D&D (2024) D&D 6th edition - What do you want to see?

[JeffB]

Some mighty argue that the period in which it was the Greyhawk Roleplaying Game was also the "roots" of the game, but I agree with you. I really don't like FR.

One thing that I think would help is to encourage the idea that not all races/classes/subclasses (and even spells) are appropriate to all settings. Of course DMs are always free to restrict options, but given the way the game is presented that can lead to grumbling. I'd like it to be assumed that DMs will restrict options to those that are appropriate to their setting, so that a game in which all options were available would be unusual.

I actually meant "pre-greyhawk", i.e. the pre AD&D era. Before "named" spells and artifacts with names as placeholders, not "tied into" an assumed setting. When we as DMs ran our own wildly varying "settings" -because there wasn't anything besides what we pulled from literature, movies or our arses Each of us had a mishmash of what we thought was "cool" and expanded on it. I think I have mentioned it here before- I had a blast playing my Paladin of Odin raiding a Temple of Set in the bowels of Barsoom. Not to say everyone mixed Fantasy and Sci-Fi, but we did our own thing, and the game, the gaming culture, and even the game designers (at the time) encouraged it. Some of myt group ran very LoTR type games, or Medieval England, or Cthulhu meets Conan. Now everyone want to sell you their IP, and D&D has regurgitated itself to where it has become it's own brand of vanilla fantasy.

I also agree that an emphasis on using rule/options to fit the setting, instead of fitting the setting to the rules (as we have seen since the switch into 2E) as written would be most welcome.

 

[Guest 6801328]

I actually meant "pre-greyhawk", i.e. the pre AD&D era. Before "named" spells and artifacts with names as placeholders, not "tied into" an assumed setting. When we as DMs ran our own wildly varying "settings" -because there wasn't anything besides what we pulled from literature, movies or our arses Each of us had a mishmash of what we thought was "cool" and expanded on it. I think I have mentioned it here before- I had a blast playing my Paladin of Odin raiding a Temple of Set in the bowels of Barsoom. Not to say everyone mixed Fantasy and Sci-Fi, but we did our own thing, and the game, the gaming culture, and even the game designers (at the time) encouraged it. Some of myt group ran very LoTR type games, or Medieval England, or Cthulhu meets Conan. Now everyone want to sell you their IP, and D&D has regurgitated itself to where it has become it's own brand of vanilla fantasy.

I also agree that an emphasis on using rule/options to fit the setting, instead of fitting the setting to the rules (as we have seen since the switch into 2E) as written would be most welcome.

There should be an emote for "Grognard Alert!"

But, like I said, I agree with you. EDIT: I didn't start playing until AD&D, but we certainly didn't play "in Greyhawk", even if we used modules ostensibly set there.

I wasn't claiming AD&D is the roots of the game, just that many people might think of it as such, because it was Gygax's own setting during much of the "roots" phase. (And I can't wait to see how somebody corrects me on that in some minor, pedantic way...)

 

[JeffB]

There should be an emote for "Grognard Alert!"

But, like I said, I agree with you.

I wasn't claiming AD&D is the roots of the game, just that many people might think of it as such, because it was Gygax's own setting during much of the "roots" phase. (And I can't wait to see how somebody corrects me on that in some minor, pedantic way...)

Yeah, I've been around the block. That said- while I prefer the Wild and Wooly of OD&D in a fiction/story/theme context, I prefer modern rule-sets like 13A and DW to tell those stories.

And I understand your point re: GH better now- thanks. We didn't even bother with GH the setting once AD&D modules arrived or even the folio*. We just played them in our own world. We used the names and such maybe....Duchy of Geoff, Wild Coast, etc. But barring a small paragraph in the introduction of the modules, eh. It wasn't really until the first sighting of Dragonlance modules (and by that time I had pretty much abandoned D&D) that I felt that a setting was being rammed down my throat by an AD&D product.

*one of us bought that when it arrived. He loved the maps (who doesn't?) . He never used it after he read it. IMO GH was always more interesting and exciting though the classic adventures rather than it's setting books/boxes. Much like Kalamar and Aihrde today. But I digress.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I don’t know if pre-AD&D is the best descriptor, since it came out in ‘79, and if I were a betting man, I’d bet most of us who played from ‘79 all the way to the mid 80s used our own game worlds anyway. For teenage me, that was most of the fun, especially if other players weren’t immediately around. I’d sit in class and instead of doing algebra, I was writing notes on ZaGatul and his necromancy lair in the heart of the Alakabath jungle. It’s one of the things I really liked about those old modules. They were easy to drag and drop into your own campaigns.

