D&D (2024) Learning to Love the Background System

[Quickleaf]

Hey Kobold! I hope to hear more about the games you run in 2024! Always like reading your thoughts.

Based on what I've seen so far of the new PHB, I think there are slight changes that are going to have a big long-term impact on how players engage with the game. I believe one impact will be players thinking "Class first, background and story second."

Of course this happened in plenty of other editions, as there are some players who prefer to think of their characters that way. BUT! The combination of presenting the Class chapter first, and also attaching ability score boosts to Backgrounds... I think that's going to reinforce that trend, and also sway some players to the "Class first, background and story second" mode of thinking.

My humble view – and certainly one that can be argued against – is that's a long-term net negative impact on the game.

 

[lall]

I’m down with the background challenge (Entertainer wins), but my fairy should know Sylvan. It will be his unofficial third language (in addition to Common and Elvish). No official third language in protest.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Hey Kobold! I hope to hear more about the games you run in 2024! Always like reading your thoughts.

Based on what I've seen so far of the new PHB, I think there are slight changes that are going to have a big long-term impact on how players engage with the game. I believe one impact will be players thinking "Class first, background and story second."

Of course this happened in plenty of other editions, as there are some players who prefer to think of their characters that way. BUT! The combination of presenting the Class chapter first, and also attaching ability score boosts to Backgrounds... I think that's going to reinforce that trend, and also sway some players to the "Class first, background and story second" mode of thinking.

My humble view – and certainly one that can be argued against – is that's a long-term net negative impact on the game.

I don't think that the order you choose mechanical elements in will alter how much you care about story. And there's not inherently more story in your background than there is in your class.

OtoH, I do think that "custom backgrounds" often result in "top picks" over story picks. Not always, though.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I’m down with the background challenge (Entertainer wins), but my fairy should know Sylvan. It will be his unofficial third language (in addition to Common and Elvish). No official third language in protest.

Ask your DM? I can't imagine why they wouldn't let a fairy pick Sylvan.

Edit to add: They should probably just make a rule that "rare" languages are "worth" two languages.

 

[Shardstone]

Hey Kobold! I hope to hear more about the games you run in 2024! Always like reading your thoughts.

Based on what I've seen so far of the new PHB, I think there are slight changes that are going to have a big long-term impact on how players engage with the game. I believe one impact will be players thinking "Class first, background and story second."

Of course this happened in plenty of other editions, as there are some players who prefer to think of their characters that way. BUT! The combination of presenting the Class chapter first, and also attaching ability score boosts to Backgrounds... I think that's going to reinforce that trend, and also sway some players to the "Class first, background and story second" mode of thinking.

My humble view – and certainly one that can be argued against – is that's a long-term net negative impact on the game.

I think it just makes the game more accessible by changing the order like this. People who aren't that creative need a place to start that's a bit more firm then people who are naturally creative. WotC seems to want D&D to be something that anyone can get into and get better at over time, so it makes sense they start you on more role-based mechanical rails so that way anyone at any creativity level can start out strong.

If you're already really creative or very experienced with these games, you're not going to be stuck in the "class first" mode of thinking.

You're pretty accomplished at running the game and designing the stuff, and sometimes it feels like you lose view of what people who don't have a high level of innate TTRPG creative talent experience the game. I find its better to teach people with a firm foundation.

 

[MarkB]

Hey Kobold! I hope to hear more about the games you run in 2024! Always like reading your thoughts.

Based on what I've seen so far of the new PHB, I think there are slight changes that are going to have a big long-term impact on how players engage with the game. I believe one impact will be players thinking "Class first, background and story second."

Of course this happened in plenty of other editions, as there are some players who prefer to think of their characters that way. BUT! The combination of presenting the Class chapter first, and also attaching ability score boosts to Backgrounds... I think that's going to reinforce that trend, and also sway some players to the "Class first, background and story second" mode of thinking.

