Are people underestimating the desire to "come home"?

[Gundark]

When I heard that Paizo was making Pathfinder , I thought they were stupid. "Why" I thought, would anyone buy Pathfinder when we had 3.5 ? It was ridiculous, I thought . And yet people did buy Pathfinder regardless of having 3.5 . Buying the new shiny really seems to matter. The grognardia blog talks of retro clone fans being excited about 5e. Because the desire to own something that plays like earlier editions that has "Dungeons and Dragons" across the cover matters, despite having a true to original retro clone. My group and I are discussing playing Legends of Anglerre , it is a good game that has the potential to be our go to game with regards to fantasy , and yet it seems wrong to not be rolling a d20 when you play fantasy. There is a "power" to playing D&D , and not some fantasy rpg (even if it's good ) that plays just like it. I mean how many of these groups refer to the activity that they are doing as playing "D&D" not "swords and wizardry". If 5e is as good as promised , I suspect there will be several who are saying now "no thanks I'm good " that find themselves buying in because they love DnD as a concept and find they are ready to come "home".

 

[foolish_mortals]

I'm thinking there might be an overestimation. I'm very skeptical about what's going to be produced at this point and won't be doing any preordering. I won't be buying the game until I've had a chance to hear what other people are saying and a good hour to peek at the product at a game shop. Even then it might be a year or 2 before I pick it up so I can see that there not going to do an about face and release 5.5 or some new essentials line to confuse the hell out of me. If I can't get the right vibe about it then I wait for version 6 in 3 years and see if things turn around there.

foolish_mortals

 

[enrious]

I think they've started to do the things necessary to get people to even consider "coming home" but the question is if they can succeed.

To get the people who left back (thinking mainly of the 3.x folks)

1. Mea Culpa for the way 4e marketing was handled.
2. Admission that they made 4e in such a way that it alienated 3.x fans.
3. Make the next version inclusive of them.
4. Transparency in the creation process.

So as I've said, I think they've taken the first step. The interesting thing will be how things look when they cross the finish line.

 

[Spinachcat]

I run Swords & Wizardry at our local Game Day and I advertise it as "Classic D&D". It's the best title for my heavily house ruled game.

There is definitely a desire to come home. I did not enjoy 3e and bailed before 3.5. It was weird suddenly not being part of D&D which I had been since 1978. Fortunately, I really enjoy 4e. I fully admit that it was kinda fun being "back home" again.

I don't know what will happen with 5e. If the game is designed to appeal to 3e fans, I will definitely move on again and wait for the inevitable 6e in 5 years.

There are plenty of other RPGs to focus on.

 

[enrious]

I don't know what will happen with 5e. If the game is designed to appeal to 3e fans, I will definitely move on again and wait for the inevitable 6e in 5 years.

Do you mean inclusively or do you mean exclusively?

 

[Spinachcat]

Do you mean inclusively or do you mean exclusively?

If I pick up 5e and it feels like 3e to me, then I will happily wait until 6e to look at more WotC product.

If I pick up 5e and love it, then I don't care about any modular aspects designed to appeal to 3e fans.

But I am odd case. I love 0e and 4e. I love 0e for the amazing flexibility and I enjoy the 4e tactical boardgame combat. I doubt that 5e is going to give me something I don't already have from 0e and 4e, but I would love to be surprised by WotC.

 

[MortonStromgal]

I think that for the retro players it will fall into two camps.

1. People who like Castles and Crusades but want D&D will move to 5e
2. People who insist on actual old mechanics will stay with their game.

I see it more as a "If you liked some of the style and options of 0-2e but want a core mechanic of roll a d20 and roll high" 5e will be for you, if you want to add any 3e or 4e options these will "bolt on" to that core system so as long as your not tied to the elf rolling a 1d6 to find a secret door, you'll move on with WOTC to 5e.

 

[enrious]

If I pick up 5e and it feels like 3e to me, then I will happily wait until 6e to look at more WotC product.

If I pick up 5e and love it, then I don't care about any modular aspects designed to appeal to 3e fans.

But I am odd case. I love 0e and 4e. I love 0e for the amazing flexibility and I enjoy the 4e tactical boardgame combat. I doubt that 5e is going to give me something I don't already have from 0e and 4e, but I would love to be surprised by WotC.

Exclusively then, and fair enough.

If it feels like 0e or 4e then I'll skip it.

Which goes to prove what a lot of people are saying, in a way - 5e should be system-agnostic.

It should feel like all prior editions and also, like none of them.

 

[Spinachcat]

If it feels like 0e or 4e then I'll skip it.

Sadly by the rules of the Internet, we must now fight to death!!!!

En garde Enrious!

It should feel like all prior editions and also, like none of them.

Which is insane.

It's like saying our ice cream tastes like Chocolate and Vanilla. And if you really love Strawberry, it apparently will taste like Strawberry too.

Ben & Jerry must not have the mad skillz of Mearls & Cook.

Reminds me of this SNL sketch
Saturday Night Live - Shimmer Floor Wax - Video - http://www.nbc.com

 

[Desdichado]

I'm curious about 5e for it's own sake, as a non-4e player who's never once played a game of 4e, who's never read a 4e book all the way through, and who is still playing 3.5 semi-regularly with my group. I'm not sentimental enough to feel anything one way or another about "coming home" and "being under the tent" or whatever other metaphor you want to use for being part of the tribalism associated with playing the current edition of D&D.

That said, if 5e is a good game in its own right, if it can fix the problems I have with 3.x better than my houserule solutions, and yet still give me all the benefits that I have from 3.x today (or at least most of them) then, like I said, I'll be interested. But not because it's D&D, just because I still haven't found the holy grail of the system that is perfect for me. If it's a better fit for me than what I'm already using, then I'll migrate. Maybe.