If 6e comes out, I’d like to see shorter adventures like those old modules that are largely setting agnostic for that reason

 

[abirdcall]

Given Pathfinder 2e, 6e probably just got delayed 5-10 more years. Pathfinder 2e decided not to really compete in the same space as 5e, so now there's no reason for 5e to change up the base game, especially when they have been releasing everything at a snail pace as is. At this rate they can easily sustain the game 5-10 more years as long as it remains popular enough.

It isn't possible for Pathfinder or any other RPG to compete with D&D.

They're all tiny blips in the RPG marketplace.

D&D competes with boardgames not other RPGs.

I don't think Pathfinder was ever a concern after 5e took off. The 'delay' is simply that 5e is successful and their plan is to create a definitive edition of D&D. To not even think of it as 5e, just as, 'this is D&D'. It's about strengthening their brand IMO. Any sort of 'update' they give to the game will be to reinforce the current core system I think.

 

[FrogReaver]

It isn't possible for Pathfinder or any other RPG to compete with D&D.

They're all tiny blips in the RPG marketplace.

D&D competes with boardgames not other RPGs.

I don't think Pathfinder was ever a concern after 5e took off. The 'delay' is simply that 5e is successful and their plan is to create a definitive edition of D&D. To not even think of it as 5e, just as, 'this is D&D'. It's about strengthening their brand IMO. Any sort of 'update' they give to the game will be to reinforce the current core system I think.

Depends on what you mean by compete. But pathfinder 2e didn't attempt to be a slightly different 5e with more character options. It seems it's in a weird place right now for most people. It didn't have to be that way IMO.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Some interesting ideas there. I personally dislike D&D beyond 12th level, maybe even 10th, so splitting the game into different books would be fine with me. I also wouldn't mind seeing a god-level supplement like they did for Basic D&D years back.

What I dislike is that so few published campaigns give an option for advanced levels. They could easily start mid-range with several, for example, being recommended for continuation of xyz.

 

[gyor]

1. Evolution not revolution.

2. Tweaked classes, clean them up slight buffs and nerfs.

3. Tweaked feats, buffs and nerfs

4. Lower the CR on a lot if critters that are to easy.

5. Tweaked spells.

6. 2024 give or take a year.

I think in two or three years I'll be getting sick of 5E.

I don't see 6e coming out in 2024, the way things are going I think 2030 is more likely. They have no reason to dump 5e when not only are things going so well there is both so much room for more market growth and creative growth.

 

[GreyLord]

What I dislike is that so few published campaigns give an option for advanced levels. They could easily start mid-range with several, for example, being recommended for continuation of xyz.

I think (so just me thinking on it) that the reason for this probably is that when research has been done it indicates that the levels that are most played are low level games. That means that more games are going to be run for low level characters and PC's than mid to high level. The higher level you get, the fewer people are playing those levels.

Thus, to appeal to the greatest amount of audience (Read money here) you want a product that is useful to the greatest amount of players and groups. Thus, low level adventures are always in demand, and mid-level adventures occasionally (and they just released one with Dungeon of the Mad Mage).

The problem if one creates adventures for high level or advanced levels is that there would be a lower player base to buy the game for those levels. In theory at least. So, the material is made for where the money is.

 

[FrogReaver]

I think (so just me thinking on it) that the reason for this probably is that when research has been done it indicates that the levels that are most played are low level games. That means that more games are going to be run for low level characters and PC's than mid to high level. The higher level you get, the fewer people are playing those levels.

Thus, to appeal to the greatest amount of audience (Read money here) you want a product that is useful to the greatest amount of players and groups. Thus, low level adventures are always in demand, and mid-level adventures occasionally (and they just released one with Dungeon of the Mad Mage).

The problem if one creates adventures for high level or advanced levels is that there would be a lower player base to buy the game for those levels. In theory at least. So, the material is made for where the money is.

But it's not just the number of games/players for a particular level range but also the amount of material available.

Here's the deal, a DM is going to go out and probably buy most all adventuries and mine them for material. Some they may run straight by the book, but likely not all.

If that's really the demographic buying material, then they will buy material for many different level ranges IMO.