What Does Your Perfect Edition Look Like?

[No Big Deal]

To be blunt, what would your ideal game be? What core assumptions? What rules? What classes? What races?

I'd like something like this (probably with more, but this is a good skeleton):
-Players start small, but become truly legendary and god-like
-Enemies scale with the players
-Players gain meaningful power over the world
-To the above, stronghold rules and leadership rules
-Varied and diverse, but balanced classes
-One vision for game-play
-Benefits for good tactics

So that's what I want. What do you want?

 

[Number48]

My impression so far of what we've learned of 5E is that I might have to make my perfect edition myself. This coming from the guy who was super-excited 2 days ago. My perfect edition doesn't come down to level of this rule or that rule. My edition has a simple to conceptualize but hard to realize goal. That the game be unequivocally D&D and at the same time be unequivocally brand new. 3E did that, but the game broke down. 4E did not do it, because it wasn't unequivocally D&D. 5E looks like it won't do it because it won't be unequivocally brand new.

 

[ferratus]

I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect edition.

What D&D is can be defined by whether it performs the function of exploring dungeons and killing dragons. Any edition that fulfills that function is D&D to me.

I'm an Aristotelean not a Platonist.

 

[Wormwood]

RISUS. (but honestly, even that may be too rules heavy. Maybe diceless RISUS?)

But seriously, I want:

• the balance and ease of 4e
• the [I'll eventually think of something] of 3e
• the depth of 2e
• the grittiness of 1e
• the simplicity of Basic.
• and ice cream.

 

[trancejeremy]

A hybrid between 1st ed AD&D and Rules Cyclopedia D&D.

AD&D:
----------
Classes (mostly)
Alignment (mostly)
Monsters (like the Demon/Devil split. I like that)
Multiclassing

D&D
---------
Skills
Level Range (rather than being spread from 1 to 20, 1 to 36, which means more levels so you level faster but slower increase in combat ability)
Stronghold management
Alignment (sort of)
Some classes (Mystic, Racial Clases - as an option, and I like how the Fighter could choose an improved class at level 9 - paladin, knight, or avenger. This makes more sense than starting off as a Paladin, IMHO)


I would just use the Law-Chaos-Neutral axis as originally found in Anderson and Moorcock, but then use the old "tendencies" bit from AD&D in parentheses. But people would only be able to "detect" the L-C-N part, not the Good/Evil part.

When 3e came out, I really liked the skill system over D&D's, but after lots of playing, I think D&D's just works better in practice, since it's not restricted to class and far more ambiguous which lets players simply try more things, rather than simply looking at their character sheet to see what they can do.

I'd also try to fix the classes (the mystic is basically a fixed monk) like the bard, and add a few more, like the witch and barbarian. But no cavalier. I hated those.

 

[gloomhound]

Kinda like 1e but with more cheesecake art and saving throws that make sense.

 

[Raith5]

4th ed would be the base for me as it addressed the problems I had with previous editions (especially with having a much broader sweet spot, more fluid battles, a more useful cosmology etc).

So my ideal system = 4th ed essentials + lower level of power for 1st level ( as per earlier editions of d and D) + more granular skills system (as per 3rd ed) + less conditions (esp at low levels) + monsters with less hp + more meaningful feats + more interesting magic items.

 

[Cyberzombie]

The endless possibilities of character generation and advancement of Pathfinder, with easier-to-run bad guys and monsters. I understand 4e has that, though I haven't played it. If it does, then 3e/Pathfinder PCs and 4e NPCs/monsters would cover it.

 

[delericho]

My impression so far of what we've learned of 5E is that I might have to make my perfect edition myself. This coming from the guy who was super-excited 2 days ago.

Yep, this. I don't know why, but before DDXP I was really quite enthusiastic about 5e, but am suddenly feeling quite cold on the idea.

My perfect edition would look a bit like 3e, a bit like 4e, and a lot like SWSE.

 

[DonAdam]

Give me:

Basic style simple characters for those that want it (and for 1-shots) and speed of combat for small skirmishes

1e style exploration-heavy adventures, traps and puzzles that matter

2e style settings with mechanical consequences/differences

3e style customized characters for those that want it and streamlining (most of which got carried in 4e, i.e., f/r/w instead of rod/staff/wand)

4e style balance (including xp budgeting), static defenses, and set piece battles for climactic encounters

And with skill system from the legends and lore column that makes things automatic/impossible/or simple check