D&D 5E Playtesting D&D Next: Reapers, Cantrips, Turnings, Rests...

[KesselZero]

for all we know, Wizards of the Coast has already thought of this, and the playtest we will be getting later this week will actually BE the Keep! (fingers crossed)

Since the initial open playtest at PAX East, the playtest material has been the Caves of Chaos from KotB. Wizards has stated that the playtest released on the 24th will be the same basic packet-- pregens and the Caves of Chaos.

 

[Kinak]

My group is... curious but not really interested. Which is to say that I'll get the playtest material and, if it seems fun (or salvageable), I'll rope people in to the game.

It's sort of funny, actually. I have a one-shot coming up this weekend. I guess I'll find out Thursday whether it'll be the Caves of Chaos or We Be Goblins.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Falstaff]

I'm right there with you, bud. It's funny, my expectations of 5E are: Can I make it play like 1E? If not, I'll stick with 1E.

I'm really hoping that the modular aspect of 5E will let me play my 1E with the elegance of a later edition, but maintain the feel of 1E. Is it possible? I hope so.

Yeah, this is my reaction also. When I think of D&D I think of AD&D. If 5th edition feels like the D&D I grew up playing then I'm a customer. If not, ehh, no biggie. I have several sets of AD&D books on my shelf.

 

[CleverNickName]

Since the initial open playtest at PAX East, the playtest material has been the Caves of Chaos from KotB. Wizards has stated that the playtest released on the 24th will be the same basic packet-- pregens and the Caves of Chaos.

This makes me very, very happy. But it also makes me a little nervous.

Will the playtest version be the actual, original module, with different monster stat blocks? Or will it be an entirely rebuilt module with different rooms and monsters, with only the title being the same? Because I've been down this road before.

I remember when Dungeon Magazine re-released one of my favorite modules, The Isle of Dread, adapting it to the 3.5E rules. I was so excited about it that I ran out and bought the magazine right away...only to discover that they had changed nearly everything about the module. The map was different, the encounter keys were gone. There were no new dinosaurs, no pirates, no cat-people or aranea...and their version of the kopru was nothing like the original (or even like the MM2). And where did that freakin' demon come from?! It felt like they only kept the title, and changed everything else. "Converting is too hard! Let's just delete the parts that didn't fit 3E. Oh and stuff in a demon." *headdesk*

So I will be paying attention to this playtest on more than one level, so to speak. I will be paying attention how the characters feel, and how the mechanics work, and how much fun everyone has with the new system. But I will also be looking at the dungeon itself, and how much it changes from the original 1980 version. I will consider the dungeon itself to be a model of what the designers intended for a dungeon crawl, and the conversion of it will be a test for whether or not my old modules can really, actually be adapted, and how much effort it will take.

For example: Does the "Shallow Pool" encounter at Area 33 (page 19) still have a jewel-encrusted goblet in the bottom, guarded by 3 gray oozes? Did they change it to just one ooze and a handful of gemstones? Or did they get rid of the pool, change the goblet to a +1 longsword, and replace the oozes with a bugbear and three goblin minions?

The first is ideal (and what I will be doing with my conversion). The second is acceptable, if done for the sake of game balance. The third is a cop-out.

 

[Ichneumon]

Despite being a touch jaded by the rapid influx of version releases, my group is more than happy to try out "D&D's next iteration.". Some of them have gamed since the early 1e days, so it'll be interesting to see their reaction. I think they're looking forward to trying a game that promises to be less combat-centric than 4e.

 

[pauljathome]

I'll find out Thursday whether it'll be the Caves of Chaos or We Be Goblins.

Cheers!
Kinak

Combine the two. We Be Goblins is great fun. Just run it with DndNext rules. Change the races to goblins, add in the flavour, change the names of the monsters. Done.

 

[Kinak]

Combine the two. We Be Goblins is great fun. Just run it with DndNext rules. Change the races to goblins, add in the flavour, change the monsters. Done.

Good idea! If there's enough data to do a conversion, I'll whip something up.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[KesselZero]

Will the playtest version be the actual, original module, with different monster stat blocks? Or will it be an entirely rebuilt module with different rooms and monsters, with only the title being the same? Because I've been down this road before.

Fair enough, sir, and sadly I won't know until you do. All I can say is that I have the same hopes you do.

 

[Gold Roger]

Caves of Chaos for playtest.

I was both exited and cautious when I learned about this. You see, I intended to put Keep of the Borderlands as the cornerstone for my next campaign. Which means playing it with a significant amount of people in the playtest, I'll play my next campaign with as well.

But then I remembered I'm propably the oldest (barely) and most versed in D&D history of any and all people I play with, so it's nice I'll have people who recognise Keep at the Borderlands for what it is at my table.

Right now I'm I'm very exited for the playtest. My initial playtest group will propably contain four of my dearest friends, but only one person I've gamed with before. The others are likely to be a RPG novice, a 25 year old AD&D grognard (I didn't know such a thing even existed before) and a full blown nerd, who's RPG experience is all over the map.

This is going to be interesting...

 

[ren1999]

I'll be trying to understand the new rules given out in 2 days and program those rules into this play test program below. I welcome anyone on this forum to play test the encounters I'll be setting up.

Maybe we can get Jester to write up a few monsters based on the new rules.

My Dungeons & Dragons Hybrid Game for Firefox and Chrome
kira3696.tripod.com/CombatTracker.rar