm right there with you.  I wrote off D&D after the 90s, so it's nice to see that after almost 15 years, there's a current edition that I enjoy playing again.
D&D is not an "everyone gets a ribbon" game.  If you\'re stupid, your PC will die.  If you\'re an asshole, your PC will die (probably from the other PCs).  If you\'re unlucky, your PC may die.  Point?  PC\'s die.  Get over it and roll up a new one.

1989

Still not sure about this 2d20 advantage/disadvantage thing.

What's the latest on that?

Is it optional?

Sacrosanct

Quote from: 1989;749349Still not sure about this 2d20 advantage/disadvantage thing.

What's the latest on that?

Is it optional?

I think that's a pretty big part of the core rules.  I suppose you could replace all instances where advantage/disadvantage apply with a +4/-4 modifier.

However, IMO, I like it better because it's one less thing to add/subtract during combat.  I find it easier to roll 2 dice and take the highest than add another level of modifiers.  To each their own though.
D&D is not an "everyone gets a ribbon" game.  If you\'re stupid, your PC will die.  If you\'re an asshole, your PC will die (probably from the other PCs).  If you\'re unlucky, your PC may die.  Point?  PC\'s die.  Get over it and roll up a new one.

Endless Flight

Quote from: Mistwell;749306That box is significantly more money. 75% more expensive.

Worth every penny and then some.

The first 4e box was so flimsy it disintegrated right after I opened it the first time. The essentials box was good but the contents sucked.

It's amazing that my boxed sets from the 1980s hold up better than a boxed set that WotC released like five years ago.

Bobloblah

#34
Quote from: Mistwell;749306That box is significantly more money. 75% more expensive.
I've seen your responses here and elsewhere about this, and you seem intentionally obtuse on the subject. The Pathfinder box costs 75% more? That is the problem. Regardless of how expensive it is, it currently sets the bar for an intro box. If the Next box costs considerably less, how likely is it to meet that bar, never mind exceed it? Personally, I still have hope, as the lack of standups should cut a lot of the overhead. But I have no difficulty understanding why many people suspect it's going to be thinly disguised paid-advertising crippleware, as that's the precedent WotC has set.
Best,
Bobloblah

Asking questions about the fictional game space and receiving feedback that directly guides the flow of play IS the game. - Exploderwizard

Marleycat

Quote from: Mistwell;749307Then you have not been paying much attention.  It's mentioned pretty much every month, perhaps every week.  They even announced the names of the first four modularity bundles.

Really? Where?
Don\'t mess with cats we kill wizards in one blow.;)

Panjumanju

Quote from: 1989;749349Still not sure about this 2d20 advantage/disadvantage thing.

What's the latest on that?

Is it optional?

I was pretty iffy on it before I played the game. I was worried that it would dominate play and essentially you'd always end up rolling 2d20. That isn't how it worked out at all. I've been playing and running Next recently and we've gone through entire sessions without it coming up. When it does come up, it's very handy, and my worry of "it doesn't feel like D&D" has proven unfounded.

It's a pretty integral part of the system, so I don't think it will be optional, but it's certainly does not feel as you might suspect on paper.

//Panjumanju
"What strength!! But don't forget there are many guys like you all over the world."
--
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S'mon

Quote from: Haffrung;749342And I frankly don't understand why more old-school gamers don't recognize this as the biggest shift in the industry towards towards traditional play modes in the last 15 years.

I guess I do recognise that. But I don't see why I should give WoTC another $150+ (that's £100!) for an old school D&D game, when I can just run OSRIC etc. OSRIC is around $15 for a hardcopy, and it seems to do everything 5e does.
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Sacrosanct

Quote from: S'mon;749389I guess I do recognise that. But I don't see why I should give WoTC another $150+ (that's £100!) for an old school D&D game, when I can just run OSRIC etc. OSRIC is around $15 for a hardcopy, and it seems to do everything 5e does.

I guess the simple answer is, "don't".  If you're happy, that's all that really matters.  For me, I'm almost always the DM, so I'll be dropping $150 on all three books.  Which is less than I've spent on any other RPG I've played over the years when you total everything up except WFRP 1e.  The rest of my group only needs to spend $50.

