Are you convinced yet?

[ExploderWizard]

My bet? We'll see at ENworld, after March 24th:

- 1/2AD&D / basic players saying it's too modern for them.
- 3.5/PF players saying they already got PF and don't need DDN.
- 4E players saying they don't want to move back and already got their game.
- Some people will praise and love the game.
- Some people will wait to see advanced modules.

Yup. Here we are in April and folks sure are saying that. ALL HAIL THE GREAT PROPHET AVIN!!

 

[Shadeydm]

It will be interesting to see how well the underlying mechanics of the game can be kept under wraps during the playtest. WotC doing the character levelling will certainly help hide some of it I would think.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I question why anyone needs to have their questions answered NOW, as opposed to just following the game's progress as it goes. Because NO MATTER WHAT your current feelings are on the game... they are GOING TO CHANGE probably dozens of times, positively and negatively, over the entirety of the beta test's lifespan.

So to get hung up on how you feel about it at this moment in time is a fool's errand and a waste of time and energy. Play in the beta, see what you like and don't like, and send feedback you think will ultimately help the game.

 

[Kzach]

I question why anyone needs to have their questions answered NOW, as opposed to just following the game's progress as it goes. Because NO MATTER WHAT your current feelings are on the game... they are GOING TO CHANGE probably dozens of times, positively and negatively, over the entirety of the beta test's lifespan.

So to get hung up on how you feel about it at this moment in time is a fool's errand and a waste of time and energy. Play in the beta, see what you like and don't like, and send feedback you think will ultimately help the game.

Can a mod please hide DEFCON 1 under the carpet? If he keeps exposing the lack of a need for speculative discussion, we'll end up with nothing to talk about!

 

[Ellington]

I'm not convinced, but I'm very optimistic. Overly so, perhaps.

I just have this strange feeling that this really is going to be the best edition of D&D yet.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Can a mod please hide DEFCON 1 under the carpet? If he keeps exposing the lack of a need for speculative discussion, we'll end up with nothing to talk about!

Saying that you've liked everything you've seen thus far and thus are frightened about the end result is not "speculative discussion". It's needless worrying.

 

[Piratecat]

I think May 24th is going to be the convincing/unconvincing date for a lot of people. Once we look at the core rules, that's gonna decide it for the majority one way or the other, I'm sure.

I hope not. With none of the 4e/tactical modules written yet, highly tactical players won't get what they want at this stage. (Whether they do later depends on the quality of the rules modules, of course, but I hope they swing back to try them once they're revealed.)

Based on the D&D Next seminar at PAX East, I think folks who like stripped down, fast combat OD&D will really like the playtest. I'm not sure it'll feel like a full game, though. We'll see!

 

[Piratecat]

But as a playtest, the goal is to modify it according to feedback. So unless the playtest turns out to be almost perfect and what everyone expects, I don't expect the playtest to resemble the end product.

Agreed. They're serious about the feedback, at least; the game has already changed substantially based on Friends & Family playtest feedback. I give WotC major credit for putting their money where their mouth is.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Going into an open playtest, with design intentions that sound good, yet ambitious, the possibilities are: 1) Great Success!, 2) Shoot the moon, fall some degree short, including complete failure, 3) Get sidetracked, in many possible ways. No one, not even the design team, will know for sure which it is, until we get there. (The design team will have a better idea than us, when we get close.)

This is opposed to, say, wandering around aimlessly and throwing up things to see if they stick. The possibilities there are: 1) One in a milliion, get lucky strike!, 2) Lots of frustration culminating in disappointment and burnt dreams, 3) D&D the Rifts Editions.

Despite the risk of complete failure, I believe that I'd rather take my chances with the first approach.

 

[Shadeydm]

Based on the D&D Next seminar at PAX East, I think folks who like stripped down, fast combat OD&D will really like the playtest. I'm not sure it'll feel like a full game, though. We'll see!

I thought the seminar at PAX east had more than 4 choices for race and class, so are we actually getting less and if so I wonder why?