D&D 5E Final playtest packet due in mid September.

[Hussar]

Thing to remember too, that this is the end of the public playtest. Which is basically where they hit all the high points to make sure that people aren't going to look at the finished game and pull a 4e style reaction and blow a gasket. Everyone who's been in the loop has a pretty good idea of what's coming and, given that the feedback has been largely positive, everyone should be fairly happy with the finished product.

Sometimes it might just be easier to get a few dozen (or maybe many dozen) playtesters together to hammer out the small stuff instead of wading through tens of thousands of responses.

 

[Weather Report]

I just think it isn't a good idea to end it when there are still such major changes happening, and still no Bard, Sorcerer or Warlock to test.

I'm not sure if we'll see a Sorcerer or Warlock, at least in the initial release.

But this is exactly as I suspected (and want), one more packet, one more survey (maybe a few), then wrap it up to tweak for a release next summer.

 

[Sonny]

Given all the wizard schools that they still need to put in the PHB, it makes sense that sorcerers and warlocks won't be in the first book.

 

[gyor]

I'm not assuming either class won't be in the phb until after I see the next packet. I suspect the mage section will be awefully big.

 

[Herobizkit]

Bring back the Stormlord and all those other nifty priesthoods from the June/July packet! There, I said my piece.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Thing to remember too, that this is the end of the public playtest. Which is basically where they hit all the high points to make sure that people aren't going to look at the finished game and pull a 4e style reaction and blow a gasket. Everyone who's been in the loop has a pretty good idea of what's coming and, given that the feedback has been largely positive, everyone should be fairly happy with the finished product.

Sometimes it might just be easier to get a few dozen (or maybe many dozen) playtesters together to hammer out the small stuff instead of wading through tens of thousands of responses.

I agree 100%. They just needed feedback on core concepts. They were not trying to put the entire design to popular vote. I think this has been more than enough time for them to gather information of preferences and concerns about the core system. Now they can focus inhouse on the details.

 

[wedgeski]

I'm quite happy with where the game is now, with some exceptions, but nothing was ever going to be perfect. You only have to look at the various reactions in this thread to the current state of the game to see how impossible a job the company has to please everyone.

I'm interested, directed at anyone who participated in the Pathfinder playtest as well as this one, how the two compared? What would you say Paizo or WotC did better/differently than the other? No edition warring please, this is a purely academic question.

 

[gyor]

I never did the Paizo playtest, but that is an interesting question.

 

[the Jester]

I'm not sure if we'll see a Sorcerer or Warlock, at least in the initial release.

WotC has stated repeatedly that a major goal of 5e is to have everything that has been available in the first/core ruleset from every edition on launch.

So, yeah, there really ought to be both.

 

[M.L. Martin]

"Mearls also announced, to resounding applause and loud cheers, the highly-awaited launch timeframe for D&D Next."

So what is it? Or is there a blackout on this information?