AD&D1e with some 2e elements is my favorite edition.  However, there are things in Next that I like that isn't being met with AD&D (and I know it's all subjective):

* advantage mechanic
* easy PC customization (not bloated like 3e)
* bounded ascending accuracy
* current support
D&D is not an "everyone gets a ribbon" game.  If you\'re stupid, your PC will die.  If you\'re an asshole, your PC will die (probably from the other PCs).  If you\'re unlucky, your PC may die.  Point?  PC\'s die.  Get over it and roll up a new one.

Shipyard Locked

Quote from: S'mon;749389I guess I do recognise that. But I don't see why I should give WoTC another $150+ (that's £100!) for an old school D&D game, when I can just run OSRIC etc. OSRIC is around $15 for a hardcopy, and it seems to do everything 5e does.

I'll gladly pay WotC for the power of the official D&D brand if it helps me in luring players to a lighter style of play. While I'll run any edition/clone of D&D without much fuss, I'll admit my preferences run to either the hardcore wargamey depth of 4e or the speed of earlier editions, and I don't think I want the clunky midway compromise of Pathfinder being the default of the hobby anymore.

Haffrung

Quote from: S'mon;749389I guess I do recognise that. But I don't see why I should give WoTC another $150+ (that's £100!) for an old school D&D game, when I can just run OSRIC etc. OSRIC is around $15 for a hardcopy, and it seems to do everything 5e does.

That's fair enough. I like to have published support for my games these days. And since the Next dev team essentially has a picture of me on the wall labeled 'target customer', I feel some obligation to support them, if only to show that yes, there really is a market out there for a rules-medium edition of official D&D that you can play in a more freewheeling manner than the last two editions.
 

aspiringlich

Quote from: Shipyard Locked;749394While I'll run any edition/clone of D&D without much fuss, I'll admit my preferences run to either the hardcore wargamey depth of 4e or the speed of earlier editions, and I don't think I want the clunky midway compromise of Pathfinder being the default of the hobby anymore.
Strangely enough, just as the final nail is about to be driven into 4e's coffin, I'm developing an interest in having another go at it, not as Dungeons and Dragons (which it isn't) but as it's own thing: a combat skirmish game with a tightly integrated mechanical system.

LibraryLass

Quote from: aspiringlich;749410Strangely enough, just as the final nail is about to be driven into 4e's coffin, I'm developing an interest in having another go at it, not as Dungeons and Dragons (which it isn't) but as it's own thing: a combat skirmish game with a tightly integrated mechanical system.

Speaking even as someone who mostly enjoyed 4e for its intended purpose...

It's much, much better at being that thing you just said.
http://rachelghoulgamestuff.blogspot.com/
Rachel Bonuses: Now with pretty

Quote from: noismsI get depressed, suicidal and aggressive when nerds start comparing penis sizes via the medium of how much they know about swords.

Quote from: Larsdangly;786974An encounter with a weird and potentially life threatening monster is not game wrecking. It is the game.

Currently panhandling for my transition/medical bills.

Haffrung

Quote from: aspiringlich;749410Strangely enough, just as the final nail is about to be driven into 4e's coffin, I'm developing an interest in having another go at it, not as Dungeons and Dragons (which it isn't) but as it's own thing: a combat skirmish game with a tightly integrated mechanical system.

I'm enjoying 4E Essentials using the Neverwinter Nights campaign setting. Sessions consist mostly of intrigue, roleplaying, and exploration. We'll usually have two 60 minute combats in a 5 hour session.

Basically, I run the non-combat part of the game as I've always done. Description, dialog, exploration. The combats take much longer than B/X and AD&D, so we have fewer of them. Combat is the highly-detailed climax to the adventures, not a series of escalating fights.

I'm still baffled why WotC released so many grindy dungeon-crawls to support 4E. Something like Thunderspire Labyrinth would be tiresome using 4E, and is actually better-suited to AD&D. In fact, I'll probably convert Thunderspire to Next once its released.
 

The Butcher

Quote from: thedungeondelver;749111lots of images

Took me a minute. Love these things.