D&D 5E "5E is of no interest to me" - really? Already?

[Mercurius]

Just a month and a half after the announcement of 5E, aka D&DNext, we're already seeing tons of comments to the effect of "5E is of no interest to me" or "I'm very disappointed with 5E" etc. No offense to anyone in particular, but I just have to shake my head. Are we really at that point already? It has been a month and a half - no, not even!

Need I remind these gentle folks that:

A) We're not even at the open playtest stage, so few if any of us have actually seen the rules, let alone played any version of the game
B) D&D Experience represents either a pre-alpha or early alpha version of the game
C) The point of the open playtest is to get feedback on the alpha version of the game, so...
D) Even when we get the open playtest material, it is going to be a very rough version of the game that WotC will (presumably) fine-tune through feedback.

Can we at least get deep into open playtesting before writing the game off, if not the beta stage?

Let me be clear: I am not writing this post to rile people up but to try to nip this sort of thinking in the bud before it snowballs into another edition ** please don't try to bypass the profanity filter - Plane Sailing, Admin **, and hopefully calm folks down with a simple reminder: we're very early in this process. Very little, if anything, is set in stone - at least that we've seen. (And of course, it goes without saying that even if you don't like 5E, there are plenty of other versions of the game with endless material, so no need to get too upset! The worse-case scenario is that WotC will produce a version of the game that you don't like but probably don't hate as much as Edition X, so at least that's something!).

 

[Bedrockgames]

I certainly have not written it off and remain optimistic, but I think I understand where these people are coming from. I think it comes less from rushing to judgment and more from the fact that many have started to realize they don't need WOTC's version of D&D to play. A lot ofthem are probably giving it as much consideration as they would give any game. For example I haven't played the one ring yet, at first I was interest but the few tidbits I have heard since its release tell me it probably isn't for me. In this case I have about the same amount of information for one ring as 4E. It isn't that I am closed minded. It is just that one ring is a single game among dozens I would like to try. D&D is becoming one game among the dozens people want to play. We aren't all staking everything in dungeons and dragons and people don't plan on investing 90 dollars or more in a product when the early buzz suggests it isn't a good match for them.

 

[trancejeremy]

Because I think many people have reached a point where they aren't simply going to buy a new Dungeons & Dragons just because it has the D&D name on it.

WOTC burnt a lot of bridges with 4e. For 5e, it's going to have to re-build them without burning bridges to 4e.

People aren't just lining up to throw money at WOTC, not when there are alternatives to those past editions that WOTC discarded. 3.x fans have Pathfinder and old school fans have a wealth of material, too thanks to OSRIC/LL/and other retro-clones.

The other thing is, they really haven't changed designers. Oh sure, they brought Monte Cook back, but if they really wanted to get a real old school perspective, why not go for someone further back?

Frank Metzner is only 62 - if not a full time job, why not hire him as a consultant? He was behind what some consider to be the best version of D&D, BECMI. His perspective would be very valuable...

 

[Balesir]

I agree with Bedrockgames (just thought I'd better document that! ).

I haven't regarded D&D as the "one, true roleplaying game" since around 1980, and it has become clear that D&D Next won't do what any of my current "focus games" do better than they already do it, so it's currently just a(nother) "hmm - might be interesting; keep an eye on it" game. If it shows itself capable of producing a coherent, fun game experience that I hadn't realised I wanted, I'll go for it. If not, I'll stick to what I already have.

 

[Bedrockgames]

WOTC burnt a lot of bridges with 4e. For 5e, it's going ...

they burned bridges for sure, and 4E is part of that, but this stuff happened long before. When they released 3.5 and released all the same books for it they had for 3E, that was a problem for lots of gamers. The overal quality of flavor material was always an issue for me. By the end of 3.5 it was clear they were going in a very gamey direction that just didn't interest me (i first noticed with Castle Ravenloft- the remake od the AD&D module). the PDF thing was another huge blunder. At this stage for me their whole business model seems unrealistic and predicated on magicnthe gathering style stream of releases and expansions.

This stuff is important because wotc needs to understand it isn't only about putting out a good version of D&D (there are lot of good games out there to choose from these days). They also need to reconnect with their customers and out out the kinds of supplements people want.

 

[delericho]

I won't say that 5e is of no interest to me, but my initial enthusiasm has long since worn off. With every week that passes, and with every "Legends & Lore" article I read, my interest in the game drops further.

Basically, I'm finding it increasingly hard to care.

They really need to get that playtest started. The sooner, the better.

 

[avin]

Some people won't buy 5E, just because it doesn't play or feel as their edition of choice... but they will complain anyway.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I agree with Bedrockgames (just thought I'd better document that! ).

I just took a screen shot

I haven't regarded D&D as the "one, true roleplaying game" since around 1980, and it has become clear that D&D Next won't do what any of my current "focus games" do better than they already do it, so it's currently just a(nother) "hmm - might be interesting; keep an eye on it" game. If it shows itself capable of producing a coherent, fun game experience that I hadn't realised I wanted, I'll go for it. If not, I'll stick to what I already have.

Yes, it is a very different environment these days. There is a game out there for every flavor of play and genre, made by companies with a lot more flexibility and agility than WOTC has. What is more, the fragmentation of the base when 4E came out wasn't just an abstract marketing concept, it was a real break of social connections between people who gamed together for years. I saw it first hand with a number of people. You literally had guys who suddenly couldn't game together any more because disagrements over 3e and 4e highlited fundamental differences in style they were after. People have gone off in different directions, as a result tried diffferent things.

 

[Oni]

I've never understood the need of people on the internet who have no interest in something to have to make sure everyone else knows it. Why not just go do what you are interested in?

And if you are interested, or want to be, but there is a barrier to entry, constructive criticism is a lot more helpful than declarations and ultimatums.

 

[Raith5]

I won't say that 5e is of no interest to me, but my initial enthusiasm has long since worn off. With every week that passes, and with every "Legends & Lore" article I read, my interest in the game drops further.

Basically, I'm finding it increasingly hard to care.

They really need to get that playtest started. The sooner, the better.

I am sad to say that this is my view too. I like 4th ed and would like to see those mechanics fixed up, opened up to a wider variety of play styles and a slightly more gritty baseline. I dont think that this is going to happen.

I hope that WOTC can unify the hobby but I have to say that most of the time that I feel that WOTC should both 1) make the best gritty old style pre 4th ed version of D&D possible and 2) a heroic extension of 4th ed. I am just not sold that these differences can be bridged in rulebooks that can be coherent, readable and easy to play.

They just seem to be on beeline to a system that ultimately annoys everyone and satisfies no-one. I hope Im wrong.