D&D General Does D&D (and RPGs in general) Need Edition Resets?

[Minigiant]

Which is why I am solidly against stealth changes, and indeed any rule set that is only available online under someone else's control.

It won't be stealth changes.

The changes would be posted. But many people won't read it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yeah, but you're not the only one in a given game.

My players are fine with using pen and paper and the a5e tools alongside the physical books, thanks.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I think you mean "Casting aspersions", and I don't think suggesting that people being stuck with bad versions of rules because there was no good and easy way to get them updated, and that bad rules cause bad outcomes is insulting to anyone, and yes, for those who think it is, I don't have a huge amount of sympathy.

(By the way, I think getting irate because I have a point of view that I stick to is something you in particular might want to think about if its what you want to do here.).

Who says they're "bad" versions of the rules? Your opinion here assumes that whatever changes WotC makes are the right ones, so there's no need for us to have any control over them.

And I don't pretend my opinions are best for everyone, just for me and those I can convince to give them a try.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Seen that even with printed books. Different printings of the "same" title sometimes have errata included or not, we discovered accidentally.

Yes it's quite annoying. There really should be a change log printed in the back of the book when they do that. Otherwise it feels like they're trying to get away with something.

 

[Clint_L]

Or at least to have control of something.

If a digitial purchase is hosted on someone else's server, I still don't have control of it. I'm at the mercy both of that server remaining functional and of my ability to access said server (and-or the internet in general) whenever I want.

It's not quite as cut and dry as this. You have entered into a contract and do have rights, as stipulated and as a function of law. But definitely, a server could go down or something. Again, this has never happened with DDB when I've been using it, but my wifi could go out or something. It's a possibility.

What has happened, many times, is that I've forgotten to bring books, character sheets, etc. From my perspective, having my materials online means that I can access them anytime, anywhere, on any device. I feel like I have more control, not less. I could be on vacation, in another country, and still play if an opportunity comes up.

If it's downloaded onto my own hard drive that I can access offline then I do have that control; I can access that material whenever I want, I might even be able to edit and-or customize it to my preference, and even if my hard drive dies its data can still - with effort - be extracted.

You can use use the DDB app to access your materials offline, as well. A physical hard drive can be damaged or lost, but your online data does not have those vulnerabilities.

Yep. Ideally, anything on the internet - if put there by its copyright holder rather than a malicious third party - would by the act of uploading it be released into the public domain. Capitalism, of course, will never allow this.

I think corporations would profit far, far more from this than individuals would. They would be scooping up stuff and marketing it without paying a dime to the creators, and would have the means to do so.

Ultimately, everything is a tradeoff and it comes down to individual preferences. As an analogy, I switched to an e-reader more than a decade ago. There are still some things I prefer about physical books. I find it easier to remember the authors and titles when I look at them on the cover every time I pick up a book, for example. And I find it easier to choose when I am going through books in a bookstore rather than online.

On the other hand, it has saved me huge amounts of space, books cost about half as much, I can access my whole library anytime, anywhere, it is much less wasteful, and I can buy a new book without leaving my patio. Also, as I age, being able to increase the font size and adjust the brightness have been significant quality of life improvements. For me, those are huge advantages.

Yet I still buy the occasional physical book because I enjoy a lot of the intangibles of that experience. Including books for RPGs. I love collecting and painting miniatures and terrain. I love a beautiful new set of dice. So, like all of us, I pick and choose when I want digital and when I don't, according to my own tastes and needs. I don't think there are any right or wrong positions on this.

As far as the updated rules go, I will just be buying them in digital form, except the MM. That one I'll want to have in print. It'll join me on the patio quite frequently, I imagine.

 

[Thomas Shey]

My players are fine with using pen and paper and the a5e tools alongside the physical books, thanks.

So, basically, you're in the sort of hermetcally sealed group I talked about earlier. I get it; I mostly am too. But we're not the majority of players in general, let alone D&D players.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Who says they're "bad" versions of the rules? Your opinion here assumes that whatever changes WotC makes are the right ones, so there's no need for us to have any control over them.

Am I going to assume people who publish game rules generally are going to be sensitive to what their users want and change rules accordingly? Yes, yes I am. And for most people, those are, indeed, "bad" rules they're changing, even if some people like them.

And I don't pretend my opinions are best for everyone, just for me and those I can convince to give them a try.

No, I think you've gone well beyond that on numerous cases, and in fact you're doing it right here.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So, basically, you're in the sort of hermetcally sealed group I talked about earlier. I get it; I mostly am too. But we're not the majority of players in general, let alone D&D players.

So you're claiming that most D&D players are playing with rotating masses of strangers, a la AL and the like, and therefore the game should be designed for them? Any evidence of that?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Am I going to assume people who publish game rules generally are going to be sensitive to what their users want and change rules accordingly? Yes, yes I am. And for most people, those are, indeed, "bad" rules they're changing, even if some people like them.



No, I think you've gone well beyond that on numerous cases, and in fact you're doing it right here.

I'm suggesting that you don't speak for the majority, because you have provided no proof to the contrary. I am not suggesting that I do, and never have. My preferences are just as meaningless as yours.

 

[Thomas Shey]

So you're claiming that most D&D players are playing with rotating masses of strangers, a la AL and the like, and therefore the game should be designed for them? Any evidence of that?

I'd claim a large number have people who come and go to one degree or another. Because I hear about it all the time. It doesn't take it being constant or large number of people for it to be a problem.