D&D 5E Mike Mearls interview - states that they may be getting off of the 2 AP/year train.

[bmfrosty]

If I am using 1e FR as a setting then why not just use the 1e rules to save on having to convert anything? I can even play the latest adventure Tomb of Horrors without having to convert it too!

Because THAC0.

 

[PMárk]

If the adventures contradict the campaign setting, then what's the point of the campaign setting again?

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I still think that this reasoning is a deliberate logical fallacy, but, just for the sake of argument, several points to have a campaign setting:

- Because I'm interested in the ongoing story of the world.
- Because a detailed world is a good thing to some of us.
- Because, even if I won't use all the things, or diverge things from what was written, or will be written in the future, it might still incorporate a lot of the official material, using official events, npcs, locales, etc. It's just a great wealth of material to use and have. Oh, you might say "but an old CG can do this too", while yes, but new material means new fuel to adventures, new schemes, new characters. Fresh blood and new, interesting story.

 

[Oofta]

Because THAC0.

Wait ... where's the downvote button? NOOOOO!!!!

 

[Ilbranteloth]

From what I've read, it's because the saddle stapled booklets, with their lack of spines, too easily get lost on store shelves and so are easily overlooked, depressing sales. It's why Pathfinder APs, one-part modules, etc are square-bound "prestige" format, though that raises costs (and therefore prices), making them not quite the inexpensive, disposable items that some are looking for.

To that end, the PDF-only AL modules are really intended to fill that niche, though they do have some level of tie-in to their season storyline as part of the "story first" paradigm of 5e releases.

That and the razor thin profit margin. Also a lot of damaged and returned ones from being bent in magazine-style racks, etc.

I know they have DM's Guild for that now, but there are two problems with that paradigm - there is no "official" D&D adventure product beyond the $50 hardcovers and the Adventurer's League downloadables. ]

With the Adventurer's League downloadables you have a lot of official content being released annually. For the most part it has been two $50 APs, most of which have been written with a lot of easy-to-steal content if you don't want to run the whole thing, plus a dozen related but separate AL modules. That's typically 24 of the short module-style adventures a year which is quite a few.

The fact is the content is there. Perhaps it's a bit narrow in its scope, since thus far they have related to two major storylines each year. They did release an adventure related to VGtM too.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Because THAC0.

Oh, no! Third grade math! It's terrifying! TERRIFYING!

 

[Jester David]

I don't understand. What does it mean to shout hands on?

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It's a warlord reference.
In one of the podcasts Mearls and Crawford are taking warlords by way of Braveheart and inspiring speeches and Mearls comments that William Wallace couldn't grow the guy's hand back. In reference to warlords restoring hit points.

It was a pretty divisive comment that stuck in the minds, as warlord fans were upset that the warlord was being dismissed and that hit points didn't reflect physical damage (like axe amputations) .

 

[Jester David]

If I am using 1e FR as a setting then why not just use the 1e rules to save on having to convert anything? I can even play the latest adventure Tomb of Horrors without having to convert it too!

I don't recall much of any rules in either the 1e or 2e versions of the FR setting. There's not much to convert. Maybe a few spells and magic items...
Campaign settings, by their nature are mostly rules agnostic. THAC0, BAB, or proficient bonus are irrelevant when describing a nation, trade, politics, history, and the like. You don't buy or read campaign settings for rules text.

You can use a 1e setting with 5e, or a Pathfinder setting with 5e, a RIFTs or Runequest setting with 5e, or even a novel that was never adapted to an RPG with 5e.

 

[Jester David]

Oh, no! Third grade math! It's terrifying! TERRIFYING!

True.
Of course, 3e+ attacks are resolved using first grade math. There is a reason they teach addition first.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Yes the campaign setting is fixed. And the adventurers are not fixed. Obviously the Adventure would take precedent over the Campaign setting. In the Campaign setting the Zhents are eyeing up Shadowdale. In the Adventure they have been occupying Shadowdale for 5 years. But tell me, did the adventure happen before the Campaign setting or after?

Either way makes it very hard to play the adventure as part of an ongoing campaign, unless the PCs have a time machine. Now it seems that WotC adventure paths are pretty much meant to be self-contained campaigns, so maybe that's not really an issue for most gamers these days.

 

[schnee]

Oh, no! Third grade math! It's terrifying! TERRIFYING!

It's just like 5E bounded accuracy. Armor classes only got so high, bonuses to hit only got so high.

But with bonus harder to use, more cumbersome math.