The "I Didn't Comment in Another Thread" Thread

[overgeeked]

You really can just play 5E D&D.

You don't need to "fix it" so that it plays more like an older edition--if an older edition is what you want, you can still play that older edition. DriveThruRPG (and elsewhere) has all of the books you need.

And it doesn't need "fixing" so that it plays more like GURPS or Hero or whatever other game system you have in mind-- if a different game is what you want, you can just play GURPS or whatever instead. Again, DriveThruRPG has everything you need.

If your heart's desire is to make D&D play like an older or different game, remember the reasons why older editions were left behind, and the reasons why other game systems aren't as popular. Those reasons are still there.

I'm worried about some of y'all's blood pressure. I feel like you'd be a lot happier if you just let 5E D&D be it's own game, and go back to playing X Edition rules. Or maybe you could play GURPS or Call of Cthulhu or (my favorite) Dread instead of groaning constantly about how inferior D&D is supposed to be.

As always, people like what they like and 5E is so utterly dominant it’s easier to find players interested in a 5E game hacked to resemble some other game than it is to find players for that other game.

 

[Autumnal]

I don’t.have the time right now, but must write up the tale of how an an Indiana Jones example earned me an actual stalker.

 

[trappedslider]

I don’t.have the time right now, but must write up the tale of how an an Indiana Jones example earned me an actual stalker.

must be nice to feel wanted

 

[Thomas Shey]

Or wondering why the TTRPG featuring six players each controlling a different character somehow never manages to feel as smooth and tactical as [Insert single-player team-based CRPG].

More generally why media where any failures and successes are at the service of story beats are not going to look entirely like a medium where that isn't the only interest in play. Or as I put it regularly "Medium matters".

 

[trappedslider]

image removed by moderator

 

[Thomas Shey]

You really can just play 5E D&D.

You don't need to "fix it" so that it plays more like an older edition--if an older edition is what you want, you can still play that older edition. DriveThruRPG (and elsewhere) has all of the books you'll ever need: 4E | 3E | AD&D 2E | AD&D 1E | B/X and Basic | OD&D. Grab your favorite and get the gang together.

And it doesn't need "fixing" so that it plays more like GURPS or Hero or whatever other game system you have in mind-- if a different game is what you want, you can just play GURPS or whatever instead. Again, DriveThruRPG has everything you need. Search by title, publisher, genre, rules system, format, language...if it exists they probably have it, and probably for less than $10.

If your heart's desire is to make D&D play like an older or different game, remember the reasons why older editions were left behind, and the reasons why other game systems aren't as popular. Those reasons are still there.

I'm worried about some of y'all's blood pressure. I feel like you'd be a lot happier if you just let 5E D&D be it's own game, and go back to playing X Edition rules. Or maybe you could play GURPS or Call of Cthulhu or (my favorite) Dread instead of groaning constantly about how inferior D&D is supposed to be.

Well, of course the unstated thing is that in many (probably most) cases, they want to play game they actually want to play while having the networking advantages of 5e. Since they can't do that, they want to pull 5e in the direction they want it to go.

(Of course, sometimes it starts because someone essentially says "You should just play D&D 5e" and they head off explaining why various elements of 5e don't suit them. I've done that a couple times, but have enough self-awareness to be aware I'm basically just an old man yelling at clouds.)

 

[Thomas Shey]

As always, people like what they like and 5E is so utterly dominant it’s easier to find players interested in a 5E game hacked to resemble some other game than it is to find players for that other game.

Well, at least until they figure out they've been had.

 

[ichabod]

And it doesn't need "fixing" so that it plays more like GURPS or Hero or whatever other game system you have in mind-- if a different game is what you want, you can just play GURPS or whatever instead.

I say it is possible to take 5E in the direction of GURPS and make a game that is more enjoyable (to some people) than either 5E or GURPS. And at that point, you can't just play GURPS instead, because it doesn't have the 5E elements that you brought into your hybrid game.

 

[CleverNickName]

As always, people like what they like and 5E is so utterly dominant it’s easier to find players interested in a 5E game hacked to resemble some other game than it is to find players for that other game.

I know that people try to recruit 5E players to play a non-5E game. Or worse still, I've heard of DMs who recruit a group of players who expect to play 5E, but (surprise!) it's a different game instead. I don't see how that will go well for anyone.

But who knows? Every group is different, maybe it'll work out fine.

 

[trappedslider]

I say it is possible to take 5E in the direction of GURPS and make a game that is more enjoyable (to some people) than either 5E or GURPS. And at that point, you can't just play GURPS instead, because it doesn't have the 5E elements that you brought into your hybrid game.

I'd like to point out that SJG put out a GURPS line called "Dungeon fantasy" to appeal to the dungeon crawl aspect of D&D players/DMs.