D&D 5E Is 5E Special

[Vaalingrade]

in another thread we are arguing the meaning of the word passive
a few weeks ago someone was arguingthe meaning of damage

IT all depends on what your definition of 'is' is.

 

[Parmandur]

I am fast wondering why even write a system at all.

Just play Calvinball is any actual game design at all is so stifling.

I mean, there are always two extremes in any aspect of human activity, but one extreme is closer to the ideal median. In the case of an RPG, the ideal would be closer to systemless make believe, yes.

 

[Parmandur]

in another thread we are arguing the meaning of the word passive
a few weeks ago someone was arguingthe meaning of damage

What is meaning, and how do you know?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

All classes did have the same power structure in 4e until essentials.

provable false PHB3 is pre essentials and introduced classes without the same structure (psionic)
but even if it was 100% true (and it isn't) that still isnt' the same as they are all the same just they are built on the same framework

I don't think a dracholich and a goblin. I can't imagine anyone stating with a straight face that they're the same.

i can see it

 

[Oofta]

Broken record here: natural language is GOOD for you. For most players that I know it breaks horribly and it raises the barrier of entry.

We can do this all day. "Your experience is not universal" is universal.

Natural language seems to be working just fine considering their effect on sales.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Natural language seems to be working just fine considering their effect on sales.

and what parts of the game do we know do or do not effect the sales? assuming we are not being lied to, and 3e out sold 2e and 3.5 out sold 3e and 4e outsold 3.5e and 5e outsold 4e, how do we take that to mean every single bit of the game got better? especially since 5e went back to some 3e and even some 2eisms... if 4e did better then 3.5 and 3/3.5 did better then 2 then by that logic there is never a good reason to go back to 2e for something... cause i mean would think you would have made 5e only on 4e+new ideas then and we know not only did they not but that what they did worked...

and what part does name vaule bring... can any junkie system called D&D get a big head start?

 

[Shardstone]

Even WotC acknowledges their monster manual design needed some work and could be better.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I know 5 first time DMs that had disasters in 5e.

i think that if I stretch my mind back to ore covid when my buddies tried to open a gaming store I can remember doubled digits for this.

the two that strike me the most was the group of kids (I think high middle school or low high school age) that said they couldn't make the game work, and the guy that came in and joined one of my tutorial games because his kids wanted to play and he had played in the 80's (I think 1e but maybe into 2e) and he bought the books and was trying to run and couldn't

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I mean, the Playtest was designed with new players in mind. Then there's the results we got after the playtest

Which was also designed with new players in mind.

Yeah, they did an excellent job threading that needle.

I agree.

Yeah, so.e people vastly underestimate how creative e the 5E combat system allows people to be.

Yeah absolutely. It’s a preference thing though. A lot of people don’t really experience an uptick in their own creativity when actions are not prescribed, they just instead view the default action as the only action the game supports. Which is why we see so many “everyone just moves into position and then spams ‘I swing my sword again’ until someone dies” complaints.

How does the presence or absence of interesting mechanical options for monsters affect this?

Many people see a bunch of distinct special actions in a writeup and as a direct result do not improvise actions.

People also are more willing to improvise and get creative when a round moves faster.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah absolutely. It’s a preference thing though. A lot of people don’t really experience an uptick in their own creativity when actions are not prescribed, they just instead view the default action as the only action the game supports. Which is why we see so many “everyone just moves into position and then spams ‘I swing my sword again’ until someone dies” complaints.

Yup, absolutely. On the flipside...

Many people see a bunch of distinct special actions in a writeup and as a direct result do not improvise actions.

People also are more willing to improvise and get creative when a round moves faster.

Good gravy, the analysis paralysis that dragged out everything in play with Powers...