D&D 5E I am perfectly fine with WoTC producing D&D 5th Edition

[cavalier973]

Why? Because I have the perfect edition, sitting right here beside me, right now--4th edition Essentials. I just got "Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium", which, apart from perhaps some dungeon tiles sets, and possibly some really good adventures, completes my purchases. I suppose, too, that once I get some bills paid off, I might subscribe to DDI. Otherwise, I have everything I need for years of gaming.

So, go ahead, WoTC, and make a new edition; I'd bet $1 million that it will be awesome, and that it will bring people into the hobby, and that you'll make lots of money, because I see what others refuse: that you are listening to your customers, and are working hard to please them.

The only suggestion I would have would be to, if at all possible, support all previous editions

Remember, don't try to make the perfect Pepsi; instead, make the perfect Pepsis.

 

[Derulbaskul]

I feel much the same way... except I would love to be able to rip out all the Compendium data before they do a new edition. Offline versions of the Monster Builder and Character Builder would also be wonderful. Alas, my computer skills are not that advanced....

 

[Evenglare]

I'm willing to say , once they DO announce a 5th edition, whether it be tomorrow or 10 years from now people will come on saying I TOLD YOU IT WOULD COME , I TOLD YOU AND YOU DIDNT BELIEVE ME!

It's going to be annoying. But 4th edition will hold me untill they re-release an edition and try and play catch up just like 3rd edition did. I dont know why everyone wants them to announce a new edition so much /shrug. Financially it will be suicide to make another split between players. Especially since the VTT is up and running and all the 4th edition stuff is now starting to come into it's own. Whatever.

 

[Gort]

I must say, I like what they're doing with 4e with the Essentials line, and would like to see 5th ed do more of that. I still have plenty of beefs with 4e as it stands however, and I'd like to see them do these things in 5th:

1. Removal of daily resources - I want the one-encounter adventuring day to be equally challenging to a five-encounter adventuring day

*No daily powers

-Situational encounter powers?

-Recharge mechanic? Encounter powers recharge on a 4+?

*Healing surges per encounter instead of per day

-Different roles have different numbers of healing surges per encounter? Defender = 4, Everyone Else = 3?

*Classes redesigned to fit these changes

2. Non-scaling attacks, defenses and skills

-Damage and HP are all that scale now, so your AC with plate armour and a shield will be 20 at level 1 and 20 at level 30, but your damage might go from 5 to 50, and your HP from 30 to 300.

-Removal of attack and defense-increasing feats

3. Trap-disarming and lock-picking metagames

-Puzzle requiring a certain number of moves to complete, people trained in thievery get a bonus to their number of moves

4. Fixing the economy

-Bring magic items down to the cost of say, a castle.

5. Removal of basic stats (Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha). It's such a no-brainer how to build your character with classes as they are right now that the big six stats are really just an opportunity to screw up.

6. Wizards split up into themes along the lines of spell schools. I don't want to see a class called "wizard" - I want to see a battlemage who blows stuff up, a necromancer who summons stuff, an illusionist who does the various control things - that sort of thing. Then people can pick the kind of wizard they want to be and be them, without making an unfocused mess or being completely overpowering. 4e did similar things with the druid, let's see it done to the wizard and cleric.

But y'know, that's just me brainstorming and my own personal hopes for their next edition.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I am sure Wizards will make a very good 5E. I am not sure if I will buy it. I will have to wait and see.

 

[El Mahdi]

I'm perfectly fine with WotC producing a 5E. I'm perfectly fine if they don't.

I think though that it will be a huge mistake to not continue 4E support on DDI if/when a 5E is released.

Doesn't mean it needs to continue to have new material. Though I don't think occasional material in Dungeon or Dragon would be completely out of line. But I hope that the 4E character/monster/encounter builders, compendium, and VTT support continue. It would be a shame to simply pitch all of that work and replace it with a new editions material. Seems like it would be replicating the mistakes of the 3E to 4E transition.

I'm perfectly fine with a 5E. But hope for a long and continued life for 4E.

Viva le 4E!

 

[Radiating Gnome]

I'm intrigued by the idea of a 5th edition BECAUSE I like 4th edition so much, and because I liked 3rd edition before that. I am excited to see what they do, and I'm sure that a lot of the things that I value about 4E will be a part of the new edition.

-rg

 

[Felon]

Why? Because I have the perfect edition, sitting right here beside me, right now--4th edition Essentials. I just got "Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium", which, apart from perhaps some dungeon tiles sets, and possibly some really good adventures, completes my purchases. I suppose, too, that once I get some bills paid off, I might subscribe to DDI. Otherwise, I have everything I need for years of gaming.

Meh. Lots of folks post with unwavering certainty that they won't buy into a new edition, and lo and behold when the actual game comes out, their position changes. Time tells.

4e had a lot of great ideas, and a lot of not-so-great execution. If 5e builds on the strengths of its previous edition, I'll give it a shot.

 

[Felon]

5. Removal of basic stats (Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha). It's such a no-brainer how to build your character with classes as they are right now that the big six stats are really just an opportunity to screw up.

D&D's 3d6-based ability score array is probably the holiest cow in the game--even moreso than character classes. The decision to ditch or retain them speaks volumes.

Ability scores really serve no mechanical function that isn't better served through more selective character resources, like feats and skills. And certainly giving them one number that only represents another number s ridiculous. Why do I need to have an 18 on my character sheet when the actual bonus is +4? I don't.

 

[Argyle King]

Well, it's good that you're fine with it.


