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I do not think this is correct. In the early days of 3e, Ryan Dancey used to speak often about revenue drivers for WotC, arguing that -- contrary to what some believe -- their revenue came primarily from core rulebook sales rather than ancillary products like adventures. As a result, WotC...

Our gaming group split in two when 4e was released, with about half the players opting to stick with 3.5 (now Pathfinder) and half moving on to the new edition. I was the only one willing to play in both campaigns, and what strikes me about the poll in this thread is how closely its conclusion...

Thought you meant 3.0 at first -- whoops! :)

Completely disagree. One of the things I dislike most about 4e is the degree to which it "protect players from themselves" by shoehorning them into a couple of designer-approved roles and telling players it wouldn't be appropriate to allow further customization. And just so we don't start an...

This isn't an either-or, and I think the 5e team should do both. Chivalry implies courtesy, generosity, valor, and martial skill. It has nothing to do with how creative one might be, or the degree to which one judges others, or the extent to which one respects kings or codes or a rigidly...

I would put a somewhat different interpretation on the matter. If Robin's leadership proved poor, they would turn on him in a moment. Why? Because they're Chaotic and have no loyalty beyond what has been earned. Where does this idea come from that chaotics will gladly accept leadership...

Well said. Chaotic characters don't like taking orders and see societal organization as a surefire way to prevent people from reaching their potentials, no matter how well-intentioned the law-givers may be. Some may genuinely perceive this kind of thinking as misanthropic, because government...

Several reports over the last year have suggested Pathfinder has overtaken WotC as the best-selling RPG. I thought one of those reports actually received a brief writeup here at ENWorld, to the effect that Pathfinder is now doing twice as well as 4e. And I have to say that's broadly consistent...

The problem, at its root, is that a large and growing portion of the gaming public doesn't see 4e as an improvement and is currently voting with their dollars to use Pathfinder rather than 4e. That's what's being missed in this conversation, I think. Monte's arrival at WotC didn't happen in...

I wish more people would keep this in mind. Even if these rules are real -- and I will point out that only some of them line up with what the 5e team *says* it's doing -- they're only a working draft to set the process in motion. I'm also surprised to see so much debate over whether we can...

I'm not sure "principled" aptly describes the difference between lawfuls and chaotics. The iconic frontiersman who does what he thinks is right, even when his views are out-of-step with societal norms, is certainly well-grounded in principle. The modern-day libertarian who actively opposes...

I don't at all agree with this, but I do think your viewpoint needs to be accommodated in the new edition. And I hope it will be, through the modular approach the 5e team has spent so much time discussing. 4th edition is an example where chaos/law isn't defined independently of good/evil (with...

Depends on whether you're talking about law or Law. If you're simply talking about following laws or traditions or customs or codes, then yes, it will be totally ethnocentric and setting-dependent. You wouldn't have any idea what a "lawful" person would do in any particular setting until you...

I'd actually describe themes as a halfway-house of sorts between 2e's kits and 3e's regional feats. Most themes give you a bit of flavor, a few minor mechanical benefits, and a couple of optional powers that you can take in lieu of class powers as you level. For example, a Red Wizard theme...

I think alignment should be a separate "module" that provides no mechanical benefits or penalties whatsoever. No preventing lawfuls from being bards because the bardic wanderlust could never be felt by a lawful individual. No hamstringing good-aligned characters by making them more vulnerable...

This. One of the best features of the OGL -- and one about which Ryan Dancey used to constantly remind -- was that it ensured WotC would be subject to market discipline in crafting the next edition of D&D. If a large chunk of the gaming community decided the new edition (what we now call 4e)...

I think this is both right and wrong, and illustrates part of the divide that's emerged in the gaming community. Does 4e combines strong-and-simple mechanics with the ability to play any character you can imagine? Or does it combine bland mechanics with the inability to play any character...

Great points, Celebrim. But I think one of your points is worth exploring in a bit more detail: It seems to me that the chaotic person wouldn't have anything against societies that form spontaneously as individuals voluntarily choose with whom to associate. But efforts to regulate or control...

This would be an excellent principle on which to build the 5th edition system, in my view at least. The one point with which I'd quibble -- and it's been suggested several times in the thread thus far -- has to do with whether those who support collectivism inherently favor "the needs of the...

I'd like to see D&D return to the iconic 9-position alignment system, but the designers do need to come up with a more coherent and consistent definition of what law and chaos actually mean. Is it modron-like rigidity versus anarchy? Is it "having a code of conduct," no matter what that code...