D&D 5E (2014) Reasons Why My Interest in 5e is Waning

[Zaukrie]

I agree, there can be too many rules. What I find odd about these threads is how it seems like people get mad about someone else's feelings.

 

[The Crimson Binome]

How is your interest in D&D 5e? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

It's alright. I'll play it, because it's still some D&D, just like 4E or Pathfinder. I probably won't buy any more books, though.

The rules just don't really appeal to me. They don't do a very good job of describing the world. If a situation arises in the narrative, and I want to know how it resolves, this ruleset doesn't do a great job of telling me which mechanics represent that situation. There's too much focus on mechanics, and not enough focus on what those mechanics really mean.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like you simply do not like the 5e system. If you did, you would play that system, regardless of coming content.

Actually, I love the system. I have the just enough crunch to be meaningful while being light enough to not get in the way. I am not a system person. My enthusiasm runs off imagination. I love campaign setting books that are twinged with the specifics of the system.

FAQ (just getting it out of the way): Why can't I just read some some other system's setting material and play it with 5e? To put it in a way that will be easy to understand, it's like trying to read an Elric story and reskin it for Diskworld on the fly. Or putting the Brady Bunch in A Game of Thrones. The thought of Greg stupping Jan and pushing Bobby off the roof doesn't really work without serious rework of the personalities of the characters.

In the same way, the way that a setting emphasizes the role of the adventurer, the level of power a first level adventurer has vs the common man, the kind of adventures they game assumes adventurers will have, the assumed power the players can eventually reach all make serious differences in how a setting is presented. Does the setting talk about goblins as a serious threat (like a 6-8 level campaign can be based on goblinoids, like 5e) or is it just something you do at 1st and 2nd level and then you move on from there (like 3.5/Pathfinder). Are you expected to be a mover and shaker from level 1 (like 13th Age) or are you a farm boy that picked up a sword defended his home yesterday (like 3.5/Pathfinder). Are you expected to be of a certain age where you are in the pique of physical performance (like 3.5/pathfinder) or are you expected to have a career before starting to adventure (like 13th Age/5e). Are you expected to light up like a christmas tree when someone activated detect magic (like 3.5/pathfinder, 4e and 13th Age) or are you limited to the number of magic items you can use at any point in time and they are relatively rare (like 5e).

All of these make huge differences in the way a campaign setting is presented. For someone like me, to take another campaign setting and stick it in another system is like using a sword to do a hammer's job.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

Or putting the Brady Bunch in A Game of Thrones. The thought of Greg stupping Jan and pushing Bobby off the roof doesn't really work without serious rework of the personalities of the characters.

I'd pay big bucks to see that in the movie theater though.

 

[dmccoy1693]

Deleting post...

 

[neobolts]

5) Lack of Digital Tools
Not looking for digital tools, particularly digital tools from WotC with a monetized and/or cloud model. (I remember 4e when they trashed and bricked the good tools and went with Silverlight. Suddenly I was without the features I wanted. I was paying them for this and they blew it big time. I cancelled my account and returned to more traditional prepwork and am happy.)

4) No PDFs
I too would like PDFs for current books.

3 & 2) Nothing to Look Foward To & No Book Diversity/Waiting (essentially the same thing)
They clearly have a plan (experimenting with digital tools, avoiding splat book bloat) but I would love if they were more open about their plans. I want to feel engaged in the upcoming book schedule and long term plan. There is one book on the horizon. I don't need an avalanche of books, but there are edition-to-edition classics they could have on the schedule: Oriental Adventures, Psionics Handbook, Manual of the Planes, etc. Also, how about more monster manuals? Monsters are the one area that adds to the DMs toolbox without bloating the rules. Can't have too many monster choices!

1) OGL
An OGL would be nice. Especially from a publisher perspective.

And to answer your follow up... No, my interest isn't waning. We ran LMoP towards the end of 2014. We are running Numenera currently. And next we are running a 5e campaign in an original setting. So we haven't gotten much play out the game, how could we be tired of it already? The DMG has only been out for 2 months, I haven't even finished my cover-to-cover read of it yet. While I am hoping for more from WotC...it's coming from a place of enthusiasm, I'm a million miles away from "waning."

 

[Nefzyflin]

I appreciate your sarcasm.

I think I may have come across harsher than I actually intended. And for that I apologize.

I see 5e as still being very new. I wait eagerly for more content from WotC, but I am not disappointed at all, as of yet. I believe they are working hard at this stage, to start rolling with all of the things us gamers are waiting for, be it content or the OGL, or digital tools.

And so I wait.

Nef

 

[dmccoy1693]

I think I may have come across harsher than I actually intended. And for that I apologize.

I apologize for assuming you meant your comment in a harsher light. Editing the above.

 

[Paraxis]

I agree, there can be too many rules. What I find odd about these threads is how it seems like people get mad about someone else's feelings.

It's the same with any topic that has fans. In San Antonio where I am from if you start a conversation about 5 reasons your interest in the Spurs (NBA team) is waning, and what you would like to see change and how you might start liking the LA Lakers or Dallas Mavericks if the Spurs don't change, well let's just say that conversation would be much more enthusiastic (read as outrage and hate filled) than this one has been.

If people are spending free time talking/reading about a topic there is some passion involved and passions flare.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

My interest in 5E is pretty good. AD&D is still my favorite edition, but 5E comes close. I was looking through the PHB last night and getting excited about some character ideas, which hasn't happened in ages. My only real gripe is with the initiative rules - I've never like 3e/4e style initiative. And I thought the backgrounds were a good idea, but uninspired in execution.

5) Serious Lack of Digital Tools.

Not a big deal for me. Online chargen would be nice, but not something I'd value enough to pay for. It would be almost trivial to do right now though, speaking as someone who has coded professionally in GUIs, web dev, and databases. The hard part would be keeping it up to date through expansions of the rules.

4) No PDFs (except for the basic game).

Not a big deal for me either. I strongly prefer deadtree to reading from a screen. I understand that it's a big deal to some folks though.

3) Nothing Much to Look Forward To/Lack of Product Diversity.

I'm accustomed to making up my own adventures and monsters, so that's not a big deal for me. I'd like to see more character options and spells, but I have plenty now to keep me busy for a long time.

2) The Waiting.

I hate waiting too. But I only just found some time to read the PHB last week. My free time's not what it used to be, so I expect they'll be able to produce material faster than I can absorb it.

1) No OGL (or some kind of compatible license).

Not an issue for me, and I don't blame WoTC for being leery of third party licenses after Pathfinder happened. I expect they'll approach this with great caution if at all.

I think that if your top 5 gripes with a game have nothing to do with the actual content of the game, then the game developer is doing pretty well.