D&D 5E D&D Next "genre books" replace d20 Modern

[Dungeonosophy]

The owners of those trademarks would like a word with you.

If they want to talk with me, here I® am.

 

[The Human Target]

3rd edition and the OGL taught me that not every genre works with every game system.

I'd love a WotC supported Modern era game system.

But I don't want to see any version of DnD rules used with guns and cars tacked on.

Make things unique.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

3rd edition and the OGL taught me that not every genre works with every game system.

I'd love a WotC supported Modern era game system.

But I don't want to see any version of DnD rules used with guns and cars tacked on.

Make things unique.

I understand. Your concern would be especially relevant for 3e or 4e.

But from what I've seen of 5e, the Core Rules are going to be not much more than the 6 abilities (which will take the place of skill checks and saving throws), hit points, armor class, attack bonus, class, and race.

All sorts of genres could use these. For flavor's sake, I'd be open to synonyms, such as "Defense" instead of "Armor Class", but they'd be the exact same mechanic.

 

[The Human Target]

I understand. Your concern would be especially relevant for 3e or 4e.

But from what I've seen of 5e, the Core Rules are going to be not much more than the 6 abilities (which will take the place of skill checks and saving throws), hit points, armor class, attack bonus, class, and race.

All sorts of genres could use these. For flavor's sake, I'd be open to synonyms, such as "Defense" instead of "Armor Class", but they'd be the exact same mechanic.

I know, it could work if you just use the most core ideas.

Even so, I think I'd still rather see something different.

Using the game Grimm as an example. It came about during the d20 glut. Great idea for a game. Generally well put together. But using base attack bonuses and feats and everything else that came part and parcel with d20 just did not fit the game at all.

 

[Sunseeker]

I am in no way advocating that the 5e design team take these other genres into account as they design D&D Next. As poster steeldragons stated, the priority is to make 5e the best iteration of D&D as a medieval fantasy game.

Then, once that's in place, a whole series of D&D sourcebooks for other imaginative genres would employ these very same rules. These rules would be applied to very specific genres. There would be no abstract, overarching generic game separate from D&D. All these Genre Books would refer back to the PHB, DMG, and MM in the same way that Oriental Adventures does.

Ah I see I misunderstood, that's not a bad idea, but I think they might need a new IP than "D&D" for that kind of diversity.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Using the game Grimm as an example. It came about during the d20 glut. Great idea for a game. Generally well put together. But using base attack bonuses and feats and everything else that came part and parcel with d20 just did not fit the game at all.

I see your point that there are some Genres that lend themselves to non-D&D rules. I definitely agree that there is plenty of room for non-d20 games.

Yet what I want from WotC (besides the best D&D iteration) is a game engine upon which I can run many genres seamlessly without conversion, without having to learn a new rules system, and which expands my D&D player base as wide as possible.

Some of the d20 Modern supplements were kinda slim or sparse. For example, Pulp Heroes doesn't stand up to Thrilling Tales. I advocate that each D&D Next genre book:
1) aim to be the best in its Genre,
2) while still being 100% modular with the Core Rules.

These two design goals may be incompatible, but #2 trumps #1 (as far as what I want from WotC). For Indie publishers, #1 trumps #2.

 

[Greylond]

D&D Comedy[/B]

• Compile the silliest D&D monsters, magic items, spells, and so forth.
• The little-known Goldshitter from a Basic D&D Hebrew-language adventure module, is probably the most silly monster in all the D&D Worlds.
• Stats for the Dread Gazebo.
• Resources: "The Stupidest D&D Monsters" website and the April Fools Dragon magazine issues.
• 5e Jester class or theme
• Also comedic settings for D&D Modern campaigns.
• Campaign Models:
  • Hi-Jinx from d20 Modern
  • Thunderball Rally from d20 Modern
  • Tabloid! from Amazing Engine
  • They've Invaded Pleasantville and Icebergs TSR mini-games. The funny thing about Icebergs is that TSR made such a weird little game.
  • Mystara's Kingdom of Ierendi as portrayed as the Magnum P.I. television show, and the Broken Lands as portrayed in GAZ10: Orcs of Thar and the OrcWars! game
  • The Whamite Isles in the Forgotten Realms from The Great Khan Game.
  • The alternate "joke-version" of Castle Greyhawk from WG7 . This is an alternate timeline of Oerth.
  • Campaign Models for the comics featured in Dragon Magazine over the years: Wormy, SnarfQuest, Yamara, Knights of the Dinner Table, Nodwick, Dork Tower, and The Order of the Stick
• Better than Hackmaster,

• 
  
  Better than HackMaster? I assume you mean HackMaster 4th Edition and not the new version? That's going to be kinda tough considering that HackMaster 4th won Origin's Best Game(Not best RPG, but Best Game over all others, RPG, Board/Card, Wargames, etc...) for 2001...

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Better than HackMaster? [...] That's going to be kinda tough...

Yes, it will be tough. I expect the D&D Humor sourcebook to be well-written.

Perhaps WotC and Kenzer might cooperate to include the Hackmaster uber-setting of Aldrazar as a D&D Humor campaign model, including mention of the various sub-settings: Garweeze Wurld Proper, HackWurld of Mystaros, GreyHack, etc.

 

[Greylond]

Heh, with the history of HM4 and WOTC's approval process of the HM4 product line, I doubt it. Also, why would K&Co want to make product for a competing RPG line?

I've read some of the latest WOTC products from the last few years, sorry but I haven't seen a single writer of theirs that can hold a candle to K&Co's style/quality in game mechanics or humor...

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Heh, with the history of HM4 and WOTC's approval process of the HM4 product line, I doubt it. Also, why would K&Co want to make product for a competing RPG line?

For the same reasons that they cooperated with WotC to make the 3e Kingdoms of Kalamar books, and why AEG cooperated to make Rokugan the default Oriental Adventures setting.

It's too bad that WotC got all corporate-bureaucratic on KenzerCo.