If Next keeps going the way it is, I'm going to be able to play with all my friends without listening to them complain about how a different edition would've been a better game. If they just reprinted every edition, all I'd have is myself and six friends fighting over which of seven different editions of the same damn game we want to play - BECMI, 1st Ed, 2nd Ed, 3rd Ed, 3.5, Pathfinder, or 4e.
What about 5e makes you say this? What aspect of its design means they everyone from all those editions will be happy with the 5e product? Is there something specific or just the general view on the subject?
I have to ask this from everyone who seems to have such a optimistic view that 5e will somehow miraculously unite the players of so many different editions under one roof.
What I have seen in the very limited playtest does nothing to assure me. It does nothing to assure my friends who have read it, played it, or been on these boards either so I don't know what you all find so stellar about 5e.
I HOPE 5e will be different than I have seen so far, but I don't expect it. I had great hopes and expectations about 4e, and poor ones about PF, but I was surprised when it turned out much differently than I though going in. I don't see 5e suddenly surprising me if it stays on the same course.
Also, given that my group mostly consists of a few different but similar types of players I don't see the "5e solution" working for us at all. Unfortunately we've been burned and I don't see overwhelming support of WotC suddenly arising just because they made a new edition.
For the record mine group looks like this.
- Most started with 2e then played 3e and then 3.5 when they came out. But didn't switch to 4e. Several of them joined PF or stopped buying new material entirely.
- One notable person LOVED 4e and switched immediately. But he hated the build up of what he saw for it before release. He is the only one of our group who has completely and utterly switched over and would never come back to 3.5. He is probably the LEAST likely out of any of us to like or even try 5e.
- A few will play anything, preferring WOD titles. Many of them play both 3e and 4e games but it is unclear which edition they prefer as they will play whatever they can get into.
- Another single player (two if you count his occasionally playing GF) started with 2e and is stuck there, but he has played in 3.5 games and loathes 4e.
- The second largest group, beyond the 2e-3.5 players, started at either 3e or 3.5 and most of whom converted to PF when 4e came out. A few of this group stayed with 3.5. Once again, fine with PF so why change?
Now, there are some who jumped to 4e, but in our group most didn't and those of us who are looking for new material have joined PF. How are they going to reclaim those players?
The flatter math and "balance" isn't doing it for us. The "old school" feel isn't our cup of tea.
What surprised me was the talk on this thread about players who prefer PF/3.5 and WHY. I can't speak for all my in my group but the few I have talked to about this don't agree about the reasons given here that we are supposed to prefer 3.5/PF .. so 5e catering to those suppositions are going to fall flat too.
Now, I would love to see my group try and possibly adopt 5e. But nothing, not one thing, in this limited playtest has made me think this will happen. There doesn't seem to be enough for us to sink our teeth into let alone enough that we can think to adopt wholesale.
The few who have actually tried the playtest are annoyed by the self-healing and overnight rest. The lack of AOOs and flanking and other minor rules. I heard some of these things will be discussed and possibly fixed for the next round but so far that isn't encouraging.
