Serious question - are you going to invest in D&DNext?

[Salamandyr]

I'll play it, and recommend it, and DM it, in preference to 3e/Pathfinder/etc. or 4e.

 

[Manbearcat]

Considering that, at least thats the impression I get, 5E goes into the direction of "4E but even simpler and still focused on dungeon crawls" certainly not.
Thats exactly the direction which drove me away when 4E hit and won't win me back.

Your impression isn't accurate. If you like AD&D 2e with some baked in Moldvay Basic, in principle, aesthetic (at least in what appears to be the core game), you will very likely appreciate 5e. Its design ethos (Rulings Not Rules) and much of its archetecture (adventure rather than encounter/scene based design, lack of unified class mechanics, etc) is in-line with AD&D 2e. Out of the box its definitely not hardcore 1e but could probably be drifted towards it with a few mods (although I'm uncertain how they will do this with baked in spell effects that are going to be less swingy). Its also not anywhere near as drenched in "bits and bobs" as 3.x/PF. Its pretty close to as far away from 4e (specifically given its proximity to it in chronology) as it could be. There are some extremley superficial nods but nothing of consequence that will replicate 4e

- scene-based
- unified class mechanics
- team-based/tactical synergy-oriented in the arena of combat
- everyone has access to the "big guns" of Rituals
- codified non-combat conflict resolution framework with subjective DCs
- a math-based open descriptor system for stunting/improvising (p 42)

Background Traits and the latest move toward broad skills are about the only things that will help facilitate 4e play. If the 5e healing surge mechanic scares you because it replicates 4e play, then fear not. 4e's Healing Surge paradigm has the primary effect on play of inducing drama/tension and creating tactical overhead during combat as the team works to "rally" by leveraging features that unlock surges in combat. Secondary to that is the sole 5e paradigm of pacing the adventuring day (specifically for martial players who will inevitably soak damage).

So if your concern is any of the above features or the specific healing surge paradigm of 4e, and you'd like a streamlined AD&D 2e, then check out the playtest!

 

[Remathilis]

For certain, I will buy the Core Rules. I have for every edition so far.

That said, I haven't invested heavily in an RPG since 3.5. I only own a dozen books for both 4e and Pathfinder together, mostly due to lack of disposable income. If Next is good, and the sourcebooks are either reasonable priced or fairly sparse, I will probably buy deeper into it.

 

[the Jester]

I'll buy it but I won't consider it an investment.

This sums up my attitude completely- I'll buy it and play it, at least to try it out, and if I like it, it'll be my default game, at least for a while.

 

[Derren]

Your impression isn't accurate. If you like AD&D 2e with some baked in Moldvay Basic

And yet I don't see 5E doing anything to reverse the "damages" 4E did by expanding the skill play to have something to do besides combat without handwaving or otherwise open up more campaign options besides dungeon crawl with lots of combat against creatures with no other role than being a small speedbump and XP piniata.

Sure, there are optional rules, but I consider optional rules to be equal to houserules and why should I buy a game which I have to houserule right from the beginning?

 

[S'mon]

Pay to preview? I don't follow. I don't buy starter sets or beginner boxes, so maybe I'm missing an important difference?

Some starter sets don't look much different from free Quickstarts - WoTC ones tend to be just 2 levels, no proper chargen, monsters, treasure tables etc, and look like Quickstarts with a map & counters. Others like the Moldvay & Mentzer Basic sets or the Pathfinder Beginner Box are more substantial and can be used for long-term play.

 

[Greg K]

Your impression isn't accurate. If you like AD&D 2e with some baked in Moldvay Basic, in principle, aesthetic (at least in what appears to be the core game), you will very likely appreciate 5e. Its design ethos (Rulings Not Rules) and much of its archetecture (adventure rather than encounter/scene based design, lack of unified class.

2e is my second favorite edition and my house ruled 3e attempts to recapture the feel of 2e as played by my friends. 5e is not shaping up to be a game that I like. For myself, the designers are drawing from several editions. However, they are taking some of the best ideas of various editions only to implement them in the worst possible way. Then, they intermingle these with some of the worst ideas from those same editions...Others mileage may vary.

 

[Lhorgrim]

My name is Jay, and I have an (edition) gambling problem.

Its like pulling the handle one more time on a slot machine, or buying one more lottery ticket. Maybe this time I'll win big.
I would pre-order the core books right now if they were on Amazon. I've looked over the playtest packets, but I still don't have a good feel for what the final game will be like. I don't have a group playing any game system right now, so play test for me is really "read test".
And that is the main reason for the compulsive gamble. In my fantasy, new people will buy the new edition and there will suddenly be gamers looking for a group. In this fertile environment I will find a group that allows me to play (I just don't have time to DM anymore), has a play style similar to mine, and is made up of individuals that I don't mind sitting with for hours at a time.

The last edition that fulfilled that fantasy was 2E. It probably had more to do with having a stable group in college and a great DM than the game system, but I've never been able to score that feeling again. I've tried all the D&D editions, plus Pathfinder and several others. I had a small group that was having fun with Savage Worlds, but they got distracted by one of the new Magic the Gathering cycles and the game died.

So I'll buy the 5th Edition core, and maybe this time I'll win big. Don't pity me. I know that its irrational, but just the hope of getting that "college gaming group" feeling back has value to me. Even if I never get to play, I'll spend hours learning the rules, making PCs, and coming to ENWorld to discuss the system.

 

[sheadunne]

If they have a electronic pricing and availability model similar to Paizo (ie $50 core or a $10 PDF), I'll get it right away. Otherwise I'll wait and see. I'm not in a rush to invest in any hardback RPGs right now.

That said, I've yet to encounter an RPG (with possibly one or two excepts) that hasn't added something to my gaming experience. Even if I don't run or play it, I'll certainly be stealing something from it for use in my games.

 

[Erekose]

I'll buy the core rules but at this point that's probably about it.