Dear Mike & Monte

RangerWickett said:

Actually, I think Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader really hits all those notes. All it needed was a 'quick play introduction' that gave you pre-made characters, and yes, it's got plenty of crunch, an incredibly rich lore that suffuses the mechanics, and really swingy but with the ability to survive seemingly overwhelming odds.

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I agree and I'm a huge 40k buff, but I consider it in a different genre and thus awesome but not D&D if that makes sense.

Fair enough. But there's certainly a framework there for game mechanics that would work in a fantasy setting. In fact just tonight I discussed with a friend ways to differentiate melee weapons and make them more interesting in 40k, and how we might try something similar for D&D.

http://fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=78&esem=4

look for forsaken bounty. it's the freerpgday QuickStart for rogue trader. also ther is a sequel and other adventures for free there

My wishlist.

Take the idea of Skill Challenges and do them right. Expand the concept to a VERY LARGE section of the DMG and the PHB. Skill challenge mechanics should be as robust and as well supported as combat mechanics.

That would make me pretty happy.

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On the art thing. No scenes? Really? Look at your PHB or DMG - there's a TON of scene art pieces. I mean, how about this:



This isn't inspiring?

or this:



Granted, I'll totally agree that we need more of this kind of thing and less of the "posing for the camera bits", but, claims that there isn't any action scene images is just wrong.

Hussar said:

On the art thing. No scenes? Really? Look at your PHB or DMG - there's a TON of scene art pieces. I mean, how about this:

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I was on the verge of posting a reply very much like yours, and now you convinced me. The art of 4e, at times, was brilliant. If and when 5e comes around, my request is to break from Wayne Reynolds style entirely and build a visual identity beyond the cartoonish- basically Michael Komarck and Igor Kieryluk, and utilizing WotC's best MtG artists (and frankly the best commercial fantasy artists of our day).

Who can forget these little numbers:

D&D seems to be played a number of different ways and designing a game that will please everyone is challenging, but I believe it's possible.

Couldn't the game be split up into 'meta-tiers' that have different design assumptions? I would propose that the 'prime material plane' be broken into 3 different planes; each with slightly different magical laws and use each as a connected setting for the game.

I would then release each meta-tier as a separate box set; much like what was done with BECMI; except that EACH metatier includes a character generation system that allows PCs to be rolled up for that level of play, quickly and efficiently.

Low level (1-5); The design goal of this metatier is to model the heroes found in most fantasy books. The setting (call it Holmgard) is gritty, dangerous and very low magic (indeed spells above 2nd level don't function on this plane because the magical weave is too weak to support them). Monsters are low level and disorganised Holmgard is humanocentric, 'grounded' and closely models the real world; think LoTR not anime. Humans and less fantastical races predominate and PCs advance, not by acquring magic items, but through 'training' to acquire intrinsic bonuses. Magic-items are extremely uncommon and cannot be bought and sold. The design assumptions at this metatier emphasise resource management and danger. Non-magical forms of healing should predominate and it should be possible to play the game without a healer at this meta-tier. Character generation should be very simple; starting with PCs as members of a class not unlike the NPC classes that were present in the DMG of 3.5E. The rest of character generation actually happens in play, as the PCs advance.


Medium Level (6-10); The design goal of this tier is to model film fantasy. At this level, the setting (Midgard) is much more fantastical and there are many more non-human PC races in the Midgard setting. An alternate character creation system would allow DMs and players to start playing at this level; bypassing the low-level meta-tier completely but the system is quick. In this tier, monsters are much more powerful, PC advancement is a mixture of magic items and training and resembles classic D&D most closely. Magic items can now be bought and sold and are much more common.

High level (11-20); The setting and playstyle at this level is almost a fantasy superheroes game. Magic items predominate as the means of advancement and many highly magical races are available as PCs; a third character generation system allows DMs and players to quickly generate PCs for this meta-tier, bypassing the first two.

If the designers did this then everyone could play D&D exactly how they want to; just by staying at the meta-tier and in the setting that supports that style of play. Those that want to do the 1-20 thing move through the settings.

Hussar said:

On the art thing. No scenes? Really? Look at your PHB or DMG - there's a TON of scene art pieces.

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For me, there are too many "action scenes" and not enough landscapes, sweeping vistas and travel/adventuring scenes. The 4e preview book Worlds and [Something or other] had some really beautiful scenes that evoked that sense of wonder I recall as a kid.

0. Make books we can read. PHB4E was horrible for that purpose. MM4E was horrible for that purpose.

1. No default setting.

2. Bring back old tieflings. Keep new Devas. Bring back Aasimars. Keep new fomorians. Bring back ethereal. Keep astral Sea. Bring back Mechanus. Keep Feywild (Faerie, please) and Shadowfell - I know why you are using these names now, but they do suck. Elemental Chaos should be a place where all elemental border each other, not a plane per se.

3. Get rid of the all-explained tone for races, monster and planed you used on earlier 4E books. Leave some blank spaces. Every single player read MMs and knows that God X killed Primordial Y. 2E got it right.

4. Fluff on MM. 4EMM was horrible, then things start to getting better. While you are at it, monsters can stay as rules exceptions.

5. Ongoing damage is nice. 4E saves are nice. 4E grapple rules, or at least something like PF.

6. Nod a lot to reality. I never ever want to see a Come And Get It again. Powers should make sense. Martial non magical characters should never be "daily" restricted. It just not make sense.

7. BRING BACK YUGOLOTHS OR 5E WILL FAIL MISERABLY!!! (got you covered [MENTION=11697]Shemeska[/MENTION])

8. Test it a lot. A LOT! I don't want a 3.5 or tons of erratas or fill in feats again. Just playtest to hell.

9. Please, do not move back to a place where casters own the game at higher levels. Balance is welcome. Fighter as powerful as wizards is welcome. Not everybody plays a wizard.

MOST IMPORTANT:

10. Whatever you decide to do, please, create a very depth and solid fluff that people could use and adapt even if they have other editions of choice or even systems. I've used AD&D Monstrous Manual for years in my GURPS fantasy campaigns. Fill the holes. And this time hire some really impressive artists, we are tired of the same artists...

Kzach said:

I just want D&D to improve my sex-life. Is that asking too much?

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This is what Divorce is made for, not D&D

catsclaw227 said:

I agree that there are those that don't like the healing surge mechanic. It pops them out of the immersion. I can see that.

And using them during short rests to heal to full was something that people strongly disliked. But 10-tapping the party with a waistband full of CLW wands did the same thing for me.

How can we find a middle ground for healing that doesn't alienate one group or another?

I like the idea of a healing surge mechanic, but it wasn't framed very well. Still, though, I preferred it to 3e healing.

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Wish I could give you XP for suggesting a middle ground here, but spent all my XP before that