D&D 5E Dear 5e design team: Please research earlier editions

[Mark CMG]

Hadn't heard anything about this. Where did you hear this? Seems a shame considering how much system expertise some of those guys have.

Can't locate a link. I'm sure I likely read it here on EN World around the time of the DDXP playtests. Perhaps someone else can come up with the link.

 

[Kynn]

It's incumbent for WotC to seek out the sources it uses during design. They can't expect everything to come their way, or to spend their money and time trying to influence designers that only avail themselves of limited opportunities. No, I don't expect that any of the old guard designers are going to fly off to DDXP or PAX East to try and get their voices heard when it would be so much easier for WotC to simply send a few designers to Gary Con and meet with the lot of them over the course of a single weekend.

I really don't get why WotC should be expected to attend every small con that's being held. I don't see why you think Gary Con should get special treatment (other than, I guess, you go to Gary Con?).

I mean, I guess I could say also that they should go to Gamex 2012 in Los Angeles, since I live in Southern California, and if they're not then they're doing their jobs poorly! By not catering just to me and my con.

 

[Mark CMG]

I really don't get why WotC should be expected to attend every small con that's being held. I don't see why you think Gary Con should get special treatment (other than, I guess, you go to Gary Con?).

I mean, I guess I could say also that they should go to Gamex 2012 in Los Angeles, since I live in Southern California, and if they're not then they're doing their jobs poorly! By not catering just to me and my con.

I suppose you are right. If Gamex has 50+ former TSR employees attending, 550+ players of early D&D editions available to survey, and WotC wishes to gain some insight on how to make 5E appeal to players of early editions then going to Gamex 2012 in LA would make great sense. Let's say we're both right.

 

[variant]

I say it is a waste of time to visit small obscure conventions.

 

[Kynn]

Let's say we're both right.

Yeah! That sounds good.

[removed a snarky comment]

 

[Mark CMG]

I say it is a waste of time to visit small obscure conventions.

You're probably right, unless your goals align with the reasons for going.

Yeah! That sounds good.

Cool.

[removed a snarky comment]

You could have left that in. I'm sure I had it coming.

 

[am181d]

I suppose you are right. If Gamex has 50+ former TSR employees attending, 550+ players of early D&D editions available to survey, and WotC wishes to gain some insight on how to make 5E appeal to players of early editions then going to Gamex 2012 in LA would make great sense. Let's say we're both right.

This thread is the first I've ever heard of Gary Con. And while the Wizards folks may have been better informed, it's also the case that they have a lot on their plates. I would suggest that the time to complain about them not attending Gary Con was *before* Gary Con. It seems like a good opportunity, which -- if constructively presented -- they might have taken advantage of. But hearing about it after the fact? Life is full of regrets and missed opportunities. This seems mild in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Mark CMG]

This thread is the first I've ever heard of Gary Con. And while the Wizards folks may have been better informed, it's also the case that they have a lot on their plates. I would suggest that the time to complain about them not attending Gary Con was *before* Gary Con. It seems like a good opportunity, which -- if constructively presented -- they might have taken advantage of. But hearing about it after the fact? Life is full of regrets and missed opportunities. This seems mild in the grand scheme of things.

I have no doubt thaty've been aware of Gary Con since it started four years ago and I've been suggesting they avail themslves of the opportunity since last Fall when it became obvious to many of us that they were working on a new edition by bringing Monte Cook on board. (This is the first year that Paizo has PF games on the schedule, FWIW.) If Morrus is correct, and they plan to be working on 5E for another 18 months (I think it will be less time), then they could meet with many of the same old guard designers at North Texas RPG Con in early June (though nowhere near the number they might have joined at Gary Con). As always, we will see what they do.

North Texas RPG Con

 

[billd91]

Hadn't heard anything about this. Where did you hear this? Seems a shame considering how much system expertise some of those guys have.

I believe I saw that on the Paizo board, but I'm not sure who reported it. This may apply to just the convention, NDA-based play testing round. I would hope the open play test would be more, well, open when its turn comes around.

 

[TimA]

I'm with you in the principle of "let's read the old stuff", except that a lot of the old stuff is utterly broken crap (Complete Book of Elves, I'm looking at you). I think the best approach is to reread those sourcebooks more for inspiration rather than as a way to find old mechanics to shoehorn into the system.

But the thing is, the design team has already done this. Before they started doing the design work, they played every edition of D&D. I don't know why you appear to be assuming that they haven't researched this stuff already- it seems apparent to me that they have.

LOL i know that they said they did it. Does that mean they actually did it? Hell no.


And even if they did do something. Did they sit down and play several whole sessions of the different editions with lots of the splat options thrown in to get a good feel for them or did they run one or two encounters to see how you roll a D20 in that edition and then move on?

Given WoTC's traditionally piss poor job of figuring out how their own mechanics will interact with each other I have absolutely no faith that they can figure out older editions they didnt write. Especially if they dont give them a lot of time and a very serious look.