D&D 5E D&D and who it's aimed at

[Greg Benage]

The whole Radiant Citadel thing looks pretty creative, pulling in stories and settings and elements that haven't been seen in the game before.

Yeah, I've said before, Radiant Citadel is exactly the kind of diverse, inclusive content I like to see. Pre-ordered it. I'd like to see much more like it and less sanitization of content someone finds "problematic." Now, everyone can and will draw their own lines in the sand. For me, D&D "races" are a good example of where I draw my lines. I'm strongly in favor of using a different, more appropriate term (species/ancestry/lineage/kin) and avoiding descriptive language that echoes derogatory stereotypes of human beings, but I really dislike removing species-based ability score bonuses simply because someone thinks it's "bioessentialism." You'd obviously draw your line somewhere else.

My point is, wherever you draw your line, you can absolutely publish more diverse, inclusive content without, say, publishing Dark Sun but replacing slavery with "systemic oppression and inequity."

 

[SakanaSensei]

Coming in very late here, but on the art angle, I'm in the camp that thinks that

1) I am very happy that we don't have male gaze-y "show your chest and your butt at the same time as you pose for the camera, young lady, while the men all look at a different angle toward the offscreen threat" that I've seen a few times in older era art.

and 2) I really like the general STYLE of that kind of art when the subject matter isn't blatantly sexist, racist, and generally regressive. There's something very charming about that old line art that makes me want to look at it, whereas a lot of 5E art makes me do the "not bad Obama" meme face and flip the page without much of a second thought.

For context, I came in with 4E and have only had a chance to play 4E and 5E.

All of this said, I definitely think a lot of people could benefit by taking the stance that Mike Shea often puts forward on his YouTube channel, which boils down to "you can only be disappointed if you allow Wizards to dictate what DnD is to you." There is so much quality coming out of the 3PP space of such wildly varying tones. WotC is just another publisher alongside MCDM, Kobold Press, Ghostfire Gaming, Hit Point Press, the list goes on and on.

 

[Hussar]

Yeah, I've said before, Radiant Citadel is exactly the kind of diverse, inclusive content I like to see. Pre-ordered it. I'd like to see much more like it and less sanitization of content someone finds "problematic." Now, everyone can and will draw their own lines in the sand. For me, D&D "races" are a good example of where I draw my lines. I'm strongly in favor of using a different, more appropriate term (species/ancestry/lineage/kin) and avoiding descriptive language that echoes derogatory stereotypes of human beings, but I really dislike removing species-based ability score bonuses simply because someone thinks it's "bioessentialism." You'd obviously draw your line somewhere else.

My point is, wherever you draw your line, you can absolutely publish more diverse, inclusive content without, say, publishing Dark Sun but replacing slavery with "systemic oppression and inequity."

Fair enough. I find that people say a lot of things that don't necessarily turn out to be true, so, I take a more wait and see approach to things like this. WotC, so far, has done pretty well with the settings it's brought back. Did a good job with Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms and Eberron. I'm fairly willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they will continue to do a pretty good job with other settings.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I think Elmore's technique involves (or at least used to) taking pictures of models and then drawing them, reusing them, plugging them into different settings. Where I live in Kentucky isn't too far from where he worked. A friend of mine used to model for him. I don't know which character(s) she represented though.
But yeah, I agree some are better, some are worse. I just don't agree that all of the best art is being done now. There's stuff to like from all eras.

I went to school at the University of Louisville, and had several friends who knew him personally, including one or two who modeled as well. Got to meet him a couple of times as well.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Definitely agreed. 100% accurate to say. There's more than a few pieces of 5e artwork that I extremely dislike (most of Tyranny of Dragons, some of the Gem Dragons and Draconians from Fizban's, etc), but in my personal taste, 5e has a lot more really good art than bad art.

I only dislike the infiltrator among the draconians. I'll definitely agree on the gem dragons, though; most of them look pretty awful, much to my disappointment. Only the sapphire dragon illustrations look good. I wouldn't mind the amethyst dragon, but the bulbous tail just looks weird, especially how it's the focus on the main illustration...

 

[Jahydin]

Man, all this talk of older art got me thinking how cool it would be to have a special run of Core books illustrated with all the old art.

I'd buy that in heart beat.

 

[Jahydin]

View attachment 156123

This picture is cool, what's it from?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The sword and sorcery elements you described above are not prevelant (to the point of not being present at all) in current D&D, so it seems that genre is being excluded.

Is 1940s music excluded from popular music charts? Or could it be that it just aint popular any more?

 

[pogre]

The offerings of the last few years are more diverse and inclusive, which is good.

It naturally means not everything released is for me. While I can rationally accept this and even to some extent celebrate it - there is a part of me that wishes every new book would appeal to me.

I certainly understand a level of disappointment and pouting that comes when several releases in a row do not appeal to a person.

I try to keep a wider perspective and appreciate broadening D&D's appeal is important for the business and "health" of the hobby.

I don't always succeed, but I try to frame my disappointment as personal, not necessarily an indictment of the current "state" of D&D.

 

[John R Davis]

2e had a single book with more than exists in all of 5e

Never played 2e
A book? Not every book!