D&D 5E The new Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set - and online tools?

[Snapdragyn]

Hmm, the new info on the public play is interesting.

My 'new idea' thought:

An app (or similar program) using a microtransactions rather than subscription model. Levels 1-x (let's just say 5) - free! Want to level your wizard to 6? That'll be $1 (or $1 to unlock all 6th level class info, or whatever).

It makes the needed information available without the books, but not free since, you know, business.

 

[delericho]

Um... (raises hand)

What's this "Adventurer's League"? I don't recall hearing about it until just now.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Um... (raises hand)

What's this "Adventurer's League"? I don't recall hearing about it until just now.

Because it was just announced.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Li Shenron]

Well, the current character creation rules including equipment lists, class tables and descriptions, races, skills and backgrounds, spells, feats, and the information on how to go through the character creation process itself total 147 pages. Even assuming you could cut down the spells to only the level 1-3 spells, and include only the information about classes up to 5th level you'd still only be able to cut about 60 pages or so out. That means it would still be about 80-90 pages of character creation info. Given the Starter Set currently only has a 32 page rulebook, you'd be tripling the size of the book to include character creation.

That HAS to come with a cost.

Those are the Standard rules, but the Starter Set was supposed to have Basic characters, i.e. fixed background, fixed subclass, fixed equipment, no feats.

I see they went beyond that and also fixed race and ability scores.

The Starter Set still needs the full description of skills, spells lv1-3, and race/class abilities, pregens or not. That apparently takes 32 pages. How much more is really needed for creation of characters?

 

[delericho]

Because it was just announced.

Thaumaturge.

Ah, thanks!

 

[the Jester]

A computer might be out of the question on a camping trip but a tablet would work. Maybe they are coming out with a tablet tool.

That does nothing to alleviate my fundamental issue. You straight up should not require a computer of ANY sort to play D&D. Again, it's fine if there's are apps and whatever digital whosits to help out, but if the product that is supposed to get you into the game to begin with doesn't come with the ability to make the character you want to play in the box, it has failed on a very fundamental level. No tablet, no phone, no computer doodad is going to make me feel, "Wow, I'm glad I have to use this to play D&D!"

This is something that I clearly feel strongly about, and a bunch of other people who were disappointed in the 4e Red Box complained about at the time. You'd think WotC would have been listening to the response to that one and done everything in their power to avoid emulating pretty much anything about it- no real chargen included.

 

[Jan van Leyden]

The advantage of going html5 instead of a java/silverlight/windows/iOS/OSX/Linux/android application is that it would work quite seemlessly through all my devices.

Hmmh, nope. No browser currently implements the HTML5 specifications correctly and completely: HTML5 Test. A perfect browser would have a score of 555.

As much as I love HTML5, it won't be the end of access troubles.

 

[Uller]

Since the advent of the play test my kids and I have been playing D&DN. My son and I started with 4e...I liked it but he was lukewarm about it (combats were too long and options available to him were too overwhelming). When he first tried D&DN, he was hooked. We bought Murder in Baldur's Gate and played through that. We enjoyed that so much that I bought the Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle PDF, expanded our group to include some of my friends and are now playing through that. My son has said he intends to buy the starter set and start a group with his other 15 and 16 year-old buddies. If WotC's plan was to generate new players, it seems to be working with my son.

I've noticed two things through all of this:

Playing D&D with a minimum of books and just occasionally purchasing adventure content is a fun, affordable and easy way to take part in the hobby. We got the rules for free and occasionally buy an adventure. Mike has said in the past that they want D&D to be more accessible to the casual gamer. This is a good model for them. If it is as he says, you can run a beginning game to level 5 with the starter set and a complete campaign with just the PHB, then I think they are on the right track. To be unhappy if you have to use an on-line tool or a free pdf to make characters for use with the starter set seems a bit strange to me. As Mike said...the start kit is aimed at DMs only and you can make characters without it. This infers there is some free stuff available to players to get them started. That seems to be a strange thing to be unhappy about as it keeps the cost down and/or leaves more room for content for the DM in the starter set. If you prefer the more traditional D&D aimed at the dedicated hobbyist, then wait for the PHB/MM/DMG...viola...everything a hobbyist DM should need to create his own campaign world and for his players to create their own characters. Everybody is happy.

For my part, I'm in my 40s...been playing the game off and on since I was 8 or 9, mostly as a player or DM in full blown home-grown campaigns where dedicated players committed to playing a few times per week. I don't have the time or energy (or group of friends with the dedication) to run a full blown home grown campaign any more. What I do have time for is 3-4 hours ever week or two to get together and run a group through a pre-made adventure...GoDSC is perfect for that and if they are sticking with that model for casual gamers, they'll have us hooked. That's a good thing, I hope.

 

[DMZ2112]

For others who buy at Barnes & Noble, they are probably out of luck.

I am not sure if this allays your concerns, but I would expect that anything available for free at an FLGS would be available for free at dndclassics.com.

That does nothing to alleviate my fundamental issue. You straight up should not require a computer of ANY sort to play D&D. Again, it's fine if there's are apps and whatever digital whosits to help out, but if the product that is supposed to get you into the game to begin with doesn't come with the ability to make the character you want to play in the box, it has failed on a very fundamental level. No tablet, no phone, no computer doodad is going to make me feel, "Wow, I'm glad I have to use this to play D&D!"

Unfortunately I think this comes down to a question of age/upbringing and target audience once again. I feel certain that at the opposite end of the spectrum there are gamers who are saying:

That does nothing to alleviate my fundamental issue. You straight up should not require hardcopy of ANY sort to play D&D. Again, it's fine if there's are hardbacks and softcovers to help out, but if the product that is supposed to get you into the game to begin with doesn't come with the ability to make the character you want to play on the Internet, it has failed on a very fundamental level. No book, no folio, no magazine is going to make me feel, "Wow, I'm glad I have to use this to play D&D!"

 

[Blackbrrd]

Hmmh, nope. No browser currently implements the HTML5 specifications correctly and completely: HTML5 Test. A perfect browser would have a score of 555.

As much as I love HTML5, it won't be the end of access troubles.

It won't be the end of access troubles, but it's a good platform to build against. I don't really see a better alternative either. It does have some pit-traps as you mention, so you can't use every feature. I don't think that's ever been the case in web development.