D&D (2024) Character Origins Playtest Poll

[GMforPowergamers]

WotC isn’t requesting us not to respond if we’ve only theory crafted the playtests.

They haven’t done that with UA for years now. They know that a lot of people with strong feelings about UA don’t necessarily have time to actually run a game with rules that aren’t finalized just to give feedback. They welcome feedback from theorycrafters.

I don’t appreciate that this poll is trying to split those hairs.

Yes, time is always short on this UA playtests and they have internal and external groups doing actual playtests. They care about the sentiment of the general public, much more than to know what DPR your character had against a CR 7 monster.

the problem is there are 30ish people here that care enough to post about it, and have not tried it... and some of them are arguing with people that have tested it... so if right now today all 50 people here respond, 36 of them are responding about something they don't really know... and drown out the 14 that HAVE tried it... imagine that on a larger scale... multiply it by 300... so instead of 50 responses they get 15.000 responses (I bet they would call that a good showing) but if 10,800 people didn't try it, and 700 did try it... look how the 10,800 out weight the 700

 

[Nikosandros]

In a couple of weeks, you can't really do proper testing anyway. For crunching numbers they use other methods. That's what WotC has been doing ever since they started dropping UAs. They shouldn't really call them playtests, IMO, but it's not up to me...

 

[Parmandur]

the problem is there are 30ish people here that care enough to post about it, and have not tried it... and some of them are arguing with people that have tested it... so if right now today all 50 people here respond, 36 of them are responding about something they don't really know... and drown out the 14 that HAVE tried it... imagine that on a larger scale... multiply it by 300... so instead of 50 responses they get 15.000 responses (I bet they would call that a good showing) but if 10,800 people didn't try it, and 700 did try it... look how the 10,800 out weight the 700

The only actual plays I have seen reported were "hey, we had fun, and these changes worked well in practice." Haven't really seen any arguing...?

 

[OB1]

The only actual plays I have seen reported were "hey, we had fun, and these changes worked well in practice." Haven't really seen any arguing...?

Which could either be a self-selction bias, or could point to the rules feeling different in actual play than how they seem from reading them. In my group 3 of the 5 players weren't thrilled about the new nat20/Crit rules before trying them in game. Afterwards, it was unanimous and enthusiastic consent to keep them.

I almost suspect that WotC may be more interested in using the playtest to gently introduce some changing concepts that they expect to get blowback on, so that in 2 years when One comes out, people are already used to the changes and have their house-rules ready to go for the things they don't like

 

[Marandahir]

the problem is there are 30ish people here that care enough to post about it, and have not tried it... and some of them are arguing with people that have tested it... so if right now today all 50 people here respond, 36 of them are responding about something they don't really know... and drown out the 14 that HAVE tried it... imagine that on a larger scale... multiply it by 300... so instead of 50 responses they get 15.000 responses (I bet they would call that a good showing) but if 10,800 people didn't try it, and 700 did try it... look how the 10,800 out weight the 700

Enworld is not a representative sample of the people who respond to UA surveys. We’re a fraction; a tiny, if vocal, minority.

Don’t worry about people who might be wrong on the internet. Have fun with the game. Give your own feedback. Other people will give feedback based on how they experienced it, whether theorycrafted or skimmed or played with. It’s all good. WotC know how to account for what you’re worried about.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Man this is depressing. 2 to 1 people here talking about it have not tried it.

I doubt anyone has really tried it enough to have a reasonable sample-size of experiences with it to judge any better than a thorough reader of the materials who hasn't actually tried it.

WotC clearly isn't looking for the feedback of people who have actually tried it enough to learn much from the experience, or they would have had a longer survey turn around.

 

[Marandahir]

I doubt anyone has really tried it enough to have a reasonable sample-size of experiences with it to judge any better than a thorough reader of the materials who hasn't actually tried it.

WotC clearly isn't looking for the feedback of people who have actually tried it enough to learn much from the experience, or they would have had a longer survey turn around.

This. Law of Large Numbers. D&D players seem to often share a misunderstanding with gamblers about the sample sizes needed to actually overcome the anecdotal.

Everyone’s experience here is close enough, statistically speaking, to be considered equally valid.

 

[Parmandur]

Which could either be a self-selction bias, or could point to the rules feeling different in actual play than how they seem from reading them. In my group 3 of the 5 players weren't thrilled about the new nat20/Crit rules before trying them in game. Afterwards, it was unanimous and enthusiastic consent to keep them.

I almost suspect that WotC may be more interested in using the playtest to gently introduce some changing concepts that they expect to get blowback on, so that in 2 years when One comes out, people are already used to the changes and have their house-rules ready to go for the things they don't like

Yeah, they will ask if people actually played with the rules, and probably weigh the opinions of people who did try more strongly.

 

[Marandahir]

Yeah, they will ask if people actually played with the rules, and probably weigh the opinions of people who did try more strongly.

They might. They also might weigh them the same but take that as an independent variable for their statistical analysis.
They've certainly got at least one full-time statistician on the payroll working with UA and survey data.

 

[Parmandur]

They might. They also might weigh them the same but take that as an independent variable for their statistical analysis.
They've certainly got at least one full-time statistician on the payroll working with UA and survey data.

Last I recall them talking about it, they actually have access to an independent statistician service through Hasbro: thst was how they built up the Next testing apparatus, and get their market data.