So its all about combat again?

[Derren]

Maybe it is my fault for expecting something from D&D it does not want to be, but so far I only see talk about combat.
People are arguing if class X is doing too much damage, if feats (which are of course combat related) are balanced and how to best portray combat in the game so that it is fast and yet still deserves some, imo arbitrary, D&D label.

I come from 3E and, while still very combat heavy, this edition supported "other" parts of the game by having out of combat skills and spells which ,instead of being improved (which would have been necessary) were completely missing in 4E. 5E seems to bring them back but so far as I can see more like a nod towards 3E and not as an really important part of the game. (Although the variable stat for skill use is an improvement)
And you can't really fault WotC on that either as nearly everything the players ask for is combat related.

I probably know the answer already but has there been any indication on how much of the next edition will be devoted to non combat interactions?

 

[Scribble]

I probably know the answer already but has there been any indication on how much of the next edition will be devoted to non combat interactions?

Well- they've indicated 2 thirds.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

It seems like we had:

Out of combat the game works quite well. But there are some quibbles about damage on a miss.

I just believe, such things, that divide the people is what is just beeing talked about. Things that work fine are not discussed that loudly...

 

[GX.Sigma]

Yes. I think the reason people are talking a lot about combat is that the Caves of Chaos is a very hack-and-slashy adventure.

The D&D team considers combat to be one of the three "pillars" of the game, the other two being exploration and interaction. Already in the playtest rules there's a lot of non-combat-related stuff:

The Rogue's "commoner" background says he knows a skilled profession and can make a decent living off it (my rogue chose "poison-brewer" just to be a butt). He also has animal handling, commerce, and folklore skills.

The Cleric's "knight" background gives him skills in animal handling, diplomacy, religious lore, and heraldic lore. It also says he gets a free place to stay when he's in the jurisdiction of nobility who recognize his station.

There are a bunch of spells like comprehend languages, charm person, silence, grease, and the venerable command.

They're putting the combat stuff into themes and the non-combat stuff into backgrounds so they can't contaminate each other. Some classes may focus more on a certain pillar (fighters, naturally, are all about combat).

 

[Derren]

Well that does sound better than expected. Now I guess I have to wait and see if those things get actually used in the final game or are just there as a token reference and the implied primary gameplay is dungeon crawling.

 

[I'm A Banana]

What this playtest needs is a friggin' town.

LETS GET SOME HUB-BASED DESIGN UP IN THIS JUNK.

 

[the Jester]

I agree.

A 5e conversion of L1 would be a great way to test all three pillars. There is a complete town (Restenford) with all sorts of stuff going on (and every important place and npc statted up!), so tons to explore/interact with... there is a temple to the god of gambling, there are several adventure areas (including the eponymous Bone Hill), there's a complete outdoor area- it's just about a perfect sandbox, IMHO.

 

[TwoSix]

What this playtest needs is a friggin' town.

LETS GET SOME HUB-BASED DESIGN UP IN THIS JUNK.

Hub-towns? What, and turn 5e into a MMO?

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

So it's all about combat again?

I think Darth Stewie says it best...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6npH2RJOeoU"]yeah[/ame].

 

[Minigiant]

What this playtest needs is a friggin' town.

LETS GET SOME HUB-BASED DESIGN UP IN THIS JUNK.

YEAH! LET'S GET THAT CITYSCAPE GOING YO!
Rep your city... I mean... Roleplay your city.

But yes. Most of the talk is on combat as that is the most shared aspect. Some groups don't use the full tracking rules. Some handwave appraisal. Others don't roll any d20s during interaction. ETC.