D&D (2024) Have the 2024 PHB Reveals changed your intentions re: purchasing D&D 2024/25?

[borringman]

Just for curiosity's sake... what ttrpg's would you consider masterpieces and why?

Ha, well, I tend to use colorful language out of habit, to the detriment of discourse. My bad.

I mean to say it's very limited. It does exactly one thing with gusto: class-based anachronistic fantasy combat. Everything else is an afterthought. To be fair, it's deliberately designed this way. But its reputation for flexibility is really just 3PP propaganda, as far as I'm concerned. And it's so specific that it doesn't make sense that it's the best available system to satisfy broad appeal.

So walking back talk of "masterpieces", it's more about what other systems do that D&D don't. For example, I like the worldbuilding of Shadowrun. . . unfortunately, its mechanics are atrocious. Champions does exactly what it sets out to do, but hoo boy is it crunchy. GURPS is far more flexible than D&D ever was or will be, but that's a heck of a double-edged sword.

Not that I'd call it a "masterpiece" but I wound up starting my own project, because that was the only way to make exist the game I want to play.

 

[prabe]

I'm probably going to still buy it, but I'm progressively less excited and/or happy about doing so.

 

[John R Davis]

I think what is coming in the DMG has mostly encouraged me that I can cope with learning~new edition

 

[Stalker0]

I mean to say it's very limited. It does exactly one thing with gusto: class-based anachronistic fantasy combat. Everything else is an afterthought. To be fair, it's deliberately designed this way. But its reputation for flexibility is really just 3PP propaganda, as far as I'm concerned.

I would argue the opposite, that those who say dnd is only for combat lovers is propaganda. Lots of tables play dnd with a focus on exploration and roleplaying over combat.

Is it more rules light in these areas compared to combat, it is, but it’s completely and perfectly playable, and lots of groups have tons of fun doing just that.

 

[borringman]

Well sure. Any system can do anything, if you're brave enough.

The entire "Social Interaction" section of the PHB* is one page. "Role-playing" is a subsection of that. Playable? Yes. "Combat" get its own entire chapter, though. Many survival mechanics just get single short paragraphs in the DMG.

I'm not judging; like I said, it's fine. But just based on word count, I'd conservatively estimate the game is at least 75% fantasy combat, about 25% everything else combined.

You can use D&D to focus on exploration or role-playing, but I think it's worth trying a game with actual focus on those things, if only for perspective.

*308 pages, sans ToC and index. Not that page count is the be-all end-all. . . except when ratios get this ludicrous.

 

[darjr]

A friend of mine runs a FLGS and they are having a midnight release party. They asked if I’d run a game for guests running up to the release. So I said yes. If I can I’d get a copy before so I could run that game using the new book.

Otherwise I would have probably waited.

 

[Reynard]

I'm probably going to still buy it, but I'm progressively less excited and/or happy about doing so.

Out of curiosity, what is keeping you from deciding against it?

 

[Arilyn]

5e was fun. I've been already drifting away from it however, and 2024 feels like it's doubling down on things I didn't really like in 5e, without adding much I do like. For my D&D itch, we've got Level Up. When we're craving something lighter, there's Shadowdark, OSE, and others in the N/OSR market. I'm fortunate that my circle of gamers are always up for trying new games.

There are a lot of rpgs that are exciting me right now. D&D just isn't it.

 

[Alby87]

I was waiting for a reprinting/boxed gift set to get them togheter with some the errata, and still will do.
But it seems that there are still some of the troubles that there were in the 2014 PHB. But, with a lot of the rules migrated in the DMG, maybe the 2024 DMG will be the only needed upgrade book for the 2014 edition (you could still use the power levels from 2014 PHB, MM, Xanathar and Tasha).

But I know, I will still buy it.

 

[prabe]

Out of curiosity, what is keeping you from deciding against it?

The vague possibly false hope there will be any actual improvements worth the effort to bring into my games, and a long-standing philosophical preference for running games--especially if I open my tables to new players--that are in print.