D&D 5E Anyone else feeling "meh" about recent 5e releases?

[Parmandur]

Oooh, I know, better yet, let's publish yet another Forgotten Realms adventure. Everyone loves more Realms. Let's stay in that box. After all, Baldur's Gate is practically a whole different setting from Waterdeep. After we printed an Adventure called with the word "heist" in it, but that is not an actual heist.

Nevermind that there are all these other campaign settings that haven't seen any support, heck, they're finally going to print an Eberron book, only because Keith Baker noticed the demand and made his own.

Given that my play group has mentioned that they are quote "Bored with 5e", and are debating switching to Pathfinder 2e, there is a danger in being overly conservative.

I'd rather give my money to get a 5e product that I'd actually use.

I am certain every Forgotten Realms adventure book has sold much better than Magic of Incarnum ever could in any possible universe.

 

[TheSword]

Let me get this straight... sea faring campaign, jungle exploring campaign, city campaign, dungeon crawl, and finally a planar adventure all in the last two years...

And people are claiming the campaigns are ‘samey’, bland and too ‘forgotten realms’? ...

I really struggle to take people seriously on here when this is their criticism. Say you don’t like the writing, say you think the encounters are badly written, say the plot has holes or need repairing. Don’t say they are ‘bland’ though these campaigns are anything but bland.

Frankly in my honest opinion they knock the socks off 80% of previous editions adventures.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Upon further reflection, I think that one of the problems I see with 5e is that they aren't creating stuff that sparks the imagination of the DM (and/or Player; but I DM mostly, so that's what I'll focus on). What I mean by that is...well...here's two examples.

Ex #1: "Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?" (from "Descent into Avernus")

Ex#2: “Lost in the desert! The only hope for survival is a ruined city rising out of the sands. Food, water, and wealth await heroic adventurers inside an ancient pyramid ruled by a strange race of masked beings.” (from "The Lost City"; Basic D&D B/X)

Now, for me, #1 comes across as "Oh, got it" and my attitude going into it is "Right, so I have to study this and memorize all the important plots of various NPC's...because it all hinges on the PC's being 'embroiled in a plot'...and I know exactly where, why, who and what needs to be done". It seems more like homework than fun. It's not encouraging me, the DM, to imagine what I want to do with this book...it's telling me what I have to do with this book.

Looking at #2, it comes across as "Oh, a desert and a ruined city that the PC's go into to survive...and find some strange race that wear masks. Hmmm...interesting...I wonder if [insert a bajillion ideas popping into my head involving snakes, scorpions, tarantula, twisted race of degenerate human mutants, traps, long forgotten gods, ancient scrolls, etc]"

I know that this is likely COMPLETELY my own preference and mindset, but surely I can't be the only one? I just miss adventures that don't try and TELL me what is supposed to happen. What is supposed to happen is the Players decide the story...not me and not the module. Me and the module are there to facilitate the Players choices and weave them into the story they are creating because of it. If a module does try and tell me what is supposed to happen...that's ok as long as I can completely ignore it and all the 'stuff/filler/background' for that is short, concise, and totally removable (and not have taken up 80% of the book!)

 

[Parmandur]

Hiya!

Upon further reflection, I think that one of the problems I see with 5e is that they aren't creating stuff that sparks the imagination of the DM (and/or Player; but I DM mostly, so that's what I'll focus on). What I mean by that is...well...here's two examples.

Ex #1: "Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?" (from "Descent into Avernus")

Ex#2: “Lost in the desert! The only hope for survival is a ruined city rising out of the sands. Food, water, and wealth await heroic adventurers inside an ancient pyramid ruled by a strange race of masked beings.” (from "The Lost City"; Basic D&D B/X)

Now, for me, #1 comes across as "Oh, got it" and my attitude going into it is "Right, so I have to study this and memorize all the important plots of various NPC's...because it all hinges on the PC's being 'embroiled in a plot'...and I know exactly where, why, who and what needs to be done". It seems more like homework than fun. It's not encouraging me, the DM, to imagine what I want to do with this book...it's telling me what I have to do with this book.

