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<blockquote data-quote="3catcircus" data-source="post: 5759234" data-attributes="member: 16077"><p>I would say that, first, whatever was done for 4e PR-wise - do the exact opposite.</p><p></p><p>Second - use the OGL or some other license that will ensure good will from business partners (i.e. any 3rd party publishers) and the customer.</p><p></p><p>Finally - game-wise, I'd do the following:</p><p></p><p>1. Ditch the idea of daily, encounter, at-will powers that forms the basis of 4e. The concept is completely at odds with every prior version of D&D - even if the prior versions had the same stuff going on under the hood. What I mean by this is do we really need to rigidly define when something can be used or done? The pieces-parts of each character class should be there for the player and DM to collectively decide when using it is appropriate. Give the players and DM enough rope to hang themselves with.</p><p></p><p>2. Ditch the idea of character classes as being so rigid. Give us a tackle box of abilities inherent to each character class and let us pick and choose which ones we want. Pathfinder's archetypes are a simplified example of this.</p><p></p><p>3. Completely get away from the idea of class levels as conferring specific abilities or powers at set intervals or levels. Make D&D an almost 100% skill-based system so that players can then decide how they want to customize their character. For example - maybe I want a cat burglar type of rogue character. So - I'll pick and choose abilities from the "rogue" list and as I gain levels, I improve only the abilities I want to. Even combat and magic should be skill-based. I can envision a system where I use skill points to learn fire-based spells and pick abilities that allow me to use metamagic on the spells I can cast. Or, where my fighter is really really good with an axe but relies on his training via use of skill points being put into a parry/dodge/feint skill instead of using armor to avoid being struck in combat.</p><p></p><p>4. Allow various options for a hit point system that can be completely abstract (baseline D&D as it is now) to one in which combat is quick and deadly. Go take a look at how Twilight:2013's hit point system works and just copy it wholesale.</p><p></p><p>5. Ditto for either TW:2013, Traveller or the old Darklands CRPG for character design (while avoiding Traveller's notorious "death as the last step of character creation) - allow for both a planned and a random character background (I make do with the 3e Hero Builder's Guide right now when coming up with a character's background and backstory).</p><p></p><p>Now - how to keep 5e self-sustaining:</p><p></p><p>1. Start selling pdfs of all prior editions.</p><p></p><p>2. Resurrect Greyhawk in all its glory as the default campaign setting and go the route of the Mystara Gazetteers for specific Greyhawk supplements for those who want them, but keep the basic campaign setting to a lower level of detail.</p><p></p><p>3. Adopt the adventure path concept while developing adventures, but design them to allow the use of branching paths to join different adventure paths. This gives the DM the ability to minimize railroading and boredom that could occur when you are 3 adventures in to a 6-adventure path. </p><p></p><p>4. Adventures or supplements? Adventures every time - you can always introduce some new stuff as part of the adventure. Lots of stuff that made its way into the original MM2 or other hardback books in 1e was first published as part of an adventure first.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="3catcircus, post: 5759234, member: 16077"] I would say that, first, whatever was done for 4e PR-wise - do the exact opposite. Second - use the OGL or some other license that will ensure good will from business partners (i.e. any 3rd party publishers) and the customer. Finally - game-wise, I'd do the following: 1. Ditch the idea of daily, encounter, at-will powers that forms the basis of 4e. The concept is completely at odds with every prior version of D&D - even if the prior versions had the same stuff going on under the hood. What I mean by this is do we really need to rigidly define when something can be used or done? The pieces-parts of each character class should be there for the player and DM to collectively decide when using it is appropriate. Give the players and DM enough rope to hang themselves with. 2. Ditch the idea of character classes as being so rigid. Give us a tackle box of abilities inherent to each character class and let us pick and choose which ones we want. Pathfinder's archetypes are a simplified example of this. 3. Completely get away from the idea of class levels as conferring specific abilities or powers at set intervals or levels. Make D&D an almost 100% skill-based system so that players can then decide how they want to customize their character. For example - maybe I want a cat burglar type of rogue character. So - I'll pick and choose abilities from the "rogue" list and as I gain levels, I improve only the abilities I want to. Even combat and magic should be skill-based. I can envision a system where I use skill points to learn fire-based spells and pick abilities that allow me to use metamagic on the spells I can cast. Or, where my fighter is really really good with an axe but relies on his training via use of skill points being put into a parry/dodge/feint skill instead of using armor to avoid being struck in combat. 4. Allow various options for a hit point system that can be completely abstract (baseline D&D as it is now) to one in which combat is quick and deadly. Go take a look at how Twilight:2013's hit point system works and just copy it wholesale. 5. Ditto for either TW:2013, Traveller or the old Darklands CRPG for character design (while avoiding Traveller's notorious "death as the last step of character creation) - allow for both a planned and a random character background (I make do with the 3e Hero Builder's Guide right now when coming up with a character's background and backstory). Now - how to keep 5e self-sustaining: 1. Start selling pdfs of all prior editions. 2. Resurrect Greyhawk in all its glory as the default campaign setting and go the route of the Mystara Gazetteers for specific Greyhawk supplements for those who want them, but keep the basic campaign setting to a lower level of detail. 3. Adopt the adventure path concept while developing adventures, but design them to allow the use of branching paths to join different adventure paths. This gives the DM the ability to minimize railroading and boredom that could occur when you are 3 adventures in to a 6-adventure path. 4. Adventures or supplements? Adventures every time - you can always introduce some new stuff as part of the adventure. Lots of stuff that made its way into the original MM2 or other hardback books in 1e was first published as part of an adventure first. [/QUOTE]
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