D&D 5E Does the Artificer Suck?

[Stoutstien]

That would depend on which schools you are talking about.

I've never heard of it, and I have spent a lot of time in schools. Lord of the Flies is read ad nauseum, but I've never come across The Scarlet Letter on a GCSE or A level specification.

I can see the scarlet letter getting skipped in the UK but I'm honestly surprised Kurt Vonnegut's writing is not used. Is dystopian literature not core?

 

[tetrasodium]

Should define country too. That's a reference to rural areas for many while the UK is a nation.
That or you could make reasonable assumptions about the audience like a reasonable person

 

[DND_Reborn]

This is the issue. "most of the people I know" are drawn from a similar background, and hence speak the same jargon. But the people you don't know, who are not associated with science education, have no idea what you are talking about.

Many of the people I know have nothing to do with education or anything otherwise normally related to STEM. But, they have kids (and learn of it through their teachers) or watch the news or read about it through online news. Personally, I would be amazed if more than 1 in 4 people I know didn't have any idea what STEM was or some notion of it. But, as I say, your experience may certainly be different from mine.

But a stem is a part of a plant.

"a stem" is part of a plant, STEM means something different as you know. If writers are lazy and refer to STEM as "stem", I can't help that.

Why STEM? Why not MEST or METS or TEMS or SMET?

I would guess because a stem is part of a plant and it grows, like the idea that with education we grow? shrug Or maybe it just sounded better than the alternatives? again shrug

It's more a problem with people getting promoted because they spout convincing-sounding jargon whilst having no idea what they are talking about.

LOL someone sounds bitter!

Given that I have never been within 5000 miles of Arizona, it's very unlikely I would have heard of it.

More given that you aren't in the U.S., maybe... It was a very well-known research center at the time. I believe it has since been absorbed into a larger center, but I can't be certain as I left the university well over a decade ago. final shrug

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I can see the scarlet letter getting skipped in the UK but I'm honestly surprised Kurt Vonnegut's writing is not used. Is dystopian literature not core?

No Vonnegut*, but 1984 crops up frequently. The spec doesn't use genre categories like "dystopian literature". It tends to use categories like "20th century British", "20th century American", "pre-20th Century British" etc.


* I have a vague memory of seeing Slaughterhouse Five on an A level spec, but I'm not certain.

 

[DND_Reborn]

You might need to explain UK, some Americans don't realize it is more than England or that it is even a country!

Oi... don't get me started on what some Americans don't realize...

Sadly, I think when I retired it probably won't be in the U.S.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oi... don't get me started on what some Americans don't realize...

Sadly, I think when I retired it probably won't be in the U.S.

Want to swap? I've heard the grass is always greener...

 

[DND_Reborn]

Want to swap? I've heard the grass is always greener...

Are you kidding? I would love to live in England when I retire! No place is perfect, but have you seen our Presidents lately???

All I'll say is this (and then drop it since politics can get too heated, especially online!) is this country is WAY too divided. We are nearly 50/50 split which means no matter who is in charge, half the people are not happy about it.

But, right now retirement is a LONG way off, and I am more interested in Eastern Europe since I have lived there before, miss the people and culture, and already have friends there. It would be simple for me to teach part-time at a university there as well in my retirement if I wish.

 

[dave2008]

More given that you aren't in the U.S., maybe... It was a very well-known research center at the time. I believe it has since been absorbed into a larger center, but I can't be certain as I left the university well over a decade ago. final shrug

FYI, I've been to Arizona, I'm a fairly well educated (masters) American and my wife is more so. Neither of us had heard of CRESMET before. I think that is a more obscure reference than you realize. It was easy to google though.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Are you kidding? I would love to live in England when I retire! No place is perfect, but have you seen our Presidents lately??? /

You just got an upgrade, we are still stuck with an imbecile.

All I'll say is this (and then drop it since politics can get too heated, especially online!) is this country is WAY too divided. We are nearly 50/50 split which means no matter who is in charge, half the people are not happy about it. /

So is this one. And may actually split.

But, right now retirement is a LONG way off, and I am more interested in Eastern Europe since I have lived there before, miss the people and culture, and already have friends there. It would be simple for me to teach part-time at a university there as well in my retirement if I wish.

I fancy Sweden, having watched far too much Nordic noir on TV.

 

[Stoutstien]

No Vonnegut, but 1984 crops up frequently. The spec doesn't use genre categories like "dystopian literature". It tend to use categories like "20th century British", "20th century American", "pre-20th Century British" etc.

Interesting. Never understood breaking up literature chronologically past looking at inspiration and social commentary for any giving piece of work.

On the subject of the artificer within 5e one of the big complaints I see is it doesn't quite capture the essence that the class represents. Keeping to the literary theme, the class is supposedly the Terry Pratchett of classes. Equals part ridiculous, whimsical, magical, and serious. It's missing something that captures this.Did they lean to much on the ill-defined crafting system or does spontaneous casting make it bland?

Maybe it doesn't matter to the vast majority of the people who partake in the hobby but the fringe players are the reason we TTRPGs at all. Someone had to look at a system and wonder what if.