D&D 5E 5e and Windows 8

[amerigoV]

Windows announced its public test of Windows 8 as can be seen in the linked article. It one could just as easily pull out Windows and Microsoft and replace it with D&D and Wizards in concept. Both are fighting to make the underlying system relevant.

Microsoft unveils Windows 8 for public test | Reuters

That does get to key item for me. I just expect the system to work and do what I want - be it a gaming system or an operating system on a computer. I do not buy either for the guts, just what they can facilitate. On the electronic side, I find that I am drifting over to being an Apple snob just because they offer really ingenious items (I love my iPad2, and when my laptop dies at home I might look at a Mac for the first time, and I might consider a iphone over a droid in the near future as well). I am doing the same thing in gaming - I buy Savage Worlds stuff since its all new ideas and settings and have left D&D behind since it tends to be system driven (vs. idea driven).

I hope that the new edition is not just new crunch. I want some fresh ideas that I can pull into my game, some "new classic" adventures and maybe even an innovative setting or two that are not just Greyhawk/FR kitchen sink rehashes (I enjoy GR/FR, but I already got them). The operating system just needs to work and not fight me - its not the reason I am buying the device.

 

[Frostmarrow]

My Win7 HP Laptop broke some time ago. I need to reinstall to make it work. I don't need it to work though. My cool fruit slate sees me through the day. So in this department we're in full agreement.

I don't really find Savage Worlds to be an apple amongst pears. I find Savage Worlds to be a fine idea wrought into something clunky by people who didn't fully appreciate the idea in the first place.

If D&D is analogous with Windows I don't think we have anything analogous to iOS. I'd love to see something though.

Maybe WoTC is thinking in these terms. I.e. thinking of creating an RPG that Steve Jobs would have liked. I think a lot of people are thinking about that. We'll see what comes our way.

 

[Remathilis]

Any product that must re-invent itself over the years to stay relevant runs into this problem. Few products can be Coca-Cola (timeless); they must evolve to survive. However, evolution is tricky since it must create the nostalgic impulse (the D&D I know and love) to retain its base, as well as add new, fresh ideas to the mix (X, but better) to encourage the upgrade. Its tricky to do this since not everyone agrees on the Iconic parts, and even less on the "must be fixed" parts.

FWIW: I'm not crazy about Win 8. Metro seems too radical a shift for me. I felt the same way about 4e and the "everything is a power" method of class design. People will disagree, people always do.

 

[Stormonu]

My computer at home and at work are both still XP. I do have a laptop that is Win 7 (and I like the OS), but I haven't bothered to switch over because the OS I have does everthing I want right now, and I've also been a bit reluctant to move because I'm afraid some of the apps I have now might not work in newer versions (Already had that happen with AVP Gold going from 98 to XP).

Same reason I guess I've stuck with PF instead of 4E. Though I must say, I get the feeling of XP -> 3.5, Vista -> 4E and Win 7 -> 5E. (Would that make PF be XP Service Pack 2?)

 

[Scribble]

If D&D is analogous with Windows I don't think we have anything analogous to iOS. I'd love to see something though.

TSR AD&D? The people playing it seemed to ignore the flaws and proclaim it didn't have any, TSR tried to keep tight control over products designed for it, and sued everyone for copyright.