D&D 5E Tempted to come back

[Queer Venger]

Hi. Even though I must have created the account on these boards quite some time ago, I've never been much of a poster. Recently I've been reading a bit about 5e and I must say I'm tempted to try it.

When I was at university I played D&D regularly (3.5 Oriental Adventures/L5R mix) but when I quit, 4e was about to be released and I've never gotten into it, both for the lack of interest on my part (didn't like what I read about that edition) and because I didn't have time or the opportunity to play with people.

There were certain things about 3.5 I didn't like (even though I have fond memories) like the sheer number of minmaxing options, illogical skills etc. I got the PF Core Rules which seemed to adress most of the gripes I had with 3.5. It really seemed like the better D&D. But it looks like Paizo is doing the same thing WotC is doing: pumping out book after book filled with more special rules, feats, spells, classes, etc.
But I like what I gatheted about 5e so far: streamlined, less magic, smaller numbers,...

I'm really thinking about buying the books and getting together a group (though I'm not keen on DMing but i know I might have to)

Now, the most important question would be the setting: I like(d) the Realms as they were during 3.5 but I despise what happened since. Never really liked Eberron. Greyhawk seems to be nice but I don't know nearly enough about it. What I'd like is a fantasy setting without 100 demihuman races, moderately magic, not too steampunk (Eberron would be an example of what I'd call Steampunk)
I remember I had (still have) a 3.5 sourcebook about the Silver Marches (Realms) which is really what I dig.
Is there anything on the horizon which might auit me?

Also welcome Reelo. I recently joined these boards after an extended hiatus from D&D (meaning I was not a fan of 3.5 & 4). Anyway, you'll get alot of great advice on these boards, everyone is helpful, supportive, friendly and lots of members are experts

As for the Realms, Ive decided to 'reboot' it. Meaning Im starting my 5e campaigns (the Lost Mine of Phandelver, Hoard of the Dragonqueen, etc) in the Realms circa 1373DR. Eberron is not capturing the high fantasy feel Im going for at the moment, but that is not to say I will not tell stories there (its more magic-steam-punk). In my Realms Im downplaying many of the uber powerful NPCS, meanng Elminster is not around, Drizzt is wandring doing his ranger stuff in the Silver Marches and the events of the novels have very minimal effects on my world (no earth-shattering, cataclysmic events either, meaning no spell plague, no dead magic zones, no 'Abeir" landing on top of the Realms, etc.).

So have fun, just tell your stories and make the rules work for you and your group.

 

[Heavy3p0]

Now, the most important question would be the setting: I like(d) the Realms as they were during 3.5 but I despise what happened since. Never really liked Eberron. Greyhawk seems to be nice but I don't know nearly enough about it. What I'd like is a fantasy setting without 100 demihuman races, moderately magic, not too steampunk (Eberron would be an example of what I'd call Steampunk)
I remember I had (still have) a 3.5 sourcebook about the Silver Marches (Realms) which is really what I dig.
Is there anything on the horizon which might auit me?

Not a fan of Forgotten realms myself, i much prefer Greyhawk. But you could always try making your own setting too. that way you get exactly what you want. Thats what i did for the 5e game I'm running now and so far everyone is enjoying it.

 

[reelo]

Not a fan of Forgotten realms myself, i much prefer Greyhawk. But you could always try making your own setting too. that way you get exactly what you want. Thats what i did for the 5e game I'm running now and so far everyone is enjoying it.

Yes. I cherish the FR but they're just too "over-the-top". Greyhawk (or even Mystara) seem much nicer, more "old-school" but I know far less about them.
Golarion is a lot like FR in that respect. I'd definitely want a setting where huge cities are rare and small villages or towns are the norm.
I could make up everything myself but that'd be an enormous task. I think I'll gather as much info on Greyhawk as I can and use the broad outlines of geography, races and politics while ditching all the details and making them up myself along the way.
*If* I am to DM for a group myself. One thing's for sure though: no Dragonborn, Tieflings, Aasimar or the likes.

 

[Werebat]

I got the PF Core Rules which seemed to adress most of the gripes I had with 3.5. It really seemed like the better D&D. But it looks like Paizo is doing the same thing WotC is doing: pumping out book after book filled with more special rules, feats, spells, classes, etc.

A word of advice: DO *NOT* go to the Paizo boards and suggest that this is the case. The Clique will take great pleasure in eviscerating you.

 

[reelo]

A word of advice: DO *NOT* go to the Paizo boards and suggest that this is the case. The Clique will take great pleasure in eviscerating you.

Don't worry, I didn't intend to. If I ever have to dm a PF campaign, I'll simply stick to Core and not allow the "advanced" books (or hand-pick stuff to allow from them).
The Core Rulebook is, after all, very well thought-out in my opinion. But I'll have to dig into 5e first and compare.

 

[Werebat]

Now, the most important question would be the setting: I like(d) the Realms as they were during 3.5 but I despise what happened since. Never really liked Eberron. Greyhawk seems to be nice but I don't know nearly enough about it. What I'd like is a fantasy setting without 100 demihuman races, moderately magic, not too steampunk (Eberron would be an example of what I'd call Steampunk)
I remember I had (still have) a 3.5 sourcebook about the Silver Marches (Realms) which is really what I dig.
Is there anything on the horizon which might suit me?

My favorite worlds have always been the ones I designed myself. It's OK to start small -- the local village where the PCs meet up, for example -- and work your way up. My last campaign setting came from a Civilization 4 expansion mod, which in turn was derived from some programmer's actual homebrew 3.5 D&D campaign setting. My next will borrow heavily from the old Master of Magic video game, as well as Dark Sun and the colors green and black.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

My favorite worlds have always been the ones I designed myself. It's OK to start small -- the local village where the PCs meet up, for example -- and work your way up. My last campaign setting came from a Civilization 4 expansion mod, which in turn was derived from some programmer's actual homebrew 3.5 D&D campaign setting. My next will borrow heavily from the old Master of Magic video game, as well as Dark Sun and the colors green and black.

One technique for world-generation that I enjoy is to generate some random encounters using (http://kobold.club/enc), and then rationalize backwards from there. "1 Githyanki Warrior, 1 Quaggoth Thonot, and a Rhinoceros of all things? Why would an 8th level party ever be fighting that? What could make Githyanki team up with Quaggoths? I guess... if a party of Githyanki had taken some Quaggoth slaves on a raid, but then got sucked through a dimensional portal and somehow got stranded on the prime material in a jungle, they might be forced to team up with each other to survive. And 100 years later you now have a unified, militaristic society consisting of hundreds of Gith and Quaggoths, and this is one of their scout parties." If I can't make myself believe it then I just reroll a new random encounter.

 

[Mephistopheles]

"1 Githyanki Warrior, 1 Quaggoth Thonot, and a Rhinoceros of all things?

A githyanki, a quaggoth, and a rhinoceros walk into a bar...

 

[Nebulous]

A word of advice: DO *NOT* go to the Paizo boards and suggest that this is the case. The Clique will take great pleasure in eviscerating you.

Really, they take offense being told that their game of choice has tons of supplements?

 

[aramis erak]

Really, they take offense being told that their game of choice has tons of supplements?

Pathfinder players tend to see that as neither (1) a problem for established players in finding rules
nor (2) a barrier to new players getting into the game system

But they also tend to not consider rules weight a problem nor to object to detailed rules.

If you go to a Pathfinder board and point out that those are issues, you'll touch a few nerves really hard....