D&D (2024) I think we are on the cusp of a sea change.

[Mordhau]

5e does not do sword and sorcery well. That has nothing to do with any recent changes; it never has.

It does do Geralt/Witcher tone a lot better, but that's more to do with the higher magic levels and omnipresence of Fae material throughout the edition.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

omnipresence of Fae material throughout the edition.

I'm sorry, what? You lost me here. I've found that Fey options in D&D 5e are severely lacking, even after the release of the Wild Beyond The Witchlight and the Domains of Delight "sourcebooks". It's especially lacking at higher levels, and most pre-written campaign books in D&D 5e don't have many (if any) fey creatures included.

 

[Mordhau]

I'm sorry, what? You lost me here. I've found that Fey options in D&D 5e are severely lacking, even after the release of the Wild Beyond The Witchlight and the Domains of Delight "sourcebooks". It's especially lacking at higher levels, and most pre-written campaign books in D&D 5e don't have many (if any) fey creatures included.

I was talking about player options. Monsters don't make Sword and Sorcery difficult because you just don't use monsters that don't fit.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

5e does not do sword and sorcery well. That has nothing to do with any recent changes; it never has.

It does do Geralt/Witcher tone a lot better, but that's more to do with the higher magic levels and omnipresence of Fae material throughout the edition.

Do you mean tone, or mechanics? Because tonally, Witcher and Conan are pretty similar. The setting is different - Old West inspired ancient world versus pseudo-medieval central Europe, but they are both collections of short stories about an itinerant mercenary who goes around killing monsters and having sex. The Mandalorian would be the same if he could get his armour off.

Of course Geralt (much like Elric) uses magic and drugs, whereas Conan is into clean living, but D&D has never been much of a swordplay simulator.

 

[Mordhau]

Do you mean tone, or mechanics? Because tonally, Witcher and Conan are pretty similar. The setting is different - Old West inspired ancient world versus pseudo-medieval central Europe, but they are both collections of short stories about an itinerant mercenary who goes around killing monsters and having sex. The Mandalorian would be the same if he could get his armour off.

Of course Geralt (much like Elric) uses magic and drugs, whereas Conan is into clean living, but D&D has never been much of a swordplay simulator.

The setting is what matters.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The setting is what matters.

Setting is not tone. You said tone.

 

[Minigiant]

Case in point WOTC's recent errata release for all of their books, which feature lists of line-item removal of material, including removing alignment from the game entirely, to remove all references to good and evil, even as abstract concepts. Since mythology incorporates concepts of good and evil, this potentially chips away and the narrative power of the mythical archetypes I'm talking about. I think that those mythical archetypes are what draw people to the game, not nostalgia, so I'm leery about drastically changing the content.

It's not that good and evil is being stripped out the game. It's more that TSR & WOTC for decade have been only half stepping into the concepts. So the mythological and cosmic struggle of good and evil that D&D does looks weak, cartoony, amateurish, and ripe for offensive from new groups of fans and many Gen X, Y, and Z fans.

WOTC isn't willing to due settings of high ideological conflicts of faith, beliefs, and culture. The pantheon battles are few. Philosophical discussion of the differences of gods, old gods, dead gods devil's, and demons are for fans and not discussed in books. The setting effects and ramifications of multiple warring gods who create or claim mortals are rarely touched.

It can get icky and easy to mess up. So they are nope-ing out of it completely. WOTC don't want none of our online discussion targeting them more.

 

[Mordhau]

Setting is not tone. You said tone.

The tone of the setting.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The tone of the setting.

And how exactly does the tone of Hyboria differ from the tone of the Continent? I mean they differ significantly in terms of technology, climate, society etc, but the tone of the world is described by the stories that happen there.

 

[Mordhau]

And how exactly does the tone of Hyboria differ from the tone of the Continent? I mean they differ significantly in terms of technology, climate, society etc, but the tone of the world is described by the stories that happen there.

Lots of magic, lots of D&D style monsters. Dragons, dwarves, you know general D&D stuff.

Plus it has the whole dark fairytale vibe that 5e does very well.