Steel_Wind
Legend
Well, that link seems to handle all the substantial complaints of those who want to run ToD via VTT at a stroke.
Doesn't mean that there won't be some whining about it, but there will always be whining. Thanks for the heads up on this one.
Tyranny of Dragons: Hoard of the Dragon Queen - 1st Impressions
My Chronicles: Pathfinder Podcast Co-host and I played 5E yesterday (Azmyth was the DM).
Now, in case you didn't grasp the essence of my inherent bias, I'm about as hardcore a Pathfinder player as it gets, so I must confirm I was a little iffy on the 5E system. But I certainly didn't mind it and I had fun. So, not to worry on that score.
My 1st level PHB custom Wizard (Human Wizard built with the Elemental Adept: Fire feat) was kicking ass and taking names with Sleep and Fire Bolt so much that there seemed few compelling reasons to even consider casting any other spells. This fact seemed to highlight a potential play balance issue. Moreover, the lack of a range disadvantage on the Fire Bolt cantrip seemed unfair to the melee characters in the party, too. As cantrips go, Fire Bolt has to be the most powerful cantrip spell in any version of D&D I ever recall playing. If it was a 1st level spell, you'd still consider preparing it. That cleaves pretty close to the heart of the matter.
And yes, I was missing Detect Magic as a cantrip and suddenly wondering where the hell I was going to be buying all these pearls to be able to cast Identify.
We proceeded from the caravan and some home-rolled add-ins to the adventure to make that segment of the adventure more interesting (what Azmyth added in to all that I cannot say for sure as I am playing this adventure and have not read it.) We ended our 1st session in the keep before the local Lord after a series of battles in the streets of Greenest. We enjoyed Jared Blando's map of the town, as we always enjoy his maps.
In terms of production values, I thumbed through the book and skimmed it only briefly with my eyes to get a feel for the maps and art work. I am playing in this one, so I deliberately did not read anything or look too closely. My very brief impression was that Hoard of the Dragon Queen is on all fours with any other Pathfinder AP volume in terms of production values. One is hardcover and the other softcover, but in terms of art quality, layout and look and feel, they are remarkably similar. Due to the fact that WotC does not have the same production schedule constraints as Paizo does with their AP line, WotC's book features more playable game content in its 96 pages, too. So that's All Good.
I further understand that the first three "chapters" of Vol 1 are available for play as part of the D&D Adventurer's League OP program. So if you are looking your self to get in on a game and get a feel for the AP, that might be a good place to start.
As between 5E and Pathfinder, I don't play in home-rolled campaigns; rather, we principally play in Pathfinder Adventure Paths which serve as the base for any customization that the GM may add to the game. The game rules, to me, are essentially system hardware.
That said, the real comparison is not in the "system hardware", as it was in the system software: the AP itself. And Hoard of the Dragon Queen, Vol 1 in the Tyranny of Dragons had a nice solid start which we all enjoyed in an 8 hour session. I can't say that I really want to play 5E in preference to Pathfinder. That would be an outright lie. But I do want to play Tyranny of Dragons, so I'm okay with playing 5E in order to do that.
To me, it's not the "game system console" that matters so much to me as the exclusives that go with that console. Tyranny of Dragons is a "console exclusive" game that I want to play.
To continue with this analogy, I have multiple 360s and PS3s -- and multiple XBox 1's and PS4s, too. I refuse to make that choice and cut myself out of playing an exclusive game I want to play. Many others here will make that choice with a different outcome for their own reasons, which may be entirely justifiable and reasonable to them. But that isn't me.
Objectively, I see the principal marketing problem with 5E is that the game is simply too expensive compared to its competition. Never mind the apologia posted here on ENWorld by some fans of 5E, it's simply a much more expensive game to get in on than the main competition. Similarly, the Tyranny of Dragons AP books are also far more expensive compared to Pathfinder's Adventure Path line.
A big enough price difference to matter? Well, the subjective answer to that that depends who you are asking. To me? No. But objectively, overall? Yes. It will matter.
Please do not misunderstand me, for my own part, I'm a middle- aged professional with a job that allows me to over-indulge in my hobbies, so these issues aren't all that big a deal to me. It's my hobby and I'll buy what I want to buy, thank-you-very-much.
Thing is, I'm not the target demographic to worry about. WotC can confidently guess that if I'm going to buy 5E, I'd buy it if the books were $20, $30, $40, $50 or even $60 each. Get right down to it, that's probably true when it comes to me -- and many of you here who are like me, too.
It doesn't mean I don't have my druthers and won't shop Amazon vs retail to get a better deal on these products. But the point is, I'm a lot less sensitive to price than others, and I have a credit card -- so I have a choice.
For those in the 15-25 age category? Different story, especially when due to credit card issues, that market does not have full access to Amazon.com.
Whatever the case, I look forward to playing and finishing Tyranny of Dragons. I'm in.
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