This is a good topic, filled with a lot of good points. I wonder if WOTC is aware of any of the common complaints.
I like to think they are trying to improve and make each adventure better than the last but they seem to keep making many of the same mistakes. Which makes me think, they either...
I think giving players and DMs flexibility is good. However, I think there's a slippery slope here where too much change here might lead us down the 4e route again where there's disconnect between rules and narrative. WOTC needs to be really careful about changes they make like this or they...
Fair enough.
I just thought it strange they were talking about alternatives for initiative and leveling. I wasn't aware that these were areas that people really had complaints about. I haven't heard in person or read online about alot of problems with these areas. So, the choice seemed...
A couple thoughts based upon this conversation.
1. It seems a little strange that the D&D guys are worried about rethinking initiative and experience. These were things that were supposed to be done before the books went to print. Shouldn't they be concentrating on other things?
2. This...
You might be able to loot some High Level play ideas from the Companion boxset for old D&D (BECMI version) and its companion modules. Lots of ideas there.
I think I must have been unclear. I didn't mean to say or imply even that people shouldn't be critical. I meant more to say that perhaps people should make their points and defend them rationally and not get stuck in "It's crap" vs "No it isn't" type arguments.
The perception of high level NPCs IN FR being a problem is in part a consequence of having a long-standing novel line with storylines that directly impacted the timeline.
In their own novels, Drizzt and Elminster, Alias and etc. can take center stage and rightly should as its their story...
I'm kinda lukewarm on this. I'm glad we're going outside the Sword Coast. I'm glad to hear that more exotic locations will be glimpsed and that exploration will be stressed.
Returning again to tired tropes of Dungeons and Undead has me much less excited.
I'd like to see more innovation and...