My humble view – and certainly one that can be argued against – is that's a long-term net negative impact on the game.

One thing that is mentioned in the video is that you're specifically told that you can alter the story of your background however you wish, so ultimately it's just a label that has nothing to do with your character's actual story.

 

[Amrûnril]

I think the underlying issue here is that the underlying choices between possible feats and ASIs are not balanced, and thus the choices between them aren't interesting without this sort of linkage.

If a Rogue prioritizing Dexterity, a Rogue prioritizing Charisma and a Rogue prioritizing intelligence (all iconic archetypes!) were similarly effective as members of that class, then we would see a lot more diversity and creativity in character builds, regardless of whether ASIs were linked or unlinked to backgrounds. If however, a Rogue's Intelligence and Charisma contribute to ability checks and rare saving throws, while Dexterity contributes to their chance of hitting, chance of being hit, damage dealt and turn order, as well as ability checks and common saving throws, then a Rogue with any background that don't increase Dexterity is condemned to simply being a less effective Rogue. To me, this seems like an arbitrary restriction that's more likely to reduce diversity in background, skill and feat choices than to increase diversity in ability score distributions.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’m ambivalent. On one hand, yes, I agree that sticking with the backgrounds in the new PHB and not allowing custom backgrounds creates an interesting charop choice: do you prioritize a boost to your primary ability score? Getting the best feat for your build? Diversifying your proficiencies? Or do you try to thread the needle and pick a background that’ll be useful in all of those areas but might not be optimal in any of them? That’s a real, meaningful choice, which I think is a good thing. On the other hand though, I’m not sure I want background to be a charop decision. Like, maybe I think an Acolyte Rogue sounds like a really interesting combination for roleplaying reasons, but am I really going to go for the more interesting roleplaying combination at the cost of not being able to start with 16 Dexterity on my rogue…? I don’t know about that.

It’s ultimately the same discussion as the species ASIs (albeit without the biological essentialism baggage, so that is a marked improvement in my opinion). Is it better for character build choices that express something about a character’s identity to have significant mechanical impact, or for players to have the maximum freedom in that character expression? We really can’t have it both ways. Either background can be primarily a roleplaying choice, or it can be primarily a charop choice.

 

[Quickleaf]

I think it just makes the game more accessible by changing the order like this. People who aren't that creative need a place to start that's a bit more firm then people who are naturally creative. WotC seems to want D&D to be something that anyone can get into and get better at over time, so it makes sense they start you on more role-based mechanical rails so that way anyone at any creativity level can start out strong.

If you're already really creative or very experienced with these games, you're not going to be stuck in the "class first" mode of thinking.

You're pretty accomplished at running the game and designing the stuff, and sometimes it feels like you lose view of what people who don't have a high level of innate TTRPG creative talent experience the game. I find its better to teach people with a firm foundation.

That's true. There's a difference between short-term/onboarding and long-term/longevity.

For short-term/onboarding, I agree with you. Class+Species is enough to go on, and Background can be a charop thing (or dropped entirely). Honestly, if new PHB is intended to onboard folks like you say, I wish they'd lean even more in that direction in terms of accessibility and layout and simplification. Right now, looks like designers are trying to have cake and eat it too.

For long-term/longevity, I disagree.

The question is: What is the new PHB trying to do? Is its priority short-term/onboarding like a starter kit? I thought that's what they were doing. If so, really do it all the way.

If they're trying to design it as the thing players pick up either AFTER exposure via free one-shot, starter kit, or such - or if they're exceptionally motivated creative sorts - then designing for long-term/longevity has a different set of design parameters.

 

[Charlaquin]

One thing that is mentioned in the video is that you're specifically told that you can alter the story of your background however you wish, so ultimately it's just a label that has nothing to do with your character's actual story.

So, I can take the Criminal background but say my character was raised in a temple and grew up totally sheltered from any kind of criminal activity? I mean, ok I guess, but that feels pretty weird…