The Sky is Not Falling

[erleni]

You can SAY the sky isn't falling, but when the one guy you think you can trust to not let 5e become 4.5e leaves the design team?

That's a big ol' chunk of sky beginning it's descent.

And for the extra kick in the twig and berries, it's been less than 24 hours, and we are already back to discussing healing surges in the blog articles.
My expectations for the next edition are pretty low, my interest is waning and I have the sinking feeling that it will be another edition of D&D: Tactics

Actually 4.5 would really be what I'd like to see and even if I liked some stuff from Monte (A Paladin in Hell is still one of my favourite adventures) I hope 5e will be a move forward and not backwards. I played a lot of 2e (more than ten years) and 3e but I don't want to go back.

 

[Janaxstrus]

Actually 4.5 would really be what I'd like to see and even if I liked some stuff from Monte (A Paladin in Hell is still one of my favourite adventures) I hope 5e will be a move forward and not backwards. I played a lot of 2e (more than ten years) and 3e but I don't want to go back.

And I'd rather see 3.80 than 4e-anything.
However, that won't solve anything.
The only hope was to have 5e be good enough to bring a good chunk of the previous groups together.
I'm just glad Coke didn't listen to you when they decided to ditch New Coke and go back to the old version, because it was a "backwards" move.

If it ends up being 4.5e, it will be in the same boat as 4e was, which is "not good enough to keep", for whatever reason you want to attach to it.

 

[Alzrius]

I would assume you're not a Planescape fan, then

Die Vecna Die was too intrusive and took liberties that displeased a lot of people.

I am, in fact, a big fan of Planescape...which is why I keep scratching my head whenever I hear another PS fan going on about how awful DVD was.

"Too intrusive"? "Took liberties"? What exactly did DVD do that upset so many of the PS fans?

Was it that put a god in Sigil? I doubt it, since Harbinger House did that first and nobody seems to mind (and the method that Vecna used was explicitly closed at the end of DVD).

Was it that it had the Lady of Pain on-scene in one encounter? Possibly, but she also made an appearance at the end of Faction War ("This city tolerates your faction's presence no longer. Abandon it or die." not to mention the voice that spoke to Duke Darkwood at the end) and nobody seemed to care much.

Was it that it actually told us a fraction more about the Lady herself (e.g. it mentions her taking her "true, resplendent" form, and says that she speaks at the end, changing Sigil and the planes, ergo the 3E planar structure)? That seems to be it, despite the fact that this is in no way communicated to the PCs, and in fact doesn't actually tell us much at all...likewise, her speaking isn't expounded upon, and is a fairly good way of imparting the magnitude of the adventure (and the edition changeover).

Overall, it really seems to me like the fans of Planescape need to lighten up. The so-called "liberties" that DVD took with the setting were both minor and appropriate for the scope of the adventure.

[/threadjack]

 

[Bedrockgames]

.

If it ends up being 4.5e, it will be in the same boat as 4e was, which is "not good enough to keep", for whatever reason you want to attach to it.

i dont like 4E but thinking it may just be best for them to either do 4.5 or go back. But judging from these threads pleasing all sides is probably not going to happen. Hapoy to give D&D to the current fanbase at this stage. Too much work to hash out these issues.

 

[Dausuul]

And I'd rather see 3.80 than 4e-anything.

To heck with 4.5 and 3.8. I want BD&D Second Edition.

 

[avin]

[/threadjack]

Ok then, a "God" in Sigil won't be a problem to me. I don't think the Lady could prevent all forms a God would have to enter Sigil but she would have the power to deal with that without the help of adventurers. THAT is largely against what *I* and many others think makes sense with the rest of PS.

You've mentioned FW's ending... nobody seem to cared much? You and me must be browsing the wrong places then... FW is largely controversial and even ignored but a lot of DMs. Really lame final scene.

The same goes for her "true form", heck, people at Planewalker adapted DVD to something less intrusive.

You don't agree with me. I don't agree with you. None of us hold the definitive truth. And that's it, but as you said, we better stop hijacking this

 

[Mattachine]

I like Bruce Cordell's work (2e and 3e) quite a lot. Return to the Tomb of Horrors is great, and I also liked Die, Vecna, Die!

 

[Dour-n-Taciturn]

Well, how much does anyone who plays D&D enjoy their preferred edition or OGL equivalent? Sometimes when a restaurant closes for lack of support, its patrons may still want to see it succeed, so the staff will refurbish it, and it will fly or fall based on whatever merits or flaws then manifest.

If you don't like the new lamprey pie, because it's not just like the old dish, go to the place that makes the one you like. Maybe the new pie will be the best ever, may be it'll give you the s for 3 days. You'll never know unless you try.

Each chef has had their share of inspired plates and each has had their Waterloo. If you hate anything the place has served lately and don't hold any hopes for improvement, walk. I'll give the establishment a shot, I don't care about the cooks, I care about the meal.

 

[Mr. Patient]

Your PR team should have been waaaaaaaaaaaay out in front of this. You should have had a classy, prepared statement ready BEFORE Monte's blog showed up on his site. It should have been read by Mike Mearls directly. You should have invited the local and national press that would have had any interest in it. Broadcast it. Even if it's only for a youtube upload / podcast, PUT A FACE ON THIS. Let us SEE a human being.

You should have sent the content of the release directly to your fans, via RPG.net, ENWorld, and other "fan friendly" sites afterwards.

If possible, provide at least a general idea of what may have caused the rift, and talk about how the design team is going to continue moving forward, with ALL good ideas, regardless of source. If providing info on the cause is not possible, acknowledge it publicly.

Then, after the initial shock and disappointment have worn off, invite the press to watch some design sessions. Get ENWorld to cover a "day in the life of a D&D 5e designer" to provide some perspective on what's going on over there.

You had to know you were going to get negative press from this. Instead of "going silent," be open with it. Let the fan base see that you really care about the future of D&D.

Instead, what do we get?

Monte posts the news on his site HOURS before ANY formal response from WotC.

I don't know. I mean, rapid response is always good thing in Internet land, and it's good to keep your customers informed, but this isn't a bank announcing it just lost a truck full of unencrypted tapes, or an oil company responding to a spill somewhere. We're talking about a small unit of a toy company losing an employee. I can live with the ambiguity for a few hours. Days, even.

 

[outsider]

I don't think Wizards had warning of this. Mike Mearls sounded utterly blindsided. Maybe he shouldn't have been, but he was.

If only there was a way to spot hidden things without actively looking for them, perhaps they wouldn't have been so blindsided. Hopefully they develop something like that in the future.