D&D (2024) Out with the old, in with the new?

[SteveC]

I guess I don't know how everything will actually work out yet. I'm playing in two campaigns with characters that won't likely be in the PHB (Sword Bard/Hexblade and Bladesinger). I don't know how they will line up with the new classes that come out. I suspect both of my DMs will just run with the old stuff and let people take new things going forward ... but it seems like it's going to be a mess. As I think about it, I suspect we'll just keep the existing rules until it's time for a new campaign. It is going to make for some interesting discussions as things come out.

 

[Yaarel]

We can use both 2024 and 2014. I will be doing a hard reset for 2024. Other players might mix and phase out 2014 more slowly.

 

[Kobold Stew]

The results so far are interesting to me. Thanks, all.

Of those planning on implementing the new books at all, very few are planning on implementing full backwards compatibility (11/67).

About half are picking and choosing (35/67) but planning on keeping things from 2014-23 long term.

A considerably smaller number are planning on a reset (hard or soft) -- (21/67).

I'll admit I expected that last group to be smaller, and the first group to be larger.

 

[Parmandur]

The results so far are interesting to me. Thanks, all.

Of those planning on implementing the new books at all, very few are planning on implementing full backwards compatibility (11/67).

About half are picking and choosing (35/67) but planning on keeping things from 2014-23 long term.

A considerably smaller number are planning on a reset (hard or soft) -- (21/67).

I'll admit I expected that last group to be smaller, and the first group to be larger.

See, I actually read the results as 3 out of 5 respondents treating the rule as fully backwards compatible.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I don't think there is doubt that it will be compatible (i.e. it will mechanically be possible to use everything and there will be some guidance on the matter). The difference is to what extent that compatibility will be implemented (or, since we're looking forward, to what extent people are planning on implementing it).

 

[Deset Gled]

The only thing I know right now is that I'm not deciding right now. I'm going to wait for the new books to come out and actually read them before I figure out how integration works.

"Backwards compatible", in reference to RPGs, is a made up marketing term. Anyone who tells you anything different is selling something. It has no actual meaning. We don't know what's going to be interchangeable. We don't know how much power creep there's going to be. We don't know what's going to be OGL material. We don't know what's going to be released in VTTs, especially third party ones. We don't know what future supplements will contain, how much it will overlap with current content, or how compatible anything is going to be.

But we do know that we'll get all that worked out... after the books are actually released. Not before.

 

[Micah Sweet]

How do you think the new books will change your game?

We’ve been told there will be guidance on how previous materials are to be used, and that will shape how it works in practice. At the same time many popular ideas/subclasses are being spruced up, and it might not be practical to keep old versions in play. (For now, I’m just thinking of player-facing material.)

Throughout the playtest, I've found myself uninterested in backwards compatibility. It has been important to the community. Is it still? I don’t know. I assumed I’d want a hard reset, but as I look at Tasha's, MOTM, and Xanathar's, there are still a few subclasses, spells, and species I want to keep in play, at least until they get refreshed in post-PHB 2024 books. So I'm picking Soft reset.

What are your thoughts?

Funny how people keep talking about this with the same language you'd use for a new edition...

 

[Stormonu]

I'm not planning on picking up the 2024 Core books, but if an subsequent adventures are usable without having to do a fair bit of conversion, or subsequent monster/lore books come out that I can use with the 2014 books, I may pick those up. Won't be picking up any player-facing content though, as I'm pretty disgusted with Tasha's/Monsters of the Multiverse PC content and have a feeling future content will be along those lines.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Funny how people keep talking about this with the same language you'd use for a new edition...

The results of this vote so far show that many people expect it to be, at least in some sense, a new edition. We each might use different language to represent that, but while there will be continuity from PHB 2014, the new PHB will become the default rules for most players, soon enough. Both PHBs are not going to remain in print.

 

[SteveC]

What I'm wondering is how well the new material will sync with old material that hasn't been updated. So I'm playing a Bladesinger, Can I take the new Wizard chassis and just put in that as my arcane tradition? I think the answer is yes, but I know there was at least one playtest where the levels for subclass features were moved around. And beyond that, with how the game is changing, will those features make sense? I honestly don't know the answer and I suspect it will change based on the class or subclass.