D&D (2024) The impending mess that will be backwards compatibility

[Emberashh]

got to a communist country and well... not so good

There are no communist countries.

The point is if you combine 5e and ODND assets and the PCs are too powerful, you can't blame WOTC because they told you that would happen.

All i know is we are going to be inundated with horror stories if this shtick isn't dropped.

 

[mamba]

Communism has worked in practice.

not aware of it having worked anywhere at any time, at a reasonable level (ie beyond extended family / tribe), and most communist countries were not actually communist to begin with.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Probably, but maybe not. So far, the changes aren't as fundamental as the 3E/3.5 shift, which changed how weapons worked, for instance. (A change to any given class or how you categorize spells is a compartmentalized change that only affects a limited subsystem.)

The best point of comparison at this point is probably Monsters of the Multiverse. There was a lot of howling about the book's changes. Are DMs still using Mordenkainen's Book of Foes and Volo's Guide to Monsters? I bet there are some DMs still using the older books, especially for spellcaster NPCs.

Didn't we just see a thread pop up about how weapon choice is going to matter again?

Also, all 5.5 casters appear to be prep casters now, and they're no longer pretending feats being optional is a serious idea. Pretty big changes.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I’d argue that the 4.5 (essentials) half edition was handled well and was actually backwards compatible.
Yes, if you wanted to keep using your original PHB after the Rules Compendium was released, you had to print out about 30 pages of errata. Clunky, yes, but you had that option, and errata is free.

As someone who tried to play one of the interesting fighters post Essentials, I'm gonna have to disagree. Essentials only groups sprang up like mushrooms and while maybe you could busk a DM into letting you paly a PH 1 fighter, there was no way in hell to play bravua or anything else from the Power Books because 'they weren't Essentials'.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Didn't we just see a thread pop up about how weapon choice is going to matter again?

Also, all 5.5 casters appear to be prep casters now, and they're no longer pretending feats being optional is a serious idea. Pretty big changes.

right but totally rewriting major sectons doens't count if you don't adjust the base math... so not a new edition or version I guess...

TBH I almost feel like WotC is trolling ME, since I said I would try to call it a new version they are all like "Nah not a version either just a baisic revision..."

 

[Micah Sweet]

right but totally rewriting major sectons doens't count if you don't adjust the base math... so not a new edition or version I guess...

TBH I almost feel like WotC is trolling ME, since I said I would try to call it a new version they are all like "Nah not a version either just a baisic revision..."

Yeah, this seems to be the greatest amount of change they've ever made between one PH and another without labeling it in some way, either as a new edition, a .5, or something else. It does feel a little sneaky, like they're trying to get away with something.

 

[Emberashh]

They're terrified of splitting the playerbase and instead of making a 6e thats too awesome to want to play anything else, they'd rather create a self-fulfilling prophecy and drive people out when people end up paying more just to find out the game didn't get any better.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yeah, this seems to be the greatest amount of change they've ever made between one PH and another without labeling it in some way, either as a new edition, a .5, or something else. It does feel a little sneaky, like they're trying to get away with something.

agreed... again this whole thing feels like a troll to those of us who have been through 1e/2e and 3e/3.5

 

[GMforPowergamers]

They're terrified of splitting the playerbase and instead of making a 6e thats too awesome to want to play anything else, they'd rather create a self-fulfilling prophecy and drive people out when people end up paying more just to find out the game didn't get any better.

thats the thing,,, something new built from the bones of what came before that re engages andd rejuvinates the player base scares them... its to hard

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't disagree with you guys that as a gamer I'd personally rather have a new edition that really digs into improving the game, but that's not usually what we get from a new edition, is it? Usually it fixes some things that are broken, and breaks some things that were fine. In fact, that's ALWAYS what has happened.

My hope for this "revision" is that they actually improve on 5e. Maybe that won't be good enough for 5e-haters, and probably won't improve the things I'm not fond of in 5e by enough (for me), but if it's "Like 5e but better" I will be quite happy with it.

(If still imagining a time of greatness that could-have-been).

OTOH as a game retailer, I think that this is the "safer" bet, market-wise. They are far, FAR more likely to enrage the overall fanbase with a whole new edition, no matter how "good" it is. I mean, with the internet making bank off of anger, there's almost no way they won't enrage a whole group of people no matter what they do, but this plan is definitely the lesser-of-two-evils.

We shall see how it shakes out.