D&D 5E 5E and Backwards Compatibility

[Mark CMG]

How much backwards compatibility, with any and/or all editions, do you think 5E will have?

 

[mudbunny]

I think that D&D Next will have very little backwards compatibility. What it will have is the ability to allow people to play a similar style to previous editions.

 

[Yora]

I agree. None.

There will be some "conversion guides", but thos will most probably be "how to recreate the concept of your old character with a new character from scratch".

 

[BriarMonkey]

I have to agree, none.

Given that things like ability scores are used as "skills" and "saves", there is no real way to simply pick up a prior edition character and start playing. Every prior edition, some more than others, will require redoing or conversion.

 

[CleverNickName]

Probably none. Which kinda makes me sad.

 

[Grazzt]

I think that D&D Next will have very little backwards compatibility. What it will have is the ability to allow people to play a similar style to previous editions.

Yep. Agree. No backwards compatibility, but the ability (maybe) to invoke the feel of the edition you like.

 

[Mark CMG]

It's strange that backwards compatibility is usually one of the main topics of conversation with new editions of any game yet somehow the focus of this build up has seen very little attention to it. At least I haven't seen much.

 

[the Jester]

Given the absolute lack of backwards compatibility that 4e has, I think it would be hard to make DnDN backwards compatible with both 4e and any other edition.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm going to be the contrarian here. Sight unseen, their design goals seem to require a certain degree of backwards compatibility, even if by accident. If I'm going to be able to sit down with a (focused) group, create characters, and run a simple adventure during my lunch hour, the most basic characters cannot be much more complex than BD&D ones, combat can't be 3E or 4E-level complexity by default and adjudication has to be, at its simplest level, something a DM can determine or wing very easily.

Now, will there be things that aren't in previous editions, like condition tracks or classes and abilities that don't map directly over to older editions? Of course. But those will likely be the exceptions and I don't think it'd be that hard to either wholesale incorporate them into other editions or replace them with older edition equivalents.

I'm looking forward to, at the very least, pillaging a lot of the sourcebooks and adventures (assuming there are good ones again) for C&C.

 

[Alan Shutko]

I'm going to say there won't be any backwards compatibility, because anything you could directly use from previous editions will reduce the products you need to buy new. The splatbook business model requires system incompatibility.