Vaalingrade
Legend
Just like WOTC, not wanting a .5 edition to be a .5 edition doesn't stop it from being a .5 edition.
Conversely, wanting a non-.5 edition to be a .5 edition doesn't make it one, which is kind of my point here.Just like WOTC, not wanting a .5 edition to be a .5 edition doesn't stop it from being a .5 edition.
D&D Beyond is simply a non-starter. The majority of my characters are heavily homebrewed.Sure, and with D&D Beyond you don't need to. You can drop $2 for the character stuff and never look at the module. And people think microtransactions aren't already part of D&D. Ha.
It's easy to do home-brew characters in D&D Beyond; they let you integrate home-brew stuff right into it. I have tons of home-brew creatures and magic items, and I know that lots of people have home-brew character classes on there.D&D Beyond is simply a non-starter. The majority of my characters are heavily homebrewed.
However, the homebrewing system (which is what the staff of D&D Beyond use to add new official content to the site's character builder) is a complicated mess that takes forever to get any sort of mastery over. And is heavily restrictive in the kinds of things it allows.It's easy to do home-brew characters in D&D Beyond; they let you integrate home-brew stuff right into it. I have tons of home-brew creatures and magic items, and I know that lots of people have home-brew character classes on there.
We can go round and round on this, locked in eternal combat like Popeye and Bluto, butConversely, wanting a non-.5 edition to be a .5 edition doesn't make it one, which is kind of my point here.
But...?We can go round and round on this, locked in eternal combat like Popeye and Bluto, but
Still trying to come up with a better alternative. I love a good spinach quiche and a woman made of pipe cleaners.But...?
Perhaps, then, we should dig into the recipe. For a ".5 edition," I mean.Still trying to come up with a better alternative. I love a good spinach quiche and a woman made of pipe cleaners.
With WotC, you have to look to the other RPGs WotC was working on like Star Wars Saga to find that half-step Basic used to have.You specifically left out the B/X and BECMI lines, but they still had an influence in that they made the 0e-1e and 1e-2e transitions much smoother and less jarring; as all three of those editions borrowed from, lent to, and-or overlapped with B/X and BECMI in their design, adventures, etc.
WotC-era transitions haven't had this softening influence.
And d20 Modern. And to a lesser extent d20 Cthulhu. And d20 Wheel of Time. And those one shot d20 systems in the magazines. Although these and d20 Star Wars were more full on alternate d20 systems and not purposefully intros to D&D the way Basic D&D was.With WotC, you have to look to the other RPGs WotC was working on like Star Wars Saga to find that half-step Basic used to have.
Were you playing/DMing in the mid 1980s when Unearthed Arcana came out?Perhaps, then, we should dig into the recipe. For a ".5 edition," I mean. [...]
So. What were the relevant factors that made 3.5e a ".5 edition" to you? Which among them applied to Essentials, and how/why?
If I was, I was doing it in Heaven. In the "mid 1980s," I was at best a twinkle in my parents' no-longer-newlywed eyes. (I suppose it depends on your exact definition of "mid 1980s." If you take a very open view, you might possibly be able to squeeze the day of my birth in there...but only just.)Were you playing/DMing in the mid 1980s when Unearthed Arcana came out?
I was there for both.Were you playing/DMing in the mid 1980s when Unearthed Arcana came out?
If yes, I'd be interested in seeing your comparison between [pre- and post-UA 1e] and [pre- and post-Essentials 4e] in terms of how much each editoon changed on their release.
It's not a comparison I can make myself as I've never looked at Essentials.
See, I don't think this can be true. Because I figured it out pretty quickly, and I'm sort of an idiot with technology. Like, you should have seen me trying to master Roll20. Embarrassing.However, the homebrewing system (which is what the staff of D&D Beyond use to add new official content to the site's character builder) is a complicated mess that takes forever to get any sort of mastery over. And is heavily restrictive in the kinds of things it allows.
UA was exciting when it came out because it consolidated and made official a lot of stuff that had been happening over the years in Dragon magazine and had GG's name on it. There was a ton of fluidity in D&D, and in RPGs in general at the time, and it felt to me like the game was really in flux. It was moving towards allowing for a lot more character customization, so there was a portent of 2e, which had been rumoured for awhile (Gygax had been dropping hints in Dragon). So UA felt kind of like a stepping stone to the next thing.Were you playing/DMing in the mid 1980s when Unearthed Arcana came out?
If yes, I'd be interested in seeing your comparison between [pre- and post-UA 1e] and [pre- and post-Essentials 4e] in terms of how much each editoon changed on their release.
It's not a comparison I can make myself as I've never looked at Essentials.