D&D (2024) It feels so much like the D&D Next playtest did

[CleverNickName]

(Re: Title of the thread)

Huh. I was just commenting in another thread about how this feels more like an extra-noisy Unearthed Arcana.

Isn't every Unearthed Arcana technically a "playtest"? With a survey and everything? This one has extra bells and whistles, but it doesn't feel all that different to me. (Maybe I'm doing it wrong, though.)

 

[Alzrius]

 

[payn]

No it wasn't.

It was being used as both an insult and a self-identification all the way back into the 1990s, so don't give me that. The self-identification wasn't always self-deprecating either. Sometimes it was used to assert that they "knew better".

This seems to be the D&D interpretation.

That's my understanding of how the term began in the 70's, from Grognards.

This seems to be the wargamer interpretation.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

That's my understanding of how the term began in the 70's, from Grognards.

I have the same understanding. But you said "It was always..." and my point is by even the 1990s that had changed, in RPGs (probably not in wargames). Which to me conflicts with "always" - rather I'd say "It started as X".

 

[darjr]

(Re: Title of the thread)

Huh. I was just commenting in another thread about how this feels more like an extra-noisy Unearthed Arcana and not a whole "playtest" thing.

Isn't every Unearthed Arcana technically a "playtest"? With a survey and everything? This one has extra bells and whistles, but it doesn't feel all that different to me. (Maybe I'm doing it wrong, though.)

Yes. Always have been. Don’t let people convince you otherwise.

Edit:
They are all fully viable playtests. Always have been. Real tests that do cause changes.

 

[Parmandur]

I have the same understanding. But you said "It was always..." and my point is by even the 1990s that had changed, in RPGs (probably not in wargames). Which to me conflicts with "always" - rather I'd say "It started as X".

Touché

 

[JiffyPopTart]

But are those new players going to down load a playtest and fill out a survey?

Remember when psionics we're being okay tested and the psi die carient of classes was released? It gave psionics a niche mechanic different than the base PH classes. At the end of the day the psi die=psionics mechanic was dropped because "people dont want to learn new things".

Do you think the people that wanted to keep things simple were more likely to be new players or old ones?

 

[Parmandur]

Remember when psionics we're being okay tested and the psi die carient of classes was released? It gave psionics a niche mechanic different than the base PH classes. At the end of the day the psi die=psionics mechanic was dropped because "people dont want to learn new things".

Do you think the people that wanted to keep things simple were more likely to be new players or old ones?

Both.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Both.

I'd concur with both. I don't think "not wanting to learn new things" is a legitimate objection to an optional system/class/race (like, don't use it then), but it's absolutely something both new and old players might express.

 

[Parmandur]

I'd concur with both. I don't think "not wanting to learn new things" is a legitimate objection to an optional system/class/race (like, don't use it then), but it's absolutely something both new and old players might express.

I don't think it's a fair characterization of the high bar for justifying major new subsystems that WotC found among the playerbase, but it's not any sort of age based POV.