D&D 5E Different approach to buying the core books in 5E

[seregil]

I was reading another thread bout the old guys needing to get out of the way and it crossed my mind that I might not be buying 5E.

With all the debate about what 5E should be like, I kinda just realized that my personal dislike for 4E has changed my approach to buying the core Dnd books: it has made me more hesitant to blindly buy new core books without researching the game first. In fact, the possibility now exists that I moght not even buy the 5E core books, which is definitely different from before.

4E was the first edition I did not like, raising the possibility for the first time that I might not like an edition of Dnd. This has changed how I will buy 5E. I will not blindly pre-order as I always did before.

Which brings me to the question I have: will you buy the 3 main books no matter what, as I have edition after edition, or has 4E made you more cautious?


EDIT: reworded to avoid edition war.

 

[Gold Roger]

I don't need trust. I have an open playtest. I think by the end of that I'll have a good idea wether the finished product is worth paying for or not.

 

[Holy Bovine]

For me, 4E destroyed my willingness to buy Dnd blindly because if it says Dnd, it's a game I want to play. Mainly because, imo, 4E ISN'T DND.

FINALLY! After the 1,245,673rd time this statement has finally been rendered true!! Oh joyous bliss now everyone can admit 4E D&D isn't D&D and live in peace and harmony!

Which brings me to the question I have: will you buy the 3 main books no matter what, as I have edition after edition, or has 4E made you cynical as it has me?

Oh. Nevermind.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I certainly would not buy the books without thoroughly reviewing their complete contents first.

 

[seregil]

I don't need trust. I have an open playtest. I think by the end of that I'll have a good idea wether the finished product is worth paying for or not.

Indeed!

The open playtest, if done well, will go a long way to re-establishing my trust in Dnd = good.

I have my reservations on just how much of the feedback will be used.

Not because i doubt that they are sincere, but because the shear amount of feedback they are going to get, the signal-to-noise ratio and, most of all, the risk that the feedback will be split 40-40-20 on any major point.

The last problem will make any decision difficult and any decision will split the fan base.

But that is just my doom-and-gloom view on humanity at large. We shall see.

 

[RoboCheney]

I dunno, maybe I'll wait for the inevitable mid-edition reboot.

Edit: Let me add, I really like 4e, but what makes me lose trust are factors external to the core system: bad proofreading / lots of errata, the aforementioned x.5 / Essentials reboot of the core books, and of course accelerating the edition cycle.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Which brings me to the question I have: will you buy the 3 main books no matter what, as I have edition after edition, or has 4E made you cynical as it has me?

I would suggest that perhaps 4E wasn't the problem, but that up until 4E you just weren't a very cognizant consumer.

 

[seregil]

I would suggest that perhaps 4E wasn't the problem, but that up until 4E you just weren't a very cognizant consumer.

Well, you might be right, of course, but I liked ALL edition until 4e.

Now, buying blindly is never a good idea, but 4E was the first time I regretted it with Dnd. Well, for the core books, at least.

We are playing 2 4E campaigns at the moment and the consensus at both tables is that 4E is not as good as 3.5 but that we do not want to scrap the campaigns over it. The storylines are simply too good to let a ...problematic... rule set get in the way.

I have, however, just started a 3rd PF campaign to 'scratch the itch' if you will.

 

[Dausuul]

I don't need trust. I have an open playtest. I think by the end of that I'll have a good idea wether the finished product is worth paying for or not.

Exactly (I must spread some XP around). I have every intention of participating in the playtest--it's my chance to help shape D&DN into what I want it to be, after all! By the time the playtest is over, I think it should be clear which direction things are going, and whether it's a direction I want to go.

 

[am181d]

For me, 4E destroyed my willingness to buy Dnd blindly because if it says Dnd, it's a game I want to play. Mainly because, imo, 4E ISN'T DND.

I wish people wouldn't say this. Not because I have any problem with people not liking 4e, but because the sentiment so obviously DOESN'T mean what you're saying. OF COURSE it's D&D. You're free to argue that it's BAD D&D, but the idea that it's NOT D&D is demonstrably false.

I get that what you're really saying is that 4e represents a symbolic break with many of the traditions you most strongly associate and prize from previous editions, and when you express it that way (as you did throughout most of your post) it invites insightful rebuttal.

By contrast when you say "It's not D&D!" you invite the helpful rebuttal: "Yes, it is. Consider buying a dictionary."

Again, I think you do a good job overall of expressing where you're coming from, so I don't want to dismiss your overall post. (Indeed, I largely agree with it.) Just wanted to make this point about not dumbing down your opinion to the point that it's inaccessible to people who disagree with you.

(On a related note, I recently gave up on backgammon because -- after giving it an honest shot -- I've realized that it's just not the D&D that I grew up with.)