D&D 5E Are you coming back to D&D from another GAME SYSTEM? (theoretically?)

[Emirikol]

I don't know how many of the rest of you are in this situation, but I'd like to ruminate about the potential benefits of coming back to D&D from a different game system.

I'm theoretically coming "back" to D&D after a 6 year hiatus. In the meantime, we've been playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd edition, Outbreak:Undead, Warhammer Quest, Shadowrun, The One Ring, and some pathfinder. Prior to 2008, we played nearly D&D exclusively since 1981.

Anyways, I'm expecting to drag a lot of NON-D&D baggage back with me from this vacation.

Our games have moved away from being tactical minatures games (such was our final experiences), and towards more skill-check based games with investigation and survival.

I fully expect that I will come into 5e with the expectations that the system will be able to handle that as well as create nostalgia from our long years playing games in the World of Greyhawk environment.

Now, I have hopes and fears about D&D..but my intent is to force D&D to adapt to my new expectations of game systems from my recent experiences.

What I hope to drag with me into 5e, from my previous experiences, will be:
* I can adapt various non-hit point conditions to have life and death effects on player characters (insanity, diseases, curses, mutations, corruption, social-implications)
* The class system made less important than character background and can handle non-optimized builds without making the whole system lame
* The published adventures will have the background ability to be adapted to more in depth than killing your way through clues
* That I will have enough energy to adapt it to the world of Greyhawk (my old haunt).


[What will you drag back with you to D&D?]

jh





..

 

[Ruin Explorer]

My group has pretty much always played other RPGs - we tend to play D&D most, because, frankly, it's easy to get back into, and everyone knows the rules (so inertia, largely), but we've had periods of several years where we barely played it, or didn't play it. For most of the '90s we played other RPGs far more - only stuff like Planescape ensured we even kept getting D&D books. We came back to D&D with 3E, but didn't enjoy it as much as 2E so sort of drifted away (also we were all very busy in the early '00s, and moving around a lot) until playing it a bit again before going to 4E, which we've played more of than any other edition except 2E, I'd say.

But yeah, there's a ton to learn from other RPGs - hopefully 5E will be easy enough to draw some of that stuff into. I'll be very interested to see the optional rules in the DMG.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I've dragged minions and solo monsters (especially multiple actions on different initiative counts) from 4E into Pathfinder. I expect to corral those into 5E as well.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

I left D&D - and Tolkien-inspired high fantasy rpgs in general - sometime back in the 3.x days. I was just burned out on high fantasy in general, and didn't care for the higher crunchiness factor in 3.x. I took a good look at 4e when it came out, but really didn't like it at all.

Over time I have found fewer players in my area who are willing to play non-high-fantasy games (sadly), so I grudgingly started doing Pathfinder a while back, simply to be able to play rpgs at all. When 5e comes out I'll take a look at it, compare it to Pathfinder, and see where the winds blow in my area.

 

[Zardnaar]

Still playing D&D just older editions and clones. Planning on buying the starter box and PHB and see where it goes from there. Main considerations.

1. Do I like it?
2. Can I find players for it?

Basically it is competing against AD&D, Pathfinder and Castles and Crusades.

 

[Pog]

I play a variety of differing RPGs, and the moment 13th Age is my fantasy system of choice (before that it was 4e). I have yet to decide whether or not I'll go with DnDnext.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I got a little tired of playtesting, and most of my players (two groups) were even more tired of it than I was, so one group has been playing 13th Age, and the other has been playing Shadowrun, Star Wars Edge of the Empire, 13th Age, and Lords of Waterdeep.

Though some are holding out to continue with 13th Age and Shadowrun respectively, everyone is looking forward to giving the published D&D a good solid chance.

Myself most of all, I ALWAYS return to D&D.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

2. Can I find players for it?

That has been my biggest challenge over the years when it comes to any game outside of D&D and Pathfinder. Even then, it's hard to find players who want to do more than one-offs or very short campaigns.

 

[edemaitre]

I haven't had much difficulty finding role-players for other games after my groups drifted away from D&D4e. In the meantime, we've tried numerous systems, with FATE, Savage Worlds, and the retro-clone Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game being our favorites.

We're playing wait and see with D&D5e, even as we're about to start a Pathfinder miniseries. I've played and run every edition of D&D, and my groups playtested D&D "Next," but this is the first time I won't be an early adopter.

Back in the 1990s, as White Wolf's Storyteller: World of Darkness peaked in popularity, I still ran AD&D2 and GURPS, so I think a good group of people and a strong campaign idea are more important than any rules set.

 

[Pog]

I think a good group of people and a strong campaign idea are more important than any rules set.

totally yes.