D&D General 6E But A + Thread

[Reynard]

I think you can have magic and supernatural options without being so gonzo that the game becomes supers masquerading under a fantasy aesthetic.

I've said this in other threads, but I think D&D could learn a lot from professional wrestling. Yes, obviously, pro wrestling contains things that are not real. However, even with Undertaker being an undead wrestler; Hulk Hogan essentially being a paladin fueled by the power of Hulkamania; etc, there is still generally an effort to portray things as a "sport." Even if it is one with very loose rules, the rules are still there. There's still a referee and defined conditions for how things should go.

Similarly, even though fantasy can do essentially anything because "it isn't real," there should be some attempt to make it seem like the character who just wants to swing a sword and the character channeling otherworldly power exist within the same set of ropes while fighting monsters.

Again, the key is to build in dials so that folks don't have to argue about how deadly or superheroic D&D is -- they just set the dials where they want them, and they are all still playing D&D and engaging in that shared experience and community.

 

[Faolyn]

And replace them with... ?

There's no way you can have Crouching Tiger-like stealth warriors and knights in shining armour be the same class; and there's very much a place for Crouching Tiger-like stealth warriors.

I bet you can. Especially if you go back to individual/small group weapon proficiencies instead blanket proficiency with every weapon and type of armor, and perhaps relegate them to the subclasses instead of the main class. The Fighter main class could give you the hit points, saving throws, and things like extra attacks or Second Wind or Indomitable, and your Fighter Points (as mentioned here) while the subclass can give you the stuff needed for the type of fighter, including things to spend those Fighter Points on. The martial artist type has leaping, stealthiness, stunning blows and running up walls, and does extra damage with kicks and punches but can't wear armor, while the knight gets extra damage with knightly weapons and extra protection with their armor, and gets shield tricks, parrying, and mounted combat stuff.

 

[Faolyn]

Eh, jewels and big coinage in RPGs is usually overrated IMO, especially at lower levels and especially in magic-limited games. There just isn't enough to buy with it.

What good is a 5,000 gp treasure when the DM doesn't let players buy potions with it?

I think that's a holdover from when you were supposed to sink all that money into training and/or your own personal fortress.

 

[mamba]

Right. And, people turn 12 every year...

sure, but people turned 12 the last 50 years too, and D&D sales were not either flat or growing for most of that time. I would not count on 5e being around for another 20 years

 

[mamba]

My post?

no, the one I replied to (which I assume you did not see)

 

[mamba]

I thought reassuring...

I guess that depends on how you feel about the 2024 edition… I was underwhelmed, all the good ideas did not make it in, and another 20 years of stagnation is not something I am looking forward to

 

[Argyle King]

Again, the key is to build in dials so that folks don't have to argue about how deadly or superheroic D&D is -- they just set the dials where they want them, and they are all still playing D&D and engaging in that shared experience and community.

Sure, you can have dials. Many games do.

At the and time, there should be a default baseline from which other things grow.

I can understand if a tabletop game maybe doesn't 100% capture Lord of the Rings, Dragonball Z, or whatever is the current cultural zeitgeist.

However, what is odd to me is that contemporary D&D sometimes struggles to accurately tell the stories that are labeled as being D&D.

To be completely honest, I'm not even sure what the current identity of D&D is. Sure, I'm getting older, so it's not unheard of that I grow apart from what a different generation likes. But I'm legitimately baffled at some of the changes made even just within the transition from 5e2014 to 5e2024.

What stories is the game trying to tell?
Who is it trying to tell those stories to?
What is being provided to make that target audience want to pay money for the experience?

 

[Parmandur]

sure, but people turned 12 the last 50 years too, and D&D sales were not either flat or growing for most of that time. I would not count on 5e being around for another 20 years

Wouldn't count on it not being around for longer, by the same token.

Big difference between now and the prior 40 years ia the lack of market confusion: no Basic vs. Advanced, no 1E vs 2E, etc. Just...D&D.

 

[Reynard]

Sure, you can have dials. Many games do.

At the and time, there should be a default baseline from which other things grow.

I can understand if a tabletop game maybe doesn't 100% capture Lord of the Rings, Dragonball Z, or whatever is the current cultural zeitgeist.

However, what is odd to me is that contemporary D&D sometimes struggles to accurately tell the stories that are labeled as being D&D.

To be completely honest, I'm not even sure what the current identity of D&D is. Sure, I'm getting older, so it's not unheard of that I grow apart from what a different generation likes. But I'm legitimately baffled at some of the changes made even just within the transition from 5e2014 to 5e2024.

What stories is the game trying to tell?
Who is it trying to tell those stories to?
What is being provided to make that target audience want to pay money for the experience?

Look at the adventures published for 5E. THOSE are the stories they are trying to tell. D&D is not reaching for other fantasy anymore (if it ever did) -- it is its own genre and has been for decades.

 

[Parmandur]

Look at the adventures published for 5E. THOSE are the stories they are trying to tell. D&D is not reaching for other fantasy anymore (if it ever did) -- it is its own genre and has been for decades.

Honestly it probavly was from word Go. The gumbo thst is Gygaxian fantasy is a strange brew, but it has gone far in video games and the animation world.