D&D General Dan Rawson Named New Head Of D&D

Hasbro has announced a former Microsoft digital commerce is the new senior vice president in charge of Dungeons & Dragons. Dan Rawson was the COO of Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Hasbro also hired Cynthia Williams earlier this year; she too, came from Microsoft. Of Rawson, she said "We couldn’t be bringing on Dan at a better time. With the acquisition of D&D Beyond earlier this year, the digital capabilities and opportunities for Dungeons & Dragons are accelerating faster than ever. I am excited to partner with Dan to explore the global potential of the brand while maintaining Hasbro’s core value as a player-first company.”

Rawson himself says that "Leading D&D is the realization of a childhood dream. I’m excited to work with Cynthia once again, and I’m thrilled to work with a talented team to expand the global reach of D&D, a game I grew up with and now play with my own kids.”

Interestingly, Ray Wininger -- who has been running D&D for the last couple of years -- has removed mention of WotC and Hasbro from his Twitter bio.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I don't understand this. Could you explain further?

To me making a 2e character outside of a spellcaster involved no real choices. If you made a rogue, your backstab and thief abilities were set. A fighter just attacked. A paladin had his 1st level set paladin abilities. There was no selection of powers like 4e had.

okay lets take thief that is a great example.

I sit down to make a 2e thief and I start with a concenpt (oh I know I will play a rogues swashbuckler) roll stats (that was different we started using array by 4e) then place where you want. Then I would pick weapon prof and non weapon prof. the weapon prof would be what I could do in a fight and non weapon prof were what I could do as skills. then I had %pts to spend on other skills.

I sit down to make a 4e rogue I start with my concept (oh I know I will play a rogues swashbuckler) and I place my array then I pick my subclass (that was new, but similar to picking class) then I pick my attack powers (similar to weapon prof) and my skills (similar to non weapon prof)

every class had weapon and non weapon profs (only 2 or 3 had the % skills) but those were the choice points... what do I do in combat and out of combat.

The powers just replaced the weapon profs

late 2e even had things that were kind of like powers (death blow, an improved crit and a better initiative) heck the non weapon profs that gave you minor magic abilities more or less at will. (the precursor to modern cantrips) I think you needed to be in the mage group to take those but not 100% sure on that.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

They didn't make 4e an MMO, but the character class set up did feel video gamey to me. It was one of the things I disliked about 4e. Now 4e also did things that I liked, but overall the dislikes were numerous enough to make me avoid the edition, because I would have to rework too much of it to make it worthwhile to switch from 3e.

Since I didn't play modern games (hey I love old Zelda and Mario maker though, and tetris) I don't even associate anything in any edition as any more or less like a video game. If anything I think games like Final Fantasy and Assassins Creed took things from D&D.

 

[Maxperson]

okay lets take thief that is a great example.

I sit down to make a 2e thief and I start with a concenpt (oh I know I will play a rogues swashbuckler) roll stats (that was different we started using array by 4e) then place where you want. Then I would pick weapon prof and non weapon prof. the weapon prof would be what I could do in a fight and non weapon prof were what I could do as skills. then I had %pts to spend on other skills.

I sit down to make a 4e rogue I start with my concept (oh I know I will play a rogues swashbuckler) and I place my array then I pick my subclass (that was new, but similar to picking class) then I pick my attack powers (similar to weapon prof) and my skills (similar to non weapon prof)

every class had weapon and non weapon profs (only 2 or 3 had the % skills) but those were the choice points... what do I do in combat and out of combat.

The powers just replaced the weapon profs

late 2e even had things that were kind of like powers (death blow, an improved crit and a better initiative) heck the non weapon profs that gave you minor magic abilities more or less at will. (the precursor to modern cantrips) I think you needed to be in the mage group to take those but not 100% sure on that.

I guess it didn't feel like 2e to me, because the powers were significantly better than weapon proficiencies, did more than just swing a weapon, and worked on timers, unlike weapon proficiencies. Plus 4e had weapon proficiencies as well, so those would be the same as weapon proficiencies in 2e.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I guess it didn't feel like 2e to me, because the powers were significantly better than weapon proficiencies, did more than just swing a weapon, and worked on timers, unlike weapon proficiencies. Plus 4e had weapon proficiencies as well, so those would be the same as weapon proficiencies in 2e.