Looking at #2, it comes across as "Oh, a desert and a ruined city that the PC's go into to survive...and find some strange race that wear masks. Hmmm...interesting...I wonder if [insert a bajillion ideas popping into my head involving snakes, scorpions, tarantula, twisted race of degenerate human mutants, traps, long forgotten gods, ancient scrolls, etc]"

I know that this is likely COMPLETELY my own preference and mindset, but surely I can't be the only one? I just miss adventures that don't try and TELL me what is supposed to happen. What is supposed to happen is the Players decide the story...not me and not the module. Me and the module are there to facilitate the Players choices and weave them into the story they are creating because of it. If a module does try and tell me what is supposed to happen...that's ok as long as I can completely ignore it and all the 'stuff/filler/background' for that is short, concise, and totally removable (and not have taken up 80% of the book!)

I am certain that several other people feel that way. Both examples elicit the same reaction from your #2 for me. Your example #1 makes it seem to me that you might not have actually read any of the 5E adventure books, in point of fact.

 

[TheSword]

Hiya!

Upon further reflection, I think that one of the problems I see with 5e is that they aren't creating stuff that sparks the imagination of the DM (and/or Player; but I DM mostly, so that's what I'll focus on). What I mean by that is...well...here's two examples.

Ex #1: "Welcome to Baldur's Gate, a city of ambition and corruption. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur's Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?" (from "Descent into Avernus")

Ex#2: “Lost in the desert! The only hope for survival is a ruined city rising out of the sands. Food, water, and wealth await heroic adventurers inside an ancient pyramid ruled by a strange race of masked beings.” (from "The Lost City"; Basic D&D B/X)

Now, for me, #1 comes across as "Oh, got it" and my attitude going into it is "Right, so I have to study this and memorize all the important plots of various NPC's...because it all hinges on the PC's being 'embroiled in a plot'...and I know exactly where, why, who and what needs to be done". It seems more like homework than fun. It's not encouraging me, the DM, to imagine what I want to do with this book...it's telling me what I have to do with this book.

Looking at #2, it comes across as "Oh, a desert and a ruined city that the PC's go into to survive...and find some strange race that wear masks. Hmmm...interesting...I wonder if [insert a bajillion ideas popping into my head involving snakes, scorpions, tarantula, twisted race of degenerate human mutants, traps, long forgotten gods, ancient scrolls, etc]"

I know that this is likely COMPLETELY my own preference and mindset, but surely I can't be the only one? I just miss adventures that don't try and TELL me what is supposed to happen. What is supposed to happen is the Players decide the story...not me and not the module. Me and the module are there to facilitate the Players choices and weave them into the story they are creating because of it. If a module does try and tell me what is supposed to happen...that's ok as long as I can completely ignore it and all the 'stuff/filler/background' for that is short, concise, and totally removable (and not have taken up 80% of the book!)

Just change stuff?

Change whatever you like.

Most people find it easier to amend something that’s already there. Than have to fill a completely blank page.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

In my opinion the only thing that bothers me is WOTC seems to constantly release large campaign books. I miss the days where there was large numbers of choices for smaller modules and the DM created a custom campaign by selecting unconnected modules of appropriate level.

Too much now seems to be create a 1st level character and level them to 10 plus by running the same hardcover for the next 3 to 6 months depending on how often you play, then rinse and repeat.

 

[Parmandur]

In my opinion the only thing that bothers me is WOTC seems to constantly release large campaign books. I miss the days where there was large numbers of choices for smaller modules and the DM created a custom campaign by selecting unconnected modules of appropriate level.

Too much now seems to be create a 1st level character and level them to 10 plus by running the same hardcover for the next 3 to 6 months depending on how often you play, then rinse and repeat.

psssst

Secretly, all of the big adventure books are collections of smaller modules with a suggested framework that can be turned off, or remixed with the modules from the other books easily.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

psssst

Secretly, all of the big adventure books are collections of smaller modules with a suggested framework that can be turned off, or remixed with the modules from the other books easily.

You are technically riiiight, but to do so you have to buy the entire hardcover which is a heck of a lot more expensive than the old soft cover modules.

 

[FrogReaver]

My prediction: they spend a few years giving out big setting books, then consolidate all of the little rules along with more generic expansions in a follow-up to Xanathar's

They could even name it: "Xanathar's Guide to Everything Else"

 

[Parmandur]

They could even name it: "Xanathar's Guide to Everything Else"

That's already a DMsGuild product.