Should Organized Play Influence The Rules?

[Ahnehnois]

I'm sure that consistent, dynamic, and balanced rules help the organized play experience, as they help everyone. But "concessions"? No. They're talking about focusing on the core D&D experience, which is a group of friends in a room together, not strangers at a convention or people online. The game should be adaptible to those things, but not designed for them.

Perhaps the better question is, should WotC spend any kind of time and money to create and implement any form of organized play?

 

[Kingreaper]

There have to be rules that support organised play. Rules like Retraining don't get in the way even in home games, they provide a nice default-limit, which can still be broken as desired.

But the rules that support organised play can be, to some extent, modules. Because organised play is going to have to have a chosen set of modules.

 

[Alan Shutko]

The main thing the hobby should be focusing on is making WotC money right now because if 5E doesn't do well I'm really worried that D&D will be shelved.

I disagree. For me, a game that is written in a way that I don't want to play it is just as valuable as a game that doesn't exist. Either way, I'm not going to be playing it and will be playing something else. A game that is really successful at getting people to pay Wizards is not helpful for me running my home campaign if it's recruiting people who want to play in a drastically different style than I play at home.

I'm not saying it's bad, but I don't agree with the doom and gloom that "The hobby WILL DIE unless drastic action is taken that makes Hasbro keep Wizards alive." The industry side of it will shrink, certainly, but that doesn't have to affect my home game.

 

[the Jester]

NO, NO NO NO!!

An add-on module of "tourney rules" or "living rules" or whatever is fine, but HELL NO organized play shouldn't influence the game's rules.

 

[boredgremlin]

Absolutely not. Organized play sucks for one thing. For another its got a bunch of stuff thats no good at all for home games.

Its just a bad move business-wise. FLGS stores are dying, conventions dont happen that often and most gamers dont go even when they do happen. What does that leave for organized play? Libraries? Kind of a hassle and a lot of people dont want to play in a big public place with all those distractions. Same goes for dorm rooms or anyplace else that organized play can happen.

With the death of the FLGS I honestly think that organized play will die as well outside of online games.

 

[kitsune9]

I'm in the camp where OP should come after the rules are pretty much already done. Unless you're doing open playtesting and plan on culminating the feedback after each slot, that's about as useful OP will be; however, it needs to be significant. Playing for just four hours isn't enough. Playing a whole weekend of slots is better.

 

[Dausuul]

I voted "other." I would have said "somewhat," except for the "concessions" language; I don't want the quality of home play compromised in order to make organized play work. However, I'm fine with some thought and effort being put into the organized play side of the game.

IMO, the ultimate goal should be to make home play as much fun as possible, and then to make organized play as much like home play as possible.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Absolutely not. Organized play sucks for one thing.

Its just a bad move business-wise. FLGS stores are dying, conventions dont happen that often and most gamers dont go even when they do happen. What does that leave for organized play? Libraries? Kind of a hassle and a lot of people dont want to play in a big public place with all those distractions. Same goes for dorm rooms or anyplace else that organized play can happen.

With the death of the FLGS I honestly think that organized play will die as well outside of online games.

Speak for yourself. There are multiple thriving game stores in my area supported greatly by organized play.

I voted "Absolutely Not" because I don't believe the core game should be altered for this style of play. Those running Organized Play outlets should create their own "house rules" just like the rest of us do when they create the parameters of their campaign.

 

[marleykat]

I voted "other", I think that it should not be accounted for in the base rules at all but have sidebars saying "For RPGA play we suggest this....."

 

[AntiStateQuixote]

Other: give me a base game that does what D&D does. Provide a "organized play" module to handle book keeping and other necessities of OP.