D&D 5E Blue Rose RPG Coming to 5e D&D

[Aldarc]

Green Ronin announced that their romantic fantasy setting Blue Rose is coming to 5e D&D. I have not seen talk on this, so pardon me if it has been discussed.

Blue Rose was an RPG by Green Ronin Publishing that drew its inspiration from the romantic fantasy genre while also being inclusive for LGBTQ+ issues. It was first developed by Jeremy Crawford, Dawn Elliot, Steve Kenson, and John Snead using the d20 engine back in 2005. It became the basis for the True 20 System. Later Blue Rose was revived for Green Ronin's in-house AGE System in 2017. But now Green Ronin has announced that it will be coming to 5e D&D.

From their announcement, the adaptation to 5e looks like it will be a little looser than I would like. It simply uses the 5e classes rather than use its generic Adept, Expert, and Warrior classes or even its own skill-based magic system. Both of these things were converted for the AGE System. The magic in Aldea is wider (with a high number of psychics and empaths) but far less powerful when compared to D&D magic, so this does feel somewhat like a questionable fit.

Some additional links:

• A Primer on the Lands and Peoples of Aldea.
• Aldean Ancestries.

Blue Rose Adventurer's Guide is available for pre-order on DriveThruRPG.

 

[humble minion]

Blue Rose I can take or leave (i own it in hardback, but while it's a gorgeous book it never really grabbed me), but I do feel somewhat ambivalent to see how many other RPG companies are shoving their settings into a 5e-shaped jellymould regardless of how good a fit it is. Smacks a little of the d20 explosion, where the D&D edition of the day was so dominant that every other company was throwing their own systems out the window in an attempt to hook their wagon on to the juggernaut. Which is where we got ridiculously unthematic things like Vampire the Masquerade d20, or Farscape d20, or Star Wars d20 (I ran a huge epic campaign in that system, and i hate it with the fury of a thousand suns) among other ... odd ... choices.

It really made the hobby a bit same-y, cut down on choices, and very often provided a play experience that just didn't live up to the source material it was trying to emulate.

 

[Aldarc]

I think that the 5e Engine could work for Blue Rose, as it was first created for the d20 System, but I don't think that doing a half-arsed conversion does the Blue Rose setting any real favors.

 

[humble minion]

Yeah, the emphasis in a Blue Rose game is on very different aspects of the story/experience than would be true for a typical 5e game. Depends a bit on how adventurous they're willing to be in modifying the system to fit though. A coat of Blue Rose paint over 5e in't going to end up great, but Green Ronin has pretty decent form in this area - they did apply major surgery to the d20 system in order to create Mutants and Masterminds, which is a legitimately good and thematic superhero system. So maybe a bit of optimism is in order.

 

[jayoungr]

It simply uses the 5e classes rather than use its generic Adept, Expert, and Warrior classes or even its own skill-based magic system. Both of these things were converted for the AGE System. The magic in Aldea is wider (with a high number of psychics and empaths) but far less powerful when compared to D&D magic, so this does feel somewhat like a questionable fit.

How did they handle all this in the original D20 version?

 

[Voadam]

A consciously default inclusive setting designed for romantic fantasy will be a decent backdrop for 5e games for people interested in more of that vibe in their D&D. True20/original Blue Rose to 5e is not that big a stretch, as noted going from 3 classes to the 5e array will probably be the biggest adaptation.

 

[TwoSix]

I would have been interested in a mechanical conversion with 3 broad classes and a modified magic system; just a setting guide that shoehorns in the existing 5e mechanics leaves me cold.

 

[Voadam]

How did they handle all this in the original D20 version?

Original Blue Rose was the mechanical precursor to True20. The three classes are basically warrior, spellcaster, skill guy with all the normal class abilities being turned into feats you can choose.

 

[Mistwell]

I would have been interested in a mechanical conversion with 3 broad classes and a modified magic system; just a setting guide that shoehorns in the existing 5e mechanics leaves me cold.

Yes, in fact I think it would have been an attraction to the book to convert those three classes. I have no idea what they are thinking by shoehorning them into the existing classes.

 

[TwoSix]

Yes, in fact I think it would have been an attraction to the book to convert those three classes. I have no idea what they are thinking by shoehorning them into the existing classes.

3e did seem to have a bit more "full conversion mods" (where classes, races, and spells were added/replaced) released; 5e has really only had AiME that I know of. Considering 5e's overwhelming popularity, I'm a little surprised we haven't seem more products that are willing to do more in-depth mechanical engagement with the system.