D&D 5E Did they meet their goals?

[Evenglare]

Do you think they met their goals now that the rules are finalized and the game is about to come out? Is the game going to be modular? Are you going to be able to play your 3rd edition character (feel) next to a buddy with a 4th edition character (feel) and a 2nd edition character (feel)? Is this going to be the edition that unites the fanbase again or will it just wind up being another edition of D&D? From all the things including the last playtest packet until now how are you feeling about this new edition?

 

[Patrick McGill]

It'd be impossible to know until we get to see what's in the books, really. We can only do what we've been doing since the end of the playtest; speculate baselessly.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Yeah ask again in a few months. Even a year as maybe not all play styles and rules modules will be out this year?

 

[Wulfgar76]

I'd say none of the above goals will be met.
No, you will not be able to port in characters from different editions and have them play side by side - and thank goodness for that.
No, this edition will not 'unite the fanbase' - but many people are going to buy and play it.

That all said, it looks to be a very good game, in my opinion, the best version of D&D released.

 

[Ichneumon]

It won't 'unite the fanbase', but I can see it creating its own united fanbase.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

The goal of the modules was never for a 4th edition style character in the same campaign with someone playing OSR type character, the modules were meant to be basically the equivalent of character creation for the DM to design a campaign. I think you can see this in the first article where the modular goals were first announced:

"In some ways, you can think of this process as akin to character creation for the DM. The DM decides what kind of campaign he wants to run, in terms of tone, world elements and so forth, and then picks out options or rules modules that match that tone. The campaign setting becomes as much of a character in the rules as any NPC, location, or event."

https://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20110802

I actually think the last playtest document that I read comes closer to moving some of this into more the player realm with the ability for PC Players to choose if they want to be more tactical with feats or choose an ability score bonus as well, but given that the feat module is optional it is still solidly in the DM's court as well.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

It won't 'unite the fanbase', but I can see it creating its own united fanbase.

This.

Honestly, I don't think you can rely on anything said by WotC employees in the past. That's genuinely not a comment about integrity: that's a simple recognition that things have changed over the course of this edition's seemingly never-ending development cycle.

In short, until the actual final game comes out, I don't think you can make any real comments or judgements. And I strongly suspect that great chunks of the game will be at odds with things Mike Mearls has said in the past.

 

[tsadkiel]

Nobody knows.

The game may have been finalized, but we haven't seen it yet.

 

[Shiroiken]

I don't know if it will be modular, but I really hope so.

As for the feel... I don't think it's possible to have the situation you described in any kind of reasonable game. I think you can use the modules to create a game that will appeal to those types of players, but those types are unlikely to enjoy the same type of game, so having them all at the same table isn't going to happen.

 

[Evenglare]

I don't know if it will be modular, but I really hope so.

As for the feel... I don't think it's possible to have the situation you described in any kind of reasonable game. I think you can use the modules to create a game that will appeal to those types of players, but those types are unlikely to enjoy the same type of game, so having them all at the same table isn't going to happen.

I didn't describe that situation. Wizards did.