Wicht
Hero
Full Disclosure... I was never too enthusiastic for DnD 5e. 4e and the rollout was a major let down; Pathfinder has been great; I am a huge fan of the OGL. But...
Over the last month or so however, listening to people talk about 5e, I have been slowly considering buying into it, at least to read, maybe to write some material for it potentially if, when, they ever decide to release an Open License of some sort for it.
I could also use a new copy of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook as I am still very much active with that system. This is a factor.
So I am there in B.A.M. looking at the material. I look first at the Starter Set. It is my first direct exposure to it. I notice firstly how light it is. Very, very, very light. I notice the price. $20. I am, to say the least, non-plussed. I have the Pathfinder Beginner's Box and its fantastic. I do not feel that the Starter Set is going to offer me my money's worth at $20 (I notice its at $12 on Amazon; but the Beginner's Box is at $25 for comparison). So I pick up the Player's Handbook. I glance through it. It seems alright. I notice I can understand the language, and unlike 4e there's no weird codes or new language to grok...
Can I just insert an aside right here and say it is refreshing to once more be able to talk about Dungeons and Dragons with people playing a different ruleset than myself and feel like we are talking about the same thing. When trying to converse about 4e, it really did at times feel like the language was completely different. Which is one of the reasons I am predisposed to liking 5e better than 4e...
Back to my story...
So, at this point I am actually considering plopping down some money for the Player's handbook. I look at the price. $50. I confess I paused at this point and did a double take. The price point is probably old news for those who have been really into the game. But it was my first exposure to it because it was the first time I had actually considered buying. I look at the price on the DMG. $50. I check out the price on the Pathfinder Core Rulebook (twice as big as both books, has both the DMG and the Players info...) $50. Paizo is offering me the same material for $50 that WotC is offering for $100. And sure, I can get both books on Amazon for a combined $68, but I can get the Core Rulebook for $30 there as well. Besides which, if I like the game, I'll then want the Monster Manual for another $50...
I understand that there are potentially different strategies here... Paizo wants to hook me with a cheap buy in and WotC wants all my money upfront so to speak. No need to try and make that point to me. From my perspective Paizo has been successful in bleeding continuous money from my wallet so I know where I stand in deciding which is the better marketing strategy...
But here's the thing. I am curious about 5e. But money is always tight and there's a certain psychological roadblock which prevents me from making impulse buys much over $30. I need some convincing. Pathfinder is still satisfying my gaming needs quite handily... But I am not predisposed against other systems, as my large collecton of gaming books attest... And I still, despite 4es best efforts to trample my heart,... retain a nostalgic fondness for the Dungeons and Dragons brand... I want to like the game... But I do also like for new books to offer me sufficient incentives to buy them. So what does 5e offer me worth $150 dollars ($100 on Amazon) that wouldn't be better spent getting a new Core Rulebook (or maybe rebinding one of my old ones in leather), a copy of Shadow Run, and maybe the new edition of Paranoia when it is released?
I am not trying to start an edition war here... Don't argue, please, about the failings of older editions... Just tell me what 5e offers new that I can't get elsewhere or don't already have, that is worth the investment.
Over the last month or so however, listening to people talk about 5e, I have been slowly considering buying into it, at least to read, maybe to write some material for it potentially if, when, they ever decide to release an Open License of some sort for it.
I could also use a new copy of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook as I am still very much active with that system. This is a factor.
So I am there in B.A.M. looking at the material. I look first at the Starter Set. It is my first direct exposure to it. I notice firstly how light it is. Very, very, very light. I notice the price. $20. I am, to say the least, non-plussed. I have the Pathfinder Beginner's Box and its fantastic. I do not feel that the Starter Set is going to offer me my money's worth at $20 (I notice its at $12 on Amazon; but the Beginner's Box is at $25 for comparison). So I pick up the Player's Handbook. I glance through it. It seems alright. I notice I can understand the language, and unlike 4e there's no weird codes or new language to grok...
Can I just insert an aside right here and say it is refreshing to once more be able to talk about Dungeons and Dragons with people playing a different ruleset than myself and feel like we are talking about the same thing. When trying to converse about 4e, it really did at times feel like the language was completely different. Which is one of the reasons I am predisposed to liking 5e better than 4e...
Back to my story...
So, at this point I am actually considering plopping down some money for the Player's handbook. I look at the price. $50. I confess I paused at this point and did a double take. The price point is probably old news for those who have been really into the game. But it was my first exposure to it because it was the first time I had actually considered buying. I look at the price on the DMG. $50. I check out the price on the Pathfinder Core Rulebook (twice as big as both books, has both the DMG and the Players info...) $50. Paizo is offering me the same material for $50 that WotC is offering for $100. And sure, I can get both books on Amazon for a combined $68, but I can get the Core Rulebook for $30 there as well. Besides which, if I like the game, I'll then want the Monster Manual for another $50...
I understand that there are potentially different strategies here... Paizo wants to hook me with a cheap buy in and WotC wants all my money upfront so to speak. No need to try and make that point to me. From my perspective Paizo has been successful in bleeding continuous money from my wallet so I know where I stand in deciding which is the better marketing strategy...
But here's the thing. I am curious about 5e. But money is always tight and there's a certain psychological roadblock which prevents me from making impulse buys much over $30. I need some convincing. Pathfinder is still satisfying my gaming needs quite handily... But I am not predisposed against other systems, as my large collecton of gaming books attest... And I still, despite 4es best efforts to trample my heart,... retain a nostalgic fondness for the Dungeons and Dragons brand... I want to like the game... But I do also like for new books to offer me sufficient incentives to buy them. So what does 5e offer me worth $150 dollars ($100 on Amazon) that wouldn't be better spent getting a new Core Rulebook (or maybe rebinding one of my old ones in leather), a copy of Shadow Run, and maybe the new edition of Paranoia when it is released?
I am not trying to start an edition war here... Don't argue, please, about the failings of older editions... Just tell me what 5e offers new that I can't get elsewhere or don't already have, that is worth the investment.
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