D&D 5E Don't Throw 5e Away Because of Hasbro

[Hussar]

Huh, the Dyson Logos maps work perfectly great for most scenes where we want to represent distances and areas at our virtual table. The VTT supports us playing long-distance as we can't play in-person with our current group. The less detailed a map is, the more we can lean into narrative descriptions as provided by the DM. I've found that many gorgeous maps have extraneous detail that distract more than help. They really aren't better, IME. Of course, YMMV.

I'm of mixed minds about this.

Yes, the clean maps are very nice. Like I said, in person, or of you were going to photocopy or recreate them on a whiteboard or something like that? Absolutely the best. There's no point in having a full color digital art map that only the DM sees. It was one of the problems with the old Paizo Dungeon magazine art - beautiful maps but, the only person who actually saw it was the DM.

OTOH, as both a player and a DM, VTT is primarily a visual medium. You're staring at that image for quite a long time. I find that the plain black and white maps just don't do the scene justice, when the other options are available. For example, many of the black and white maps are very lacking in details, where a digital map shows so much more of the scene.

I mean, here is the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh manor map by Logos -

Spoiler

And here is the map that I used (Morvold Press)

Spoiler

As someone who runs on VTT a lot, I know which one I prefer.

 

[Distracted DM]

As someone who runs on VTT a lot, I know which one I prefer.

Yup! Obviously this personal preference, but one of the reasons that I can ENJOY running games online is because I can make it very cool (especially on Foundry), and that includes nice maps.

In-person I use a chessex mat and wet erase markers, and thousands of dollars of minis :'D

Online I want to present a very cool scene. Animated maps blew my mind when I first found them.

 

[Superchunk77]

Hasbro and WotC I refuse to support in any way whatsoever.
5e is played out. Played it as a player and GM for a few years, it got boring fast, and I'm well on to other games and systems now.

 

[Oofta]

Hasbro and WotC I refuse to support in any way whatsoever.
5e is played out. Played it as a player and GM for a few years, it got boring fast, and I'm well on to other games and systems now.

So I've gotta ask. Why do you follow/post to a D&D forum if the game isn't for you? It's not a problem of course, I just don't understand.

 

[Micah Sweet]

So I've gotta ask. Why do you follow/post to a D&D forum if the game isn't for you? It's not a problem of course, I just don't understand.

Plenty of D&D out there that isn't WotC 5e. Never good IMO to assume that folks always mean the current official version.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Why do you follow/post to a D&D forum if the game isn't for you?

Speaking for myself, it's all for the drama.

 

[Stormonu]

Hasbro and WotC I refuse to support in any way whatsoever.
5e is played out. Played it as a player and GM for a few years, it got boring fast, and I'm well on to other games and systems now.

Feel like I've been there before with 2E. Played the system to the point I got tired of its warts, and it felt like the system was long in the tooth and needed an update to be more in line with modern RPG design (at that time, having taken more cues from World of Darkness).

I came back to the game when it flipped to 3E, and when that version shut down, I wasn't quite ready to leave it - though I couldn't see myself going back to in now - not for more than an E6 sort of game, at least. Personally, I'm not ready to leave 5E behind, and I think now that I've come to the realization I simply don't enjoy high levels (pretty much past 10th), I feel like I can stay with the system for many more years to come.

But I intend to stay around and see where the latest version goes. Some of it might be worth snagging into what "version" I'm playing. And, as I learned during 4E, sometimes your not alone in your dislike, and the pendulum swings back towards you into what you do like. But you'll only know if you keep your ears and eyes open.

 

[Superchunk77]

So I've gotta ask. Why do you follow/post to a D&D forum if the game isn't for you? It's not a problem of course, I just don't understand.

Because D&D encompasses all editions as well as the OSR and similar clones. It's not just Hasbro, WotC, 5e, or 6e.

 

[Superchunk77]

Feel like I've been there before with 2E. Played the system to the point I got tired of its warts, and it felt like the system was long in the tooth and needed an update to be more in line with modern RPG design (at that time, having taken more cues from World of Darkness).

I came back to the game when it flipped to 3E, and when that version shut down, I wasn't quite ready to leave it - though I couldn't see myself going back to in now - not for more than an E6 sort of game, at least. Personally, I'm not ready to leave 5E behind, and I think now that I've come to the realization I simply don't enjoy high levels (pretty much past 10th), I feel like I can stay with the system for many more years to come.

But I intend to stay around and see where the latest version goes. Some of it might be worth snagging into what "version" I'm playing. And, as I learned during 4E, sometimes your not alone in your dislike, and the pendulum swings back towards you into what you do like. But you'll only know if you keep your ears and eyes open.

Personally I haven't had chance to play 1e, but 2e was my first RPG and I was instantly hooked. Especially settings like Dark Sun and Birthright. That love continued into 3.5e (and Pathfinder) and that love persists to this very day (for those editions). Tried 4e as a DM and while it was easier, I didn't like it. 5e was cool when it first arrived, but then it got "long in the tooth" for me, as you say. WotC's choices, starting with the OGL, didn't help either. It only got worse after the OGL, with the constant social media mishaps, virtue signaling, and finally, turning on their fans while disrespecting the creators of the game. But I have many many other games to try and play for years to come that WotC will never be able to tarnish.

 

[CharlesWallace]

Warning, there are spoilers for the adventures and some of the local lore in these articles.

"Revenants of Saltmarsh: A Man on the Inside"​

"Revenants of Saltmarsh: Lizardfolk Schism"​

I followed your links and started reading the play summaries. I really enjoy them- love the saltmarsh books. But this made me laugh:

“He crumples like paper doll if paper dolls erupted in blood and viscera when crumpled.”

Well played.