D&D 5E The Mainstreaming of D&D

[Ralif Redhammer]

There were a lot of things I liked about the WiiU, but yeah, it did not set the world alight like the Wii or the Switch. There's a saying I'm fond of quoting: "No one ever got better at something by succeeding every time." Quality is an iterative process, and you don't always get it right.

Failiure is an important part of the process of finding good ideas. If you're too scared of another WiiU you're never gonna make a Switch.

The last time D&D got me excited was yesterday. I'd had a rough day and was utterly spent and drained. Had no idea how I was going to make it through running the session, but when I sat down to play, all that slipped away and I was so cheered by the time the session was done. So looking forward to next week's session.

Slightly loaded question here, but when was the last time D&D got you excited and inspired? I'm something of an old-timer, but even for me D&D was always the boring old default, a stodgy old system and style of play that didn't speak to me or the stories I was interested in. I think the OSR has sort of opened my eyes to just how much D&D has, in fact, changed over the decades that I stopped paying attention to it--and based on your original post, it sounds like what you're pining for is exactly the sort of transgressive, dangerous stuff that OSR is all about.

 

[Reynard]

I do think it is perfectly natural for people of one generation to not necessarily be enthralled with the next generation's take on things they themselves enjoy. It happens with everything. The degree to which any individual emraces or rejects those things (in either generational direction) varies, of course, and isn't monolithic. I might dislike the general aesthetic but really enjoy the emergent narrative focused playstyle, for example. But I don't feel bad about it, in any case.

 

[Oofta]

I do think it is perfectly natural for people of one generation to not necessarily be enthralled with the next generation's take on things they themselves enjoy. It happens with everything. The degree to which any individual emraces or rejects those things (in either generational direction) varies, of course, and isn't monolithic. I might dislike the general aesthetic but really enjoy the emergent narrative focused playstyle, for example. But I don't feel bad about it, in any case.

It's a tale as old as time. According to Socrates:

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.​

 

[Yora]

There's an even older one from the Bavylonians or Egyptians.

 

[Reynard]

It's a tale as old as time. According to Socrates:

The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.​

This is a) not really the same thing, and b) apocryphal.

 

[Oofta]

This is a) not really the same thing, and b) apocryphal.

It may not have been the exact wording, but it is a summation of general complaints.

I think at one point in our history there was probably some elder looking at those idiot children walking around, wandering out onto the plains and shaking their heads because staying in the trees was better.

But it's not like it's monolithic in any case. Things change, things stay the same, people will always play the game for different reasons and with different styles no matter the age group. I'm just happy D&D is not dying.

 

[Undrave]

Another thing I just thought about...

The more popular D&D get, the more WOTC will want to capitalize on their IP as opposed to more generic fantasy stuff. A reason why the Dragonborn and Tiefling were in the 4e PHB (instead of the classic Half-Orc and Gnomes) and then in the 5e PHB is that 'Tiefling' and 'Dragonborn' are races you can copyright.

It's not a concern I have, myself, but I can see some people feeling like their classic favourites are being left behind for more outlandish original IPs.

 

[reelo]

Another thing I just thought about...

The more popular D&D get, the more WOTC will want to capitalize on their IP as opposed to more generic fantasy stuff. A reason why the Dragonborn and Tiefling were in the 4e PHB (instead of the classic Half-Orc and Gnomes) and then in the 5e PHB is that 'Tiefling' and 'Dragonborn' are races you can copyright.

It's not a concern I have, myself, but I can see some people feeling like their classic favourites are being left behind for more outlandish original IPs.

Same as what Games Workshop has done with its Warhammer races.

 

[The Green Hermit]

The one that gets my goat is the windows phone. The one I had was the best smart phone I’ve ever had. Outside of phones the one that annoys me the most is the Zune. IMO It was the vastly superior music device but Apple just crushed the market with a slick looking mediocre piece of technology.

Apple products in general are overpriced and overrated.

 

[RFB Dan]

Apple products in general are overpriced and overrated.

For the most part yes. But my iPod Classic is a 10-year-old workhorse. Which is good, because all my music wouldn't fit on my phone; the 250gb Classic may still be the only thing I can house all that on.