Uniting the Editions: How well did this playtest packet do?

[ferratus]

So the primary goal of this edition is to get the majority of gamers from the different factions to sit down at a table together. So the question is simple. Would you play this game if without a great deal of protest or complaint if you group and/or friends wanted to? In other words, could you make it work with no more house rules than your current edition has?

Myself, I like this playtest packet very much, as it reminds me of a cleaned up version of 2e or Basic, which are two favourite editions, but which I don't play much because they have serious problems. So I'm liking this version a lot.

 

[Nagol]

I've seen complaints from 4e, 3e, and 1e folk. So I think 5e needs to step up and piss off the B/X and 2e folk a bit more -- otherwise how will it unite the editions against it?

 

[the Jester]

I like all D&D and I love the looks of 5e.

If only your poll was multiple choice!

 

[Ahnehnois]

Well, WotC does have to catch up to Paizo, but I don't play PF and I'm getting less and less excited about 5e. I definitely could not make it work without a lot more houserules than I'm currently using (which is to say, a lot).

 

[slobo777]

I've seen complaints from 4e, 3e, and 1e folk. So I think 5e needs to step up and piss off the B/X and 2e folk a bit more -- otherwise how will it unite the editions against it?

I'm taking a lot of the forum comments here as posturing and/or pushing for "it needs to be moar like my version" (usually in some important-to-poster aspect). I'd agree that we've got some good balance in 5E in that regard, so it's probably treading a reasonable line.

I think from what I have seen, I'd happily play D&D Next, if someone else was DM-ing. In the same way I'd play 3E or 4E (but not really anything earlier).

But as the group's regular DM, I'm not seeing much for me yet - the encounter building numbers also seem way off. Maybe that will improve. But 4E has set the bar quite high there, at least for combat encounters. D&D Next has messed with the numbers so much, it seems they haven't settled on something that really works yet.

 

[ferratus]

I like all D&D and I love the looks of 5e.

If only your poll was multiple choice!

I love all editions from 1e to 4e too... but I still have a favourite. (Mostly for reasons of nostalgia, but a favourite nonetheless). Are you sure you don't love one just a little bit better than the rest?

 

[JeffB]

I love and play OSR games, the LBBs, MCM, 1E, 2E, PFBB, and 4E. Despite my annoyances with the company that makes it, and presentation of the products, I like C&C too.

I have yet to see anything in the 5e playtest that would make me play it over one of those. I like the A/D mechanic and thats about it.I could see me swiping that for pre 3e versions just to spice things up. I realize its a playtest, but its very bland at the moment. Especially the monsters.

 

[1of3]

"I like lots and lots of games better than former editions of D&D and I'm looking forwart to this game."

 

[jsaving]

I play and enjoy every edition, and have been surprised by two things thus far.

One is the amount of 4e content that's being retained. With most of my FLGS contacts telling me Pathfinder had reached parity with 4e even before Next was announced, I have to be honest and say "uniting the editions" felt like a thinly veiled ruse for rolling back the clock to 3e. But I've been pleasantly surprised to see many of my favorite 4e innovations -- things like themes, backgrounds, and at-wills -- have not only made the cut but are in some cases receiving even more emphasis in 5e than they did in 4e. While my 4e group still generally wishes Next weren't happening, they're starting to be convinced Next may be worth playing after all.

The other surprise for me has been the huge amount of flavor that's being imported from 1e/2e. Those systems have fairly small though undoubtedly devoted fanbases compared to the 3e/Pathfinder and 4e crowds, and I initially suspected the Next team would do little more than import a few spell names from those editions. But the pre-3e guys I know keep telling me Next somehow "feels like" the edition they love, even though many of the mechanics used in Next are strikingly different from what they're used to seeing.

On the whole, I think the Next team is doing a pretty good job pulling material from editions past and am beginning to think they may actually be able to pull this off -- which would be truly amazing considering how starkly divided the RPG fanbase had become.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Missing: I like different editions of D&D for different things, and the 5th edition looks great so far!
(Partialy I liked the 1st playtest more in some regards, but still (again) cool)