Adventure Time TTRPG Drops "Yes And" System, Switches To 5E

When the Adventure Time roleplaying game was announced back in June, it was going to be using a brand new RPG system called the "Yes And" system, which involved dice which had Yes and No on one die, and things like And or But on the other.

However, publisher Cryptozoic Entertainment has recently indicated that, following fan feedback, the upcoming Kickstarter will now be powered by 5E instead. The update was included last week as part of the FAQ in its current Adventure Time card game Kickstarter.

Has Adventure Time: The Roleplaying Game changed since you announced it a few months ago?

Yes, we made the decision to make it a 5e experience, based on feedback from fans. That doesn’t mean the game shown at Gen Con earlier this year won’t be released too, but the main offering in the upcoming Kickstarter will be the 5e RPG.

 

[Parmandur]

I was pretty disappoint when they announced the system originally.

Yeah, I wasn't even mad or anything...just very confused?

I even like the sound of the "Yes, and..." system for a cartoon style game, and would love to see it in action...but for Adventure Time it was an odd choice.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's so crazy that the creator of the show literally says the episodes are based off D&D games they wanted to run and yet people still say Adventure Time cannot be played in D&D.

That would be crazy. That's not what people are saying, though.

People are saying the show as aired isn't a show about D&D things, beyond "adventure" and general fantasy/Gamma World stuff.

To get people to do the stuff that happens on the show, the in-game incentives need to be different than they are in 2E. Because the 2E incentives would lead to"Finn and Jake murder everyone, level up to 20 and rule their own kingdom," because that's the incentivized way to play 2E. Which, while it might be amusing (but probably not), it doesn't match the show.

The people who are saying D&D can't work for this are literally ignoring the creator of the show

The game that inspired the show is not necessarily the game that best models the resulting show.

Should a Queen's Gambit RPG just be a chess set?

I don't know why you guys are so fervent about ignoring logic.

We're not.

What else do you need?

You seem to be skipping people explicitly telling you what is needed.

 

[SteveC]

People are saying the show as aired isn't a show about D&D things, beyond "adventure" and general fantasy/Gamma World stuff.

Yes, this. I just suggest watching a few episodes of the show and trying to model what happens in 5E terms. How would you use the rules? How effective would they be at resolving the things that happen in the show? How often would you need to just improvise/hand wave things?

A good game system takes the things you want to encourage and models them in ways that you want to incentivize players to act. It easily produces stories that you might find in the show. The absolute best example I can think of this is the rpg based on Leverage, the TV show.

 

[Parmandur]

Should a Queen's Gambit RPG just be a chess set?

There was a Queen's Gambit board game that wasn't just a chess set, and that was a pretty silly decision. Similar to making a non-D&D game for a D&D show.

 

[Parmandur]

To frame this, let me give an example where I feel the opposite: Stargate SG-1 git a 5E adaptation, but in fact I don't thinknyhst fit well. Stargate SG-1 would work better as a Powered by the Apocalypse type of game with simple action resolution based on playbooks.

 

[Shardstone]

That would be crazy. That's not what people are saying, though.

People are saying the show as aired isn't a show about D&D things, beyond "adventure" and general fantasy/Gamma World stuff.

To get people to do the stuff that happens on the show, the in-game incentives need to be different than they are in 2E. Because the 2E incentives would lead to"Finn and Jake murder everyone, level up to 20 and rule their own kingdom," because that's the incentivized way to play 2E. Which, while it might be amusing (but probably not), it doesn't match the show.

The game that inspired the show is not necessarily the game that best models the resulting show.

Should a Queen's Gambit RPG just be a chess set?

We're not.

You seem to be skipping people explicitly telling you what is needed.

That's just a narrowminded idea of what D&D is. The show as aired is more certainly a D&D show, just one with a group that focuses more on hijinks than combat. There's nothing wrong with that. I've played with many groups who prefer the D&D rules but like to do more loose, casual, funny things within the system. In fact, most new players usually start from this point. There is really just absolutely no reason Adventure Time can't be turned into a fantastic D&D expansion.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's just a narrowminded idea of what D&D is.

What are the mechanical incentives for people to behave like Finn and Jake do on the Adventure Time show in 2E D&D?

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's just a narrowminded idea of what D&D is. The show as aired is more certainly a D&D show, just one with a group that focuses more on hijinks than combat. There's nothing wrong with that. I've played with many groups who prefer the D&D rules but like to do more loose, casual, funny things within the system. In fact, most new players usually start from this point. There is really just absolutely no reason Adventure Time can't be turned into a fantastic D&D expansion.

Can you give any ideas of how 5e could work for AT, mechanically?

 

[MichaelSomething]

Can you give any ideas of how 5e could work for AT, mechanically?

You're supposed to just ignore any mechanics you don't like and just FKR/improv it based off feelings/vibe.

The D&D part is marketing to attract players along with a labeling of fantasy.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You're supposed to just ignore any mechanics you don't like and just FKR/improv it based off feelings/vibe.

The D&D part is marketing to attract players along with a labeling of fantasy.

That's certainly how I see it, yes. They sadly appear to be deliberately producing a product that will likely sell well but be a poor adaption of the source material.