D&D 5E I don't understand the reasoning behind D&Dnext

[The Shadow]

Except, there is a lot of 4E in Next, and that's a good thing. 4E did bring in a bunch of good ideas. The execution is where most people had problems with them. However, D&D:Next so far shows off a lot of 4E brought to the table, but in a smaller dosage.

Agreed. 4e as it stands isn't something I want to play, but that doesn't mean it had no good ideas at all.

Combat Expertise dice are encounter powers.

Huh. Wouldn't they be at-wills, rather than encounter powers?

These are 4E innovations in a game with a 2E feel on the framework of 3E's solid base.

Well said! I like that. And yes, I'm really rockin' the 2e feel, without the awful 2e mechanics.

I think it's funny to see some threads by 4E players going, "ugh, they got rid of all 4E!" and then threads by older edition players going, "ugh, they put too much 4E crap in!"

Which leads me to think it's a good mix.

The art of diplomacy is to leave everyone equally unhappy, after all! I think you're on to something.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I don't think it's as much as they're going back to 3e as much as if you take 4e and breed it with pre-d20 D&D, it's going to look a lot like 3e.

 

[Steely_Dan]

That's exactly what I see as well.

4th Edition did not turn out as expected, so it's back to the end of 3rd Edition and we start all over with making a new successor to it.

Which quite a considerable number of people seem to highly appreciate. I didn't care for 4th and I wouldn't care for a new version of it. But a new version of 3rd Edition that is stripped of elements that were not really such a great improvement over 2nd Edition is just what I've wanted for almost 10 years.

Bingo, actually 5th Ed is shaping up to be what I wanted 2nd Ed to be (improvements upon 1st Ed and Basic).

 

[Yora]

2nd Edition without the idiotic math of THAC0. ^^

 

[Steely_Dan]

2nd Edition without the idiotic math of THAC0. ^^

Sounds idyllic.

And without the campaign breaking spells.

 

[Steely_Dan]

I don't think it's as much as they're going back to 3e as much as if you take 4e and breed it with pre-d20 D&D, it's going to look a lot like 3e.

But hopefully without the clutter, number bloat, and encounter/campaign breaking spells.

 

[Dausuul]

I can shift my point of view and see a resemblance between D&DN and pretty much any previous edition. The tight, stripped-down feel of the game is reminiscent of BD&D. The core of the system itself is more AD&D-ish, and the specialties and backgrounds are like 2E with its kits and subclasses. The combat powers and the push for controlled, planned system math are very 4E. And the surface and presentation of the system are like 3E.

 

[Steely_Dan]

I can shift my point of view and see a resemblance between D&DN and pretty much any previous edition. The tight, stripped-down feel of the game is reminiscent of BD&D. The core of the system itself is more AD&D-ish, and the specialties and backgrounds are like 2E with its kits and subclasses. The combat powers and the push for controlled, planned system math are very 4E. And the surface and presentation of the system are like 3E.

...And therefore...?

 

[Remathilis]

...And therefore...?

Its... good?

 

[Remathilis]

Except, there is a lot of 4E in Next, and that's a good thing. 4E did bring in a bunch of good ideas. The execution is where most people had problems with them. However, D&D:Next so far shows off a lot of 4E brought to the table, but in a smaller dosage. Backgrounds and Specialties are a direct evolution from 4E's backgrounds and themes.

Hit Dice are healing surges. Combat Expertise dice are encounter powers. Minor spells are at-wills. These are 4E innovations in a game with a 2E feel on the framework of 3E's solid base.

4E threw out a lot of the baby with the bathwater, because honestly the bathwater needed changing, but there was a lot of over correction and changes because the developers wanted to put their own marks on it.

I think it's funny to see some threads by 4E players going, "ugh, they got rid of all 4E!" and then threads by older edition players going, "ugh, they put too much 4E crap in!"

Which leads me to think it's a good mix.

Overall, I tend to agree. 4e over-corrected so much that it began to fail the "smell" test for a lot of gamers. I think in their effort to make a game that was smooth, fresh, appealing to a variety of different gamer subsections and fixed every complaint about D&D evar they did too much and it stopped having D&D's quirky charm. Individual ideas weren't bad per se, but it somehow didn't add up in post as well as it should. So they go back, take the ideas that they wanted (such as nonmagical healing during rests) and redo it to fit a more classic approach to the game.

I think the game will be better off for it.