Monte Cook and 5e

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yes, I split after 1e. I didn't see the need for 2e and I already had a ton of 1e stuff yet to play. But everyone in my area went over to 2e and I was left behind with a bunch of 1e material no-one else wanted to touch.

Thus my halcyon days of D&D came to an end.

- but that was many years ago now, and I moved on.

Ah, yes, the wildly incompatible 1E/2E divide. So quaint in retrospect.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

So most people are now saying 5e is a foregone conclusion (and I dont just mean someday).

SO what do you think will be the selling point? Back to basics?
Bring back the magic?

what ever it is I just hope that one rule from the 3e and 3.5 book doesn't make it in... "Fighters can't have nice things". (and before you say it isn't in there, I promis you it is, just between the lines.)

 

[Dausuul]

Yes, I remember those days. They were back in the time of 1e.

Hardly. I remember trying to talk my friends into playing BD&D instead of AD&D. (Okay, technically this was during the 2E era, but I'm sure arguments sprang up the moment TSR embarked upon its "two-pronged strategy.")

I daresay some on this board could regale us with tales of the clash between followers of the White Box and those of the Blue Box.

 

[Matt James]

I don't recall the 1e 2e AD&D gap being so bad. I imagine this was largely due to the non-proliferation of information (aka the web). Even still. AD&D 2e was wildly exciting as I recall. New and shiny edition.

3e was a massive hit due large in part to the neglect of 2e in the waning days of TSR. If it were not for the Forgotten Realms novel line, I might have written off D&D all-together until 3e came out.

 

[Mercurius]

In addition to that, 3e was also a massive hit because it was a much needed renovation of D&D in multiple ways, but especially the rules set. Various innovations in RPG design really started hitting strides in the late 80s and early 90s; AD&D in the late 90s seemed anachronistic and just plain clunky. THAC0 in a post-Ars Magica, post-Storyteller world? Really?

 

[billd91]

3e was a massive hit due large in part to the neglect of 2e in the waning days of TSR. If it were not for the Forgotten Realms novel line, I might have written off D&D all-together until 3e came out.

I don't know where the idea of neglect is coming from. They came out with a revised printing of the 2e core books in 1995, Players Option books for it, and then in 1997, after being unable to cover printing bills, they got bought by WotC. They were supporting 2e up until they couldn't pay for anything. WotC even put out some of the stuff already in development, like Return of the Eight for Greyhawk in 1998, and the 25th anniversary stuff in 1999.

Those products may not have been your cup of tea, but they indicate that TSR wasn't neglecting D&D at all.

 

[Matt James]

1995 wasn't the tail end of 2e. The quality of content was not up to the standard I had hoped for. It doesn't mean it was bad. TSR was in it's death-throws. I see that as neglect, as do some of the designers that worked for them during the transition. It wasn't meant to be an attack against them. Just an observation and my view. I'm glad WotC came in and the team assembled (mostly 2e guys) put together 3e. It was amazing.

 

[Jack99]

Read Montes blog. It's for personal reasons.

I have read it now, thanks. It does make sense. Apparently I was wrong about his moving to Seattle being connected with full-time work with WotC.

Moderators might as well lock this thread, since hardly anyone is talking about the original topic.

[MENTION=2]Piratecat[/MENTION]

 

[Stormonu]

Read Montes blog. It's for personal reasons.

Can I get a link to the blog?

 

[Jack99]

Can I get a link to the blog?

Voila