D&D (2024) Is anyone going to use the new 2024 backgrounds?

[Scribe]

That’s the way it works. Culture changes, the game is updated to reflect the culture (or at least not lag so far behind) and the older players are left behind.

Pretty sure none of this has to do with culture in this particular case, its a question of rule set.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Pretty sure none of this has to do with culture in this particular case, its a question of rule set.

Ruleset reflects the culture. Obvious example already mentioned: more video game like.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In fairness, Hussar has very kindly provided me a seat at his table and I am enjoying that game. It isn't 4e or 13A, of course, but it's still a good game.

Also, I like the new profile pic!

Thanks! A friend of mine is making me a custom dice tower, and this is one of images I'm using.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Honestly I don't think that backgrounds are better in Level Up, the safe for Heritages (although I do like how easy it is to make a mixed heritage). Where Leve up does excel is in the creation of cultures. Cultures are hands down my favorite aspect introduced in A5E with my second being the fizzle dice for Artificers.

I really like every aspect of Level Up's origin system personally, but fair enough.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That’s the way it works. Culture changes, the game is updated to reflect the culture (or at least not lag so far behind) and the older players are left behind.

Unfortunately true. Very glad I found the Level Up lifeboat.

 

[mellored]

As I have told so, so, so, so, so many people

that doesn't help if what I want to do is play.

While I absolutely agree.

Have you looked into using AI to run a game?

 

[Doc_Klueless]

After 40+ years of customizing, house ruling and optimizing (to some extent), I no longer have either the desire nor the will to go much beyond what it presented in front of me anymore. The juice is rarely worth the squeeze to me. I just want to make a character quickly (or take a premade if the GM has them available) and go knock some monster skulls.

EDIT: And I find myself becoming less and less enamoured with players who customize the heck out of their characters. In my experience, it's very often about gaming the system rather than making an interesting character.

Your players and table will, of course, be different as will your experiences.

 

[Osgood]

Because I play with a couple of pretty aggressive min maxers, I’ll feel obliged to limit folks to the new backgrounds lest they sneak something by me. Seriously, every story that starts off with “can I play an option from…” seems to end with several other people at the table saying “how they #$@% can you do that?!”

 

[Corinnguard]

Honestly I don't think that backgrounds are better in Level Up, the safe for Heritages (although I do like how easy it is to make a mixed heritage). Where Leve up does excel is in the creation of cultures. Cultures are hands down my favorite aspect introduced in A5E with my second being the fizzle dice for Artificers.

Level Up's Dungeon Delver's Guide and Gate Pass Gazette #19 offer up gear that is associated with a particular culture.

Wood Elf Gear | Level Up

This is gear you could get if you were raised in a Wood Elf Culture. Currently there is Cultural gear for the following Level Up Cultures:

Gate Pass Gazette #19
Cosmopolitan
Eladrin
Stoic Orc
Lone Wanderer
Tyrannized
Wood Elf

Dungeon Delver's Guide
Aboleth
Grimlock
Deep Dwarf
Ratling
Tinker Gnome
Shadow Elf

 

[ECMO3]

Backgrounds, for the most part, provide you with additional proficiencies in skills and tools that your character may or may not have under a particular character class. They define who your character was before they decide to go out and adventure in a much wider world.

Backgrounds provide the extra mechanics you mention in the first sentance, but not the story part you mention in the second.

Your backstory is what actually defines in story termsp who your character was before they go out and adventure, and the backstory would do this whether or not they had a background.

Further backgrounds, as they are, restrict the backstory elements. What if my father weas an adventurer and I was born into the adventurer life (not a farmer, or a soldier, or a sailor but an adventurer)? What if my character was a serf on an elemental plane? What if I was born as part of an Orc war tribe?

As for restricted story options, I take it that you are referring to the DM's narration at a particular point within the adventure. A good DM is going to find a way to incorporate the character backgrounds into that story. Most likely as a potential side plot that leads to even more character development.

No I am not. I am talking about backstory, which is almost entirely in the purview of the player and is very restricted if you say only these backgrounds are available. That is before you start considering mechanics.