D&D 5E State of D&D

[Awesome Adam]

The replayable book is very likely the same as the horror book - a new take on Ravenloft. One of the key features of the original "I6 Ravenloft" module was the randomising element at the start which controlled some aspects of the adventure, and it's very likely any new version would have something similar.

It is, of course, possible that I'm wrong about that.

That would be pretty cool. I've never been a big fan of Raveloft, but I'd be up for playing the D&D equivalent of Groundhog Day

 

[Staffan]

That would be pretty cool. I've never been a big fan of Raveloft, but I'd be up for playing the D&D equivalent of Groundhog Day

They did the same thing in the 3.5e version (Expedition to Castle Ravenloft). There are (IIRC) six different twists on the main plot (what does Strahd want from the characters?), and numerous variations on where you can find various plot coupons (how to remove certain buffs Strahd possesses, where to find the vampire-killing weapon, where will Strahd be when the PCs first enter the castle, and so on). These are revealed (in cryptic form) via a card reading early on.

 

[darjr]

Well the OGL for 5e and the dmguild shows some of what they have been working on. It's kinda a big deal.

 

[seebs]

Huh, apparently they agreed with the evaluation that these things would serve the community better without the "you must do X to play" rule:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3154-Adventurers-League-Adventures-Now-Available-To-All

 

[darjr]

The latest D&D podcast has Mearls talking about how even now they are in a bit of a shock at how good 5e is selling, specifically he points out the ranking and sales of Amazon. Sadly he doesn't give any sales figures.

 

[darjr]

http://www.novelrank.com/asin/0786965606

I wonder how they know when a book is sold.

Says 405 were sold in December and so far in Jan 227 but with a note that the real number is likely much higher.

edit:
Oh, it's in their faq.

"Book sales estimates are still estimates, and for books selling a low volume ( less than 100 copies a month for instance ) the estimates are most likely accurate within 1%. In the end, it is all based on sales rank changes rather than sales numbers, and NovelRank should not be used to dispute hard sales figures from publishers or Amazon."

Edit:
And that 227 and 405 were in the US only. 2224 in Dec and so far 1803 this month.

 

[cmad1977]

Not surprised. It seems to be the most accessible RPG on the market.
Star Wars comes close, though the dice mechanic I think is a little off putting for new players.

 

[Rhenny]

Not surprised. It seems to be the most accessible RPG on the market.
Star Wars comes close, though the dice mechanic I think is a little off putting for new players.

We played the Edge of the Empire Star Wars game and had a good time with it as a way to break up the D&D. I do admit that as a player, what I found most difficult to get used to was when and how to use light side points to change the narrative. One of the other players was really good at bending a story and a situation using the light side points so he basically took control. I bet I'd have the same difficulty as a DM using dark side points as well. I also found that there were too many die rolls that included minor mishaps that needed to be interpreted. I guess with more practice it would get easier to deal with, but for our first few games it seemed a little overwhelming.

Overall, I think 5e has a good blend of success and failure, and it seems about as demanding to play as a player makes it. If a player wants to manipulate rules and try different things there are classes that encourage that. If a player wants to play a simple, less mind-bending game, it is certainly possible too.