is Unity an impossiblity?

[foolish_mortals]

guys,

I know it sounds good but I'm completely skeptical that they can make a system where you can run 1rst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th edition dnd modules with. If anything, over time I've had a hard time recognizing the new editions as having much of a connection with the earlier editions. Is it just a bunch of corporate nonsense that we are being fed to get the dnd community to pay WOTC more attention. I suspect that might be the case. Anyone else skeptical about this design goal?

foolish_mortals

 

[Umbran]

I am not at all skeptical about their sincerity in stating the goal.

It isn't really what I'd call a well-stated "design goal" - it is too vague for that. It seems more a mission statement than a design goal.

Is it attainable, in a practical sense? Maybe not. But, taken as a mission statement it falls under the "You will never reach higher than you aim," principle. They must aim very high to reach high.

 

[Elf Witch]

guys,

I know it sounds good but I'm completely skeptical that they can make a system where you can run 1rst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th edition dnd modules with. If anything, over time I've had a hard time recognizing the new editions as having much of a connection with the earlier editions. Is it just a bunch of corporate nonsense that we are being fed to get the dnd community to pay WOTC more attention. I suspect that might be the case. Anyone else skeptical about this design goal?

foolish_mortals

From what I have been reading on what people want in the game and seeing so many people wanting different things I am not sure how successful they are going to be. I am hoping that they can manage something that makes most gamers happy.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I know it sounds good but I'm completely skeptical that they can make a system where you can run 1rst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th edition dnd modules with.

It's already possible with Castles & Crusades, for the most part.

D&D has always come down to simple resolution system -- it was cleaned up in 3E to be centered on the d20, which they'll probably keep, but it was always there. Everything distinct from that can be bolted on.

Mechanically, it's really not that hard to see how they can do it. The question is how you divide up all the optional stuff: Do you create a Nentir Vale book with 4E-style classes and races, setting and 4E-specific monsters? Do you create a more tactical-style rules supplement that has most of that stuff in it? Do you divide up some other way? That's the stuff that'll end up giving people the most heartburn, IMO: "I want the horror-fantasy rules, but I don't want to have to buy the Ravenloft setting book to get them!"

 

[TerraDave]

What is "unity". If I need come and get it that works just so, and you need THACO...then we may have a problem. If you want warriors to be warriors and wizards to be wizards and I want rogues to be able to do wild wuxia style stuff, then that should be solvable.

Also, and this has come up in many of these threads, some things may be in different products, but I expect a lot will be in the same core rules. A lot of the options will be right there, upfront.

 

[MortonStromgal]

Depends on what you mean by unity. You can have the rules-lite and rules heavy people both enjoy D&D with a modular aproach but they wont be sitting at the same table but they will still buy the same books if the books contain the stuff they want.

 

[Gundark]

Look all this talk of unity is really just marketing, they want you to feel like you are in their target demographic. WotC knows they can't get complete unity , that would be stupid for them to even try. What they are shooting for is +/- one standard deviation from the mean. If they can get roughly the "average" gamer to buy their product and continue to do so then 5e will have been a success .

 

[Roland55]

There is very little in this life that is truly impossible.

Being a scientist, I went back to my physics texts and checked very carefully.

Unity in D&D does not violate any known universal law or principle on the order of Conservation of Energy.

So no ... not impossible. Keep the faith.

 

[Ahnehnois]

is Unity an impossiblity?

Are you asking whether gamers have unity immunity?

Apologies, couldn't resist.

 

[Raith5]

I think it is interesting, maybe important, to try to increase the unity of D and D. It is certainly important to WOTC/hasbro! It is probably important to the health of the hobby.

But none of us have anything to lose here. If we dont like what we see with D&D next we can continue to play the games we are playing.

I am certainly interested to see how WOTC do this. As umbran says it is not clear how this can be implemented as a design goal. But it is good to see this as a starting point for an wide ranging and inclusive discussion about D&D.