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]

Dumping the yes and ststem in favor of this loses me as a backer. I don't need or want more 5e. I was very excited for another simple narrative system. Yes/and fit the setting of adventure time so we'll too. Adventure time was only a dnd show in the way that all fantasy could be called dnd. I back a lot of kickstarters and none of them are 5e or need 5e to be successful.

I mean, on the other hand I wasn't planning on backing it as a bespoke system. It is a D&D show, honestly not sure why that seems to be controversial for some reason.

I really appreciate that the designers are smart enough to come up with their own, by all accounts, fun game...but also clever enough to pivot and follow what the IP fans are asking for. That gives me confidence that they can deliver the goods.

 

[Skywalker]

The last minute change to 5e means that I am out as a backer as well. My concern is less about 5e, which is an OK system, and more that they have rushed to develop the system in 6 months which is not sufficient time to do much more than a poor reskin job on the 5e system. More would be needed to implement 5e to AT properly.

It is also annoying that this will likely push the Yes and system back by at least 2 years and for no other reason than to rush out a quick last minute 5e version.

Yeah, especially since the show was a D&D show, I can see why Adventure Time fans probsvly flooded the creators with questions about a 5E version.

It does take inspiration for D&D, D&D is not just 5e and the edition isn't the greatest for the kind of D&D that AT taps into. An OSR style AT RPG could be stellar. Case in point:

I don't see it as a loss for gaming if they also release their system - they literally are Yes And'ing themselves to possibly get more money.

I don't see it as any different from a company making 5e books to 'keep the lights on' and then putting effort into non-5e systems.

The issue is that the Yes and system was ready to go to KS a few months back. It will now be pushed back for 2 years or so whilst they rush out a quick 5e version.

 

[Parmandur]

The last minute change to 5e means that I am out as a backer as well. My concern is less about 5e, which is an OK system, and more that they have rushed to develop the system in 6 months which is not sufficient time to do much more than a poor reskin job on the 5e system. More would be needed to implement 5e to AT properly.

It is also annoying that this will likely push the Yes and system back by at least 2 years and for no other reason than to rush out a quick last minute 5e version.

It does take inspiration for D&D, D&D is not just 5e and the edition isn't the greatest for the kind of D&D that AT taps into. An OSR style AT RPG could be stellar. Case in point:

View attachment 331672

The issue is that the Yes and system was ready to go to KS a few months back. It will now be pushed back for 2 years or so whilst they rush out a quick 5e version.

"For no other reason" than responding to their customers who asked for it. The company isn't working in a vacuum.

 

[Skywalker]

"For no other reason" than responding to their customers who asked for it. The company isn't working in a vacuum.

Yes, they stated as such in their FAQ.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes, they stated as such in their FAQ.

Yes. And clearly 5E will work for the property as depicted in the cartoon.

 

[Skywalker]

Yes. And clearly 5E will work for the property as depicted in the cartoon.

Hard disagree. Sure, AT has roots to D&D but conflating 5e to being D&D is not correct. I am pretty sure the D&D that Pendleton Ward drew inspiration on was that of the 80/90s. As said, I think an OSR version of an AT RPG would be great. However, unless there was significant design work, 5e is a bad fit as its mechanics are an exception based and AT is so varied and unique.

I am concerned that the last minute shift from Yes And to 5e that gives them only 6 months is nowhere near enough time to complete the kind of design work that would be required. As it stands, it seems highly likely we are going to get a hasty reskin which will be a poor fit, as we have seen many times in the past.

Meanwhile the almost completed Yes And system will be left to languish for a couple of years while they fulfil the first KS. Its a pretty sad situation IMO.

 

[Parmandur]

Hard disagree. Sure, AT has roots to D&D but conflating 5e to being D&D is not correct. I am pretty sure the D&D that Pendleton Ward drew inspiration on was that of the 80/90s. As said, I think an OSR version of an AT RPG would be great. However, unless there was significant design work, 5e is a bad fit as its mechanics are an exception based and AT is so varied and unique.

I am concerned that the last minute shift from Yes And to 5e that gives them only 6 months is nowhere near enough time to complete the kind of design work that would be required. As it stands, it seems highly likely we are going to get a hasty reskin which will be a poor fit, as we have seen many times in the past.

Meanwhile the almost completed Yes And system will be left to languish for a couple of years while they fulfil the first KS. Its a pretty sad situation IMO.

I don't see any reason 5E isn't capable as any other D&D system of representing the sort of shenanigans on the show, nor any reason the designers cannot deliver on that.

 

[Skywalker]

As said, it can be. But based on the many past examples, 6 months is unlikely to be sufficient time to do a good job with a 5e version. We are highly likely to get a rushed and superficial reskin only in the timeframe they have given themselves.

 

[Parmandur]

As said, it can be. But based on the many past examples, 6 months is unlikely to be sufficient time to do a good job with a 5e version. We are highly likely to get a rushed and superficial reskin only in the timeframe they have given themselves.

Eh, 6 months until they run the Kickstarter. They have time.

 

[Skywalker]

That's not how (good) KSs works though. If you don't have the system design locked down by the time you come to KS, then fulfilment will likely be significantly delayed. Even KS that have a locked down book can still take 18+ months to produce physical books in the current climate.

They have given themselves an extremely short time to switch systems to one that is a relatively complex exceptions based rule system. And this is for an IP that is well known for its freedom of creativity and extremely varied characters and stories. I think it is entirely sensible to be cautious about what this will mean come February.