D&D (2024) More People Test One D&D Origins Playtest Than D&D Next

WotC has announced that more people have playtested the first One D&D playtest than the number of people who playtested the entirety of the D&D Next playtest 10 years ago, which led to the release of D&D 5E. The number of people who playtested D&D Next, according to the credits in the 5E Player's Handbook, was over 175,000 people.

In the first week alone, more of you have playtested One D&D than in the entirety of 5e playtesting!

Thank you to everyone who has helped shape the future of Dungeons & Dragons!

 

[Oncewasbenji]

Those are explicitly just examples, it's a build system.

This is not how I read it, but I think this might just be a difference of approach. Technically they've always been a build system but a lot of players just pick from available options rather that make a new one. So I guess to me, the semiotics of putting the stat increases in the stat block examples signifies to most players it's easier to just pick from the examples and the default. And the default is what I take exception to.

 

[Stalker0]

Those are explicitly just examples, it's a build system.

Yeah but it’s a lot of examples, I do think the visual gives the wrong impression

 

[Maxperson]

Not sure why they're soliciting feedback on specific backgrounds at all, since the system is completely build-a-bear.

Because a lot of people don't bother and just select one that is built, so they want those people to be happy. 3 years of playing 5e with mostly proactive players, and I've seen them build a background twice. They don't do it if there's one prebuilt that fits.

 

[MockingBird]

It's faster to just pick a background. If they weren't there and ASIs weren't tied to them I'm sure lots of players just wouldn't bother. I personally prefer the backgrounds to just pick from. I really wish they didn't tie the ASIs to them, I fed that back in the survey.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Because a lot of people don't bother and just select one that is built, so they want those people to be happy. 3 years of playing 5e with mostly proactive players, and I've seen them build a background twice. They don't do it if there's one prebuilt that fits.

Surely they swapped a skill for another skill or any number of customizations, though. That's working as intended, I think.

 

[Parmandur]

This is not how I read it, but I think this might just be a difference of approach. Technically they've always been a build system but a lot of players just pick from available options rather that make a new one. So I guess to me, the semiotics of putting the stat increases in the stat block examples signifies to most players it's easier to just pick from the examples and the default. And the default is what I take exception to.

Yeah, the examples do seem to be confusing people, which I mentioned in feedback as well. Hopefully they edit this section to make the standard more clear, maybe cut the examples entirely.

 

[Parmandur]

Surely they swapped a skill for another skill or any number of customizations, though. That's working as intended, I think.

If they keep the examples, they probably ought to format them with choices, like making it clear that the +2 and +1 can go anywhere, say to just pick a language, etc.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

If they keep the examples, they probably ought to format them with choices, like making it clear that the +2 and +1 can go anywhere, say to just pick a language, etc.

It's amazing that they have to spell this stuff out, but yeah, based on confusion here they'll have to look like this:

GUARD (or some other similar posting of your choice)
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Wisdom (or two other abilities of your choice)
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception (or two other skills of your choice)
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set* (one of your choice or another tool of your choice)
Language: Dwarvish (or another language of your choice)
Feat: Alert (or another level 1 feat of your choice)
Your feet begin to ache when you remember the countless hours you spent at your post in the tower (or another location of your choice). You were trained to keep one eye outside the wall (or another place of your choice), watching for marauders (or another enemy of your choice) sweeping from the nearby forest (or another terrain of your choice), and your other eye inside the wall, searching for cutpurses and troublemakers (or other individuals of your choice). At the end of each shift, you bunked in the mayor’s barracks (or another location of your choice) alongside your fellow sentries and the dwarven smiths (or other companions of your choice) who kept your armor snug and your weapons sharp. (Or an entirely different paragraph of fluff of your choice).
Equipment
Crossbow Bolt (20); Gaming Set (same as above); Hooded Lantern; Light Crossbow; Manacles; Quiver; Spear; Traveler’s Clothes; 12 GP (or other equipment of equal or lesser value of your choice).

But should it really be necessary to do that for EACH sample background when you've already explicitly said it at the beginning of the background section? Seems like it might be.

 

[Zaukrie]

My issue isn't that I can't change things up....but that the examples aren't all that good. Like, cultist language should be "language tied to cult" or something, not "abyssal". Or maybe I'm over thinking things.....

My real issue is that race traits still include cultural/learned things, and I don't want that at all.

 

[Parmandur]

It's amazing that they have to spell this stuff out, but yeah, based on confusion here they'll have to look like this:

GUARD (or some other similar posting of your choice)
Ability Scores: +2 Strength, +1 Wisdom (or two other abilities of your choice)
Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Perception (or two other skills of your choice)
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set* (one of your choice or another tool of your choice)
Language: Dwarvish (or another language of your choice)
Feat: Alert (or another level 1 feat of your choice)
Your feet begin to ache when you remember the countless hours you spent at your post in the tower (or another location of your choice). You were trained to keep one eye outside the wall (or another place of your choice), watching for marauders (or another enemy of your choice) sweeping from the nearby forest (or another terrain of your choice), and your other eye inside the wall, searching for cutpurses and troublemakers (or other individuals of your choice). At the end of each shift, you bunked in the mayor’s barracks (or another location of your choice) alongside your fellow sentries and the dwarven smiths (or other companions of your choice) who kept your armor snug and your weapons sharp. (Or an entirely different paragraph of fluff of your choice).
Equipment
Crossbow Bolt (20); Gaming Set (same as above); Hooded Lantern; Light Crossbow; Manacles; Quiver; Spear; Traveler’s Clothes; 12 GP (or other equipment of equal or lesser value of your choice).

But should it really be necessary to do that for EACH sample background when you've already explicitly said it at the beginning of the background section? Seems like it might be.

Or just make them more clearly templates, without fully filled out ASI or Language/Tool choices.