Looking Back on 2024 – Looking Forward to 2025

[Micah Sweet]

i had a few big things in 2024 - the planestrider's journal, voidrunner's codex, and monstrous menagerie 2 for level up pop up in my mind first. ironically, the latter (which is the latest release) is the one i've actually used most so far. war of immortals for pf2e was also notable for me, even if i play pf2e pretty much exclusively through pathbuilder and archives of nethys. mythic rules are neat.

for 2025 i'm most interested in goodman's 5e rules (mainly out of curiosity), 13th age 2e (also out of curiosity) and acks 2 (which i've heard good things about from friends). don't know if i'll buy any of them, but i'm definitely keeping an eye out.

My list of great 2024 gaming is A5e's Planestrider's Journal, Voidrunner's Codex, and Monstrous Menagerie 2, ACKS II (as good as you've heard), and Ashes Without Number. Hoping for more in 2025 along those lines.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I realize these aren't bad, but it does mean that it limits my engagement with the hobby and socialization with groups online. For example, I can't discuss any of the "new hotness" with folks on here.


I'm having a mess trying to mix and match 2014, Level Up, and 3rd party. I'd like to stick with one version. Adding 2024 into the pile would make it worse.
For example, I'm running Sly Flourish and MCDM lairs. They reference spells and powers that don't exist in Level Up.
I'd prefer to just have a "neat" experience where I don't have to flip through a lot of books, all organized in different ways, with alternative names for similar things.

Maybe you can create a short addendum to your Level Up material adding those things from other 5e games you want and print it out alongside the other material? That's what I do when I want to consolidate mechanical stuff from similar but not identical games (which is often).

 

[Micah Sweet]

These boards are full of people espousing an opinion when they haven’t got a clue. I wouldn’t let it stop you. Though if you spent 2024 complaining about how you didn’t like D&D, complaining in 2025 about how you don’t get to talk about D&D is probably not going to be good for your soul. I can understand you finding it hard to settle. The good thing about the 2020’s TTRPG scene is that you don’t have to master everything. It’s fine to be a dilettante and dip in and out of things. Most of all I’m glad you’re getting to be a player in some games, that is awesome. I hope it recharges your batteries.

That was always going to be a problem when the 3rd party space fractured into a dozen 90% clones. All those 10%’s add up. That’s not your fault it’s just the consequences of the hubris of 3pp. We’ve taken the sensible approach to run core until the changes have bedded in then go back to 3rd party once we know what we want to improve. Other than adventures that is which I think are fine from 3pp.

Are you actually blaming 3pp for not just following exactly in WotC's footsteps?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Magical Industrial Revolution (might be my favorite book)

Very interested in this. You would recommend?

Also forgot about the excellent Monster Overhaul! That makes my list too.

 

[Micah Sweet]

This is exactly my issue. I don't want a bunch of material spread around multiple small supplements I would prefer a single book of players options.

I checked out the free rules and it's good. I just feel like the game has the potential to be great as supplements are released, but no interest in needing a pile of zines to play.

I designed my own single book of (supplemental) player options and houserules to be used alongside Level Up. Been working on it for years, and share it with my players in all my games.

I unapologetically call it the Micahnomicon.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

My list of great 2024 gaming is A5e's Planestrider's Journal, Voidrunner's Codex, and Monstrous Menagerie 2, ACKS II (as good as you've heard), and Ashes Without Number. Hoping for more in 2025 along those lines.

just bought ACKS II (with a discount from the friend), downloading it now. i'm excited! even if my wallet isn't...

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

I’ve only spent a modest amount this year on OSR and DCC pdf stuff. And the only thing I really need next year is the Foundryfied Savage Worlds Sci Fi Companion, then I’m good for a couple of years.

 

[Morrus]

That’s not your fault it’s just the consequences of the hubris of 3pp.

 

[TheSword]

Are you actually blaming 3pp for not just following exactly in WotC's footsteps?

Not sure what you mean by blame. 3pp wanted to tap into the enormous success of the D&D brand but wanted to maintain their own product identity, so pitched clones as alternative games Everyone wanted to be the next Pathfinder. So now we have a dozen different systems that are all 10% different to 5e and 2024 is also 10% different to original 5e. It’s like a broken mirror all reflecting different distorted shards of the same image, and we wonder why it leaves people confused.

I think if your gonna yolk your wagon to a strange horse then you go where the horse wants to or you stop.

 

[mamba]

Everyone wanted to be the next Pathfinder. So now we have a dozen different systems that are all 10% different to 5e and 2024 is also 10% different to original 5e.

perfectly fine by me, that increases the chances of there being one I like better than what WotC did with 2024

I think if your gonna yolk your horse to a wagon then you go where the horse wants to or you stop.

the horse did not want to drag a wagon…