D&D General Chris Perkins and Stan! - previous D&D edition thoughts

[pukunui]

Aside from the debacle with the VTT, 4E had really good online tools for the time. The Insider monster tool worked so much better than D&D Beyond's homebrew monster creation and could even take a creature and level it up or down or change it from a standard to an elite or solo.

Yes, I would so love something like that for DDB!

 

[Stormonu]

Yep, between the changes I've seen in 2024 and that it looks like they are going to double down from here, I think its time for me to peace out from WotC D&D.

 

[tetrasodium]

Having started with 2e I can't say that I have ever once felt that running 5e felt like 2e in any way shape or form. Too much of 5e designs against import baseline foundational assumptions like risk and attrition for the loosey "ask your gm" to ever have any significant meaning while running 5e. Even worse is that by having it's shell of 3.x skills crippled by overly condensed skill options and a removable of difficult choices the gm is faced with a scenario where 2e's roll under (but it is probably difficult) you have a chorus of " oh I'm proficient too" from players who can expect success on trivialized skill checks should one PC roll horribly after asking telling their gm what they expect their character sheet to grant them success in.

 

[Charlaquin]

View attachment 395493

Oof, that one aged especially poorly…

 

[not-so-newguy]

Just watch the video. The first 50 minutes or so is Chris talking about his past. The conversation turns to the various editions after that.
I just want to add that character creation for 5e does not take anywhere close to ten minutes.

 

[MerricB]

Just watch the video. The first 50 minutes or so is Chris talking about his past. The conversation turns to the various editions after that.
I just want to add that character creation for 5e does not take anywhere close to ten minutes.

No, it really doesn't!

But it's bringing it back from the levels of 3E (especially) and 4E. Ditto monster creation. It's a lot more based on DM feel rather than applying complicated formulae. (Consider this review of Monster Manual 3 for 3.5e)

It's not 2e, but it's still a bit closer to that freewheeling spirit than what was in 3E.

Cheers!

 

[not-so-newguy]

No, it really doesn't!

But it's bringing it back from the levels of 3E (especially) and 4E. Ditto monster creation. It's a lot more based on DM feel rather than applying complicated formulae. (Consider this review of Monster Manual 3 for 3.5e)

It's not 2e, but it's still a bit closer to that freewheeling spirit than what was in 3E.

Cheers!

but... but... I'll feel much less guilty as a DM if character creation was easier after I kill them.

 

[MerricB]

but... but... I'll feel much less guilty as a DM if character creation was easier after I kill them.

Combine a killer DM with old-school Traveller character generation...

"George, are you ready yet?"
"No - I'm on my sixth character and I still haven't survived to get to the table!"

 

[amethal]

But it's bringing it back from the levels of 3E (especially) and 4E. Ditto monster creation. It's a lot more based on DM feel rather than applying complicated formulae. (Consider this review of Monster Manual 3 for 3.5e)

Thanks for the link.

I miss John Cooper's analysis of monsters, so I just gave his 20 year old review a "Like".

 

[Distracted DM]

I've enjoyed Chris Perkins' stuff since dungeon magazine, I even got to chat with him at the first or second pax unplugged.. I hope he continues to enjoy a wonderful career, but man I'd love to see an in-depth interview with him about everything if he wasnt bound by still being a WotC employee. I'm sure a lot would be the same, buuut I want to hear the other stuff too.