Should Organized Play Influence The Rules?

[Oni]

A post in a another thread spurred me to post this question.

How much, if at all, should organized play influence the next iteration of D&D?

By way of example take retraining rules, they're much more important in an organized play environment where characters move from group to group, but might seem an unnecessary restraint for a home game.

 

[Oni]

I voted not at all, but to clarify my position I don't want to see the base rules putting strictures on things or being more regimented in an effort to support organized play. I wouldn't have a problem with rules modules meant to support that style of play though I'm not sure that I'd want them to take up a lot of space, and might suggest that they would be better served being introduced in the actual material meant specifically for organized play if they didn't serve a wider rules purpose.

 

[Stormonu]

Not at all. My experiences with organized play have shown me it to be completely antithetical to how home games are handled. What works in organized play would often never fly in a home game (or at least, in any game I ran).

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

The game should be designed primarily for home play, and that experience shouldn't be compromised for the sake of organized play.

That said, if there's a choice to be made in how a mechanic might work, and one option will help organized play without hindering home play, then it would be foolish not to go with it.

 

[Sunseeker]

If alterations need to be made for organized play, then Wizards can keep a seperate lost of those things for organized play events. My home game shouldn't change.

 

[Vegepygmy]

My experiences with organized play have shown me it to be completely antithetical to how home games are handled.

I can't say it any better than that.

 

[Ratinyourwalls]

I think organized play is where WotC can make the most money off of D&D. And if it helps avoid D&D being shelved I'm all for it getting the majority of attention. Let home gets be house ruled if people don't like it.

The main thing the hobby should be focusing on is making WotC money right now because if 5E doesn't do well I'm really worried that D&D will be shelved.

 

[Incenjucar]

The core game shouldn't be designed for organized play, but they should consider special optional rules for organized play to smooth certain aspects over. Ideally, they'd have rule modules for all the ways people play, from story gaming, boardgaming, wargaming, and even to LARPing, in public and private groups. WoD used to be infamous for its fairly large LARPing scene, and they even published books for it. May as well make D&D the place for fantasy gaming, period, and not just a very specific type of fantasy gaming.

 

[Elf Witch]

I voted some what supported. I think that organized games run differently than most home games. I think the best way is to put out a supplement for organized play I think that would best serve both bases.

 

[Kynn]

I think if the rules are written well, they'll support organized play decently well also, with just a standard configuration of modules needed for each OP experience.