Pulling the plug

[JeffB]

So today I made the decision to let go of my 5th Edition D&D books by putting them up for sale. I've been playing the game and collecting books since the 80s before there was an edition. It was just Basic and Advanced. I stuck with it through the ups and downs with mixed emotions and perspectives, but still I played and collected the books. I've downsized my collection many times, cutting the fat from previous material that was no longer looked at or relevant. But now for the first time in over three decades and no less than eight editions/revisions/variations of the game, I am willing to part with the current edition still in use and supported by the parent company,... and it feels so strange.

I'm not here to cry or complain about it. I just came to the realization that after so many years of running the edition treadmill, this is the first time that a new edition fails to inspire and maintain my interest. I suppose that means that I am no longer inside the target audience, but that's okay. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. In fact, it has freed me to explore different systems, and revisit the older editions.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels like this. Nothing bitter. No reason to be sad, angry, or disappointed. Just feeling content to leave it behind and find another option. Its so strange, but in a good way. Anyone else?

I know exactly how you feel. I want to support 5th and play it, but it doesn't do classic D&D all that well (it is still slower to play, more rules crunchy, and too codified to support interesting improvisation) , nor does it bring anything new to the table, barring A/D. And the product line has bored me to tears. As a DM, no motivation other than "feel good" reasons. I keep futzing with it, like I feel I am obligated to. Its like when I was younger and I would get a date with a really good looking girl/woman , and once you went out you realized there was no personality. You go out a few times because they are so good looking, but there is nothing there for you. But of course, someone else will find them to be a perfect match.

There's an ass for every seat

I prefer OD&D/OSR variants (with some houserules) when I want to play D&D...for a lot of reasons. Or something like WhiteStar for space fantasy. Otherwise, I prefer modern narrative systems -Dungeon World for fantasy, and FFG Star Wars. Those two in particular l, really scratch my itch and I get fired up just thinking about them.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I'm not here to cry or complain about it. I just came to the realization that after so many years of running the edition treadmill, this is the first time that a new edition fails to inspire and maintain my interest. I suppose that means that I am no longer inside the target audience, but that's okay. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. In fact, it has freed me to explore different systems, and revisit the older editions.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels like this. Nothing bitter. No reason to be sad, angry, or disappointed. Just feeling content to leave it behind and find another option. Its so strange, but in a good way. Anyone else?

I want to commend you for the effort to avoid negativity and own that moving on is less about the latest pendulum-swing/over-correction, and more about your personal feelings about it. I notice you eschewed specific real or imagined slights or defects, and that's a big improvement over the attitudes displayed towards the other WotC editions.

And, actually, while I do continue to support the current edition, I can empathize. I felt that way half way through 2e, and 5e rather picks up the spirit of the game from that era, thuogh, thankfully not the pace of publication.
Back then, my interest waned when I stopped running, because, unlike 3e & 4e, that was the more enjoyable mode of play for me. As long as I'm running 5e, I think, I'll be able to stick with it..

 

[fjw70]

Sorry to hear about your dissatisfaction with 5e. I love it but understand others have different tastes. Definitely play what you enjoy.

 

[S'mon]

I was just wondering if anyone else feels like this.

No, but I did get rid of my 2e & 3.0 stuff.

I can imagine letting go of my 3.5 and Pathfinder stuff too, but I still use them for conversion material to 5e & Classic. 4e & 5e I'm running, and 1e is sacred.

 

[S'mon]

Or something like WhiteStar for space fantasy.

Loving my new White Star PBP. It's the space opera game I always wanted!

 

[JeffB]

Loving my new White Star PBP. It's the space opera game I always wanted!

I've run it a bit and everyone had a blast. Glad you are enjoying it too!

 

[S'mon]

I've run it a bit and everyone had a blast. Glad you are enjoying it too!

Great fun so far - you can check out the posts at http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=77480

 

[Jhaelen]

Yeah, I just decided to skip 5e, considering it a throwback to 1e/2e times - and I still have some of the best books for those editions.

From a mechanical viewpoint, 4e is definitely my favorite edition, so I really cannot approve of the direction D&D took after it.
And the richness of the background material created for 2e is something that is unlikely to be surpassed by future editions.

I also suspect that I have enough unused material to last me through the rest of my life, so anything new they'll come up with for D&D will be a hard sell, anyway.

 

[76512390ag12]

So today I made the decision to let go of my 5th Edition D&D books by putting them up for sale. I've been playing the game and collecting books since the 80s before there was an edition. It was just Basic and Advanced. I stuck with it through the ups and downs with mixed emotions and perspectives, but still I played and collected the books. I've downsized my collection many times, cutting the fat from previous material that was no longer looked at or relevant. But now for the first time in over three decades and no less than eight editions/revisions/variations of the game, I am willing to part with the current edition still in use and supported by the parent company,... and it feels so strange.

I'm not here to cry or complain about it. I just came to the realization that after so many years of running the edition treadmill, this is the first time that a new edition fails to inspire and maintain my interest. I suppose that means that I am no longer inside the target audience, but that's okay. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. In fact, it has freed me to explore different systems, and revisit the older editions.

I was just wondering if anyone else feels like this. Nothing bitter. No reason to be sad, angry, or disappointed. Just feeling content to leave it behind and find another option. Its so strange, but in a good way. Anyone else?

It cuts all ways, eh?
I disliked D&D from 1e onwards yet always *wanted* to....
.. and 5e was the edition that won me over..

Enjoy

Sent from my SM-G901F using Tapatalk

 

[Blue]

To me, 5e most closely resembles a revised 3rd (or 3.5) Edition, with just a sprinkle of 4e in it.

I find this curious, because to me 3.x had a number of fatal flaws (after 12 years of running and more of playing) that I can not stand that 5e completely avoids.

I'm not in any way debating what edition you like - that's the joy of different editions and even different systems (my current favorite fantasy RPG is not D&D). It's just curiosity in how 5e is like 3.x?

Just so I don't leave you also wondering my details like I was wondering yours, issues I had with 3.x that I feel 5e fixed:

• Need for magic items to make the math work, even on NPCs.
• Monsters/NPCs using very fiddly math that took forever at high levels to prep to run.
• Prestige classes (and feat chains to a much lesser degress) that required planning out characters from level 1 not to miss cut-offs.
• Poor multiclassing: cherrypicking due to lots of 1st level features, BAB stacking but casting not, able to optimize way beyond straight-classed characters
• Long combats (wall clock time)
• Able to unintentionally make characters that suck. (Hard to do in 5e unless you multiclass, and even then not so bad.)
• Linear fighters/quadratic wizard (still there to some degree, but not as bad)