D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

[mamba]

Huh? D&D is way more complex than mainstream CRPGs. Talking about player-facing complexity of course, not the physics calculations happening in Skyrim when you run across a table knocking all the plates off.

I am talking about creating the thing, not using it. Since it is the game that gets patched / errata, which is where this started

 

[Greg K]

Change brought with new editions can be good, bad, or neither
I prefer the underlying mechanics of 5e, but not the fantasy (including the majority of the subclasses (and find 5.24 to be even worse)).
I prefer the fantasy of the 2e corebooks with a few of the class handbooks and earlier D&D, but not the mechanics. I have come to prefer many things about B/X to AD&D, but, I still prefer 5e core mechanics

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Almost everyone has a breaking point where they dig in their heels about what they want the game to be or not be? (Insert 4e conversation here)

I didn’t feel any need to rant about 4e though.

I just didn’t buy it.

I took it as a pleasant surprise when I discovered I quite liked 5e.

 

[Desdichado]

Note: I DO NOT MEAN POLITICAL CONSERVATISM. This is not a thread about politics.

I mean "conservatism" as in resistance to change. You see it all the time -- people complaining about the new art or aesthetics, literally saying things like "if they used the old art I would be in." It is so mind boggling to me.

D&D is a living game. OF COURSE the new books etc are going to adapt to the new market. If you literally won't play a newer version because tieflings or whatever, then it isn't for you. Don't demand it regress to the era you discovered D&D because that is what makes you feel good; play the version you discovered.

I don't liek every artistic or design choice either, but it isn't up to me to demand D&D coddle my unchanging preferences. If I want to re-experience BECMI (the edition I grew up with) I can just play that. And so can you.

/rant

It's not like it's a given that the new aesthetic is going to be nearly as timeless as the old. You should consider the possibility that part of the reason this complaint has seemed to pick up a lot more steam in recent years is because WotC either isn't successfully adapting to the new market, or the new market isn't as significant as it thinks that it is.

 

[Remathilis]

Sure. I am just advocating a healthy reevaluation of the current set of classes.

I'm just saying that there is no objective measure of whether a class should or shouldn't exist. Attempts to do so well be futile as the first thing people will do is demand removed classes be returned or put them back themselves.

 

[Incenjucar]

I like changes I see as improvements, but not changes I see as enjunkification.

New organic, ocean safe formula using real sugar instead of corn syrup? Yum! New formula that uses a bunch of new chemicals to keep it shelf stable but also makes your kidneys hurt? Not yum!

Adding a new blue flavor of ketchup for the kids? Sure. Making blue the only ketchup? Pass.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm just saying that there is no objective measure of whether a class should or shouldn't exist. Attempts to do so well be futile as the first thing people will do is demand removed classes be returned or put them back themselves.

I don't think any classes should be removed. Plenty of room to add, via either WotC or 3pp.

 

[AnotherGuy]

What I have learnt is that some people view complaints as demands within the same post.
How dare the fan base complain? Pesky resistance fighters.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Not sure I understand.

I'm talking about the people who use the house rules that are so common that most people think they're the actual rules of the game: Not doing anything with properties they land on that they don't buy (so it takes longer for all properties to start charging rent) and getting cash for landing in Free Parking (which injects cash back into the game, delaying the end).

 

[Lanefan]

Thats just not true. I could think of tons of things that a new D&D edition could introduce where there would be not a big following just because its shiny and new. And it did already happen - 4e.

4e had a huge following when it first came out. The general community leaped to the new-and-shiny.

That said following largely evaporated down to a small hard core of devotees over the next few years doesn't discount this gotta-have-the-newest phenomenon.

The same thing happened when 5e came out, only (somehow!) 5e managed to maintain its initial following and even add to it over the subsequent years.