Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
L&L: Putting the Vance in Vancian
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Rogue Agent" data-source="post: 5833891" data-attributes="member: 6673496"><p>I am absolutely convinced that when WotC uses the term "modular" that this is not what they mean.</p><p></p><p>Of course, I'm basing that on the belief that WotC's designers are not insanely bent on publishing a version of D&D which (a) would be more alienating to new players than any other edition of the game ever published and (b) would be almost impossible to support in any meaningful way.</p><p></p><p>I get that a lot of people <em>think</em> and <em>hope</em> and <em>wish</em> that this was what WotC meant by modular. And maybe it is. But like I say: I really hope WotC isn't embracing an idea that has never worked in the past and almost certainly will never work in the future.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>As your own example indicates, the argument collapses in on itself almost instantaneously. Once you've admitted any sort of dice roll into the resolution for these things (and post-1975 you have to if you're following the rules), then you quickly realize that 3E/4E-style skills actually leave characters just as competent (and frequently more competent) than they were before.</p><p></p><p>The idea that a Climb skill, for example, renders everyone without a Climb skill into an incompetent buffoon only works if you set the Climb DCs for basic tasks so high that characters without the skill can't make them. Which, of course, the game doesn't do.</p><p></p><p>The entire position is a strawman which doesn't actually apply to any edition of D&D ever published. (Except possibly under the interpretation that only thieves can climb walls in OD&D/AD&D, which is a highly dubious interpretation despite its historical popularity.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Rogue Agent, post: 5833891, member: 6673496"] I am absolutely convinced that when WotC uses the term "modular" that this is not what they mean. Of course, I'm basing that on the belief that WotC's designers are not insanely bent on publishing a version of D&D which (a) would be more alienating to new players than any other edition of the game ever published and (b) would be almost impossible to support in any meaningful way. I get that a lot of people [i]think[/i] and [i]hope[/i] and [i]wish[/i] that this was what WotC meant by modular. And maybe it is. But like I say: I really hope WotC isn't embracing an idea that has never worked in the past and almost certainly will never work in the future. As your own example indicates, the argument collapses in on itself almost instantaneously. Once you've admitted any sort of dice roll into the resolution for these things (and post-1975 you have to if you're following the rules), then you quickly realize that 3E/4E-style skills actually leave characters just as competent (and frequently more competent) than they were before. The idea that a Climb skill, for example, renders everyone without a Climb skill into an incompetent buffoon only works if you set the Climb DCs for basic tasks so high that characters without the skill can't make them. Which, of course, the game doesn't do. The entire position is a strawman which doesn't actually apply to any edition of D&D ever published. (Except possibly under the interpretation that only thieves can climb walls in OD&D/AD&D, which is a highly dubious interpretation despite its historical popularity.) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
L&L: Putting the Vance in Vancian
Top