I am too. I mean, I don't feel 4E is the perfect edition, but I'm 100% fine with the announcement (even though it really wasn't a surprise at all) of 5E coming. I share most of the sentiment of the OP with the exception that my game of choice right now isn't a D&D product at all.

 

[WalterKovacs]

D&D's 3d6-based ability score array is probably the holiest cow in the game--even moreso than character classes. The decision to ditch or retain them speaks volumes.

Ability scores really serve no mechanical function that isn't better served through more selective character resources, like feats and skills. And certainly giving them one number that only represents another number s ridiculous. Why do I need to have an 18 on my character sheet when the actual bonus is +4? I don't.

The ability score/modifier still has some place (although is has been diminished). The odd scores still have a spot because of the point buy system and the level advancement system (plus some stat requirement feats which try to make odd stats palatable). The HP using Constitution stat is new, but earlier editions had ways of using the raw stats as well (such as trying to roll under the stat on a d20 for certain checks).

The trend has moved away from negative stat mods (other than the single 8 you can start with in the 4e point build), but it would still need to get rid of the odd stat stuff, which does have an in game element (you can just slow down the stat increase if it were 1 to 1 in terms of stat modifiers, but that eliminates the element of "do I increase my highest stat now so that I get the ability mod bump in 2 to 4 levels? or do I just round up my 13 to 14 to get the ability mod bump right away?"

 

[Gort]

"do I increase my highest stat now so that I get the ability mod bump in 2 to 4 levels? or do I just round up my 13 to 14 to get the ability mod bump right away?"

If you're desperate to keep that piddlingly small element of the game, let's just write your strength mod as 4.5 with the understanding that we always round down.

 

[Neverfate]

I'm not cool with 5th Edition at all.

 

[interwyrm]

D&D's 3d6-based ability score array is probably the holiest cow in the game--even moreso than character classes. The decision to ditch or retain them speaks volumes.

Ability scores really serve no mechanical function that isn't better served through more selective character resources, like feats and skills. And certainly giving them one number that only represents another number s ridiculous. Why do I need to have an 18 on my character sheet when the actual bonus is +4? I don't.

I'd like to see it stay around for nostalgia... but have it apply only to skills. Combat could certainly use some standardization, and there is legacy support there too... IIRC in 1e/2e, you didn't get any bonus for stats less than 16. It wasn't a -10 then half thing.

In this case, there also wouldn't be a reason to have 'stat bumps'. It might make sense to just do something like "roll a d20, and if it's lower than your stat, you pass the check." Maybe you get a +2 to the ability for being trained in the skill.

 

[Zaran]

I'm optimistic about the announcement as well. Hopefully they can combine the great development skills put in 4e with the "Love" put into previous editions.

 

[Raunalyn]

I have mixed feelings about this.

I love 4e, I really do. In no previous edition has D&D had such ease of setup for the GM as 4e. I love its flavor and balance and feel. Sure, it's not perfect (I'm looking at you, magic items), but it's still my favorite edition. I'm saddened by the fact that the hundreds of dollars I've poured into 4e should have had a longer-termed investement.

However, I'm quite curious about 5e. What direction will they go in? 4e was a new experiment for D&D, something that they hadn't done before. What will they take from their experience with 4e and put into 5e? How will they change the game to a more ideal aspect? Are they listening to their customers and using that input to make the game better?

I guess I'll have to wait and see. I'm an old-school gamer...been playing since the 70's, and I'll continue to play until they put me in the ground. I'll be buying the new edition, even though I'll be grumbling about it the whole time...

 

[Plane Sailing]

D&D's 3d6-based ability score array is probably the holiest cow in the game--even moreso than character classes. The decision to ditch or retain them speaks volumes.

Hey, how long has it been since the rules expected you to roll 3d6 for an attribute

 

[Reynard]

In no previous edition has D&D had such ease of setup for the GM as 4e.

 

[Felon]

The ability score/modifier still has some place (although is has been diminished). The odd scores still have a spot because of the point buy system and the level advancement system (plus some stat requirement feats which try to make odd stats palatable). The HP using Constitution stat is new, but earlier editions had ways of using the raw stats as well (such as trying to roll under the stat on a d20 for certain checks).

In government, when someone campaigns to get rid of an inefficient, obsolete system, you'll run into opponents who insist it still has a place because of all the little subsystems that are dependent on it. The obvious response is that an efficient, up-to-date system will either interact better with those subsystems, and some subsystems can be eliminated altogether.

 

[Felon]

I'd like to see it stay around for nostalgia... but have it apply only to skills. Combat could certainly use some standardization, and there is legacy support there too... IIRC in 1e/2e, you didn't get any bonus for stats less than 16. It wasn't a -10 then half thing.

Seems to me that if you only apply ability scores to skills, you may as well just make the ability scores into skills. For instance, the FATE RPG doesn't have ability scores. It has a "Might" skill for feats of strength.

I think ability score elimination is a good example of why involving the fans is hardly likely to generate a better game. I have no doubts that if WotC asked fans right now if they should eliminate ability scores, the general sentiment would be "no". Some folks would be motivated by nostalgia, and nostalgia is, frankly, a weak reason to maintain a system. Some people would insist that they serve a vital descriptive role in painting a picture of a character, which is about rational as having an ability score for height and eyee color.

But mainly folks would vote to keep it because they don't see the matter in terms of something better replacing it. They see it in terms of removing it, and can't imagine the void being filled in a better way.

That's particularly true in America, the country that rejected the metric system because it meant making an adjustment. We have a number of cliches in our society for portraying complacency as a virtue. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" and "don't count your chickens before they're hatched". All of that just amounts to people not wanting to think ahead or be troubled with adopting new things. Heck, just look at the OP of this thread.