3e and 4e and 5e (wotc Es for short) took away learning individual weapons for groups thief or rouge in tsr era picked weapons (or special abilities like the quicker initiative or death blow) with slots that everyone got... I don't see sly flourish that different then short sword prof

 

[Maxperson]

3e and 4e and 5e (wotc Es for short) took away learning individual weapons for groups thief or rouge in tsr era picked weapons (or special abilities like the quicker initiative or death blow) with slots that everyone got... I don't see sly flourish that different then short sword prof

Lack of 2e short sword proficiency meant that you weren't attacking at a minus 3 with your short sword. Lack of Sly Flourish meant no penalty to hit with a short sword. Sly Flourish(which I just had to look up) also applies to three different weapon groups, unlike short sword proficiency which only applied to short sword and no other weapon. Then Sly Flourish uses dex to hit, unlike 2e which only used strength. Then it adds both dex and char modifier to damage, unlike 2e short swords which were only str bonus. I mean, how the hell does charisma let you do more damage when you swing a sword?

For me, I just can't see that as anything resembling 2e proficiency selection. And 1st level isn't all that I'm talking about. It was the entire character class ability selection. You didn't get more proficiencies as you leveled up in 2e, but you do get more powers in 4e.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

For me, I just can't see that as anything resembling 2e proficiency selection. And 1st level isn't all that I'm talking about. It was the entire character class ability selection. You didn't get more proficiencies as you leveled up in 2e, but you do get more powers in 4e.

for me I can't see any real diffrence, its pick a few things to do in combat...

 

[Maxperson]

for me I can't see any real diffrence, its pick a few things to do in combat...

That's like saying that picking short sword and mace proficiency is like picking Chain Lighting and Meteor Swarm. Those are "Pick a few things to do in combat."

 

[GMforPowergamers]

That's like saying that picking short sword and mace proficiency is like picking Chain Lighting and Meteor Swarm. Those are "Pick a few things to do in combat."

I mean I would equate it more to picking booming blade or sacred flame... but yeah. I pick the things I want to do. "I want to attack with a short sword" was replaced with "I want to attack with my dex and add cha to damage" because in the 2nd one ALL ROGUEs could attack with short swords where in the 1st only prof characters could (without a penalty)

my defualt fighters in 2e took bladesx3 and a ranged weapon
then at 3rd specilized in a weapon and at 6th mastered that weapon
now 9th was where I had to decided between the SoD Death Blow, or High Mastery.

edit: and one of my friends who played since 1e swears there were manuvers in 2e like sweeping attack... maybe in skills and powers or combat and tactics? I don't remember but he said spend 1 weapon prof and when I quickly gogoled I found this:

Martial Arts​

You can spend weapon proficiency slots on learning Martial Arts. Martial Arts Talents can be learned with either weapon or nonweapon proficiency slots.

See Martial Arts 2e

Style & Talents​

You can spend weapon proficiency slots on Weapon groups, Attack maneuvers, Special Talents, Fighting Styles.

See 2e Style & Talents List.

2e Style & Talents List

Stuff from Player's Option: Combat & Tactics. Options that DM may allow a character to buy with Weapon Proficiencies Slots. If a character's class doesn't naturally know a fighting style, they can learn it at the cost of a proficiency slot. Weapon and Shield Fighting Style: Fighters and Clerics...

regalgoblins.fandom.com

they have a bunch i didnt rember but the one i remember and one my buddy just remembered (death blow and sweeping attack) aren't listed

 

[bedir than]

The entirety of the conversion doc so far is "take a level 1 feat and some classes get an extra feat. You may have different spells than other characters of the same class. Your unique abilities are yours "

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The entirety of the conversion doc so far is "take a level 1 feat and some classes get an extra feat. You may have different spells than other characters of the same class. Your unique abilities are yours "

Might be too complicated for some. So no backwards compatibility at all!
Never!