D&D General Does D&D (and RPGs in general) Need Edition Resets?

[Minigiant]

ORLY? Lot of folks dont find 5E 2024 to be all that radical in the new popular ideas, mechanics, and concepts department.

Compared to the 1970s RPGs?

Isn't the the question?

Could D&D still be big if it were just 1e with the numbers jiggled around a bit?
No resets. That means to can't add or subtract much. Just jiggle a few numbers around. Change a few formulas. Add maybe 1 class or race.
With TSR or WOTC screwing up every few years.
And the internet and crowdfunding existing.

 

[Parmandur]

A version of 1e D&D that is slowly and barely changed from its original form published by TSR or WOTC would be outsold by 2 or 3 RPGs. Maybe even 5+.

I see no reason to believe that is true.

 

[Parmandur]

Compared to the 1970s RPGs?

Isn't the the question?

Compared to 2014: modern D&D is evergreen, now.

 

[payn]

Compared to the 1970s RPGs?

Isn't the the question?

Could D&D still be big if it were just 1e with the numbers jiggled around a bit?
No resets. That means to can't add or subtract much. Just jiggle a few numbers around. Change a few formulas. Add maybe 1 class or race.
With TSR or WOTC screwing up every few years.
And the internet and crowdfunding existing.

Who is saying the game shouldn't change at all? I think reset means different things to us. What 5E 2024 is to 5E2014 does not seem like a reset to me. 2E to 3E to 4E to 5E were resets. 2024 is the c-c-c-c-c-combo breaker!!!

 

[Minigiant]

Compared to 2014: modern D&D is evergreen, now.

So new cool ideas in RPGs will cease.

Because if D&D never resets,it won't be able to insert ,any new ideas if the are good.

We saw this in the current 2024 playtest.
Good ideas were rolled back and some okay ideas not tried again for backward compatibility.

We are keeping 2014 bad exhaustion because we can't reset 5e.

 

[Parmandur]

So new cool ideas in RPGs will cease.

Because if D&D never resets,it won't be able to insert ,any new ideas if the are good.

We saw this in the current 2024 playtest.
Good ideas were rolled back and some okay ideas not tried again for backward compatibility.

We are keeping 2014 bad exhaustion because we can't reset 5e.

No, just atabikity in D&D: and I think it will succeed.

 

[Thomas Shey]

No. They run to knock-offs that are older than 1e.

That's my point. In many respects AD&D was not an improvement over a couple of the earlier versions; it was just more convoluted. So just iterating off of it was not necessarily going to keep it as a viable tool forward, when even some D&D fans of the time weren't that fond of it.

You needed to go in at least some new directions, or all it was going to do is gradually erode.

 

[Distracted DM]

I really don't consider half editions a reset- they're tweaks to the existing chassis. I think some folk in this conversation are considering half editions as resets, and others aren't.

 

[Zardnaar]

That's my point. In many respects AD&D was not an improvement over a couple of the earlier versions; it was just more convoluted. So just iterating off of it was not necessarily going to keep it as a viable tool forward, when even some D&D fans of the time weren't that fond of it.

You needed to go in at least some new directions, or all it was going to do is gradually erode.

Yeah I think some concepts in AD&D were better but B/X was the better rules system imho.

I like AD&D class design better eg clerics and Thieves. Class and race I'd better.

So advanced B/X.

 

[Lanefan]

It's more about when than how.

1e doesn't have feats, dragonborn, tabaxi, goliaths, warlocks, sorcerers, the rage based or cultural versions of the barbarian, giants, runes, maneuvers, musical bards, or even proper skills... or ability mods for every ability...

Feats, I think, would have eventually reared their ugly heads. Sorcerers, or some other version of a spontaneous caster, would also have appeared at some point. I'm pretty sure there'd have been a music or sound-based Bard show up, fairly early on. Skills were already on their way in during late 2e (and have yet to be done well, three versions later); maneuvers would have appeared as an idea in a Dragon article.

I don't know what you mean by "ability mods for every ability".

We could very well have done without dragonborn, tabaxi, goliaths, and all the other monsters becoming PC-playable species.

I'm saying if TSR stays in business and makes a 3e that is an adjusted 2e.... could it withstand a competitor with feats and skills and ability mods?

Easily. Assuming, of course, that TSR not only stays in business but isn't mismanaged (or at least nowhere near as badly) from 1985 onwards.