D&D 5E The new Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set - and online tools?

[Kinak]

Well, in the announcement of the "D&D Adventurer's League," there's mention of a Player's Guide. It doesn't say anything about it containing character creation rules, but that does seem like the sort of thing they might be excited about.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[DMZ2112]

It seems likely...

People keep on using this phrase. I do not think it means what they think it means.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Tabletop rpgs should be playable with only pencil, paper, & dice. When electronic are required, and not supplementary to playing the game (including chargen) the game has ceased to be a tabletop rpg.

Producing an introductory set that fails to be a an actual tabletop rpg tells me that the company producing it really doesn't GET the most basic concept of tabletop rpgs, which is creating characters and having adventures.

So...wait. If I buy a copy of this boxed set and none of us have played D&D before and it has an adventure, a bunch of precon characters and the rules to the game. I then open it, read the rules and it says "Here's how to play, hand each of the players one of these characters, it'll tell them what their abilities are and what they can do. Then, run them through this adventure."

We sit down, I hand out the characters, we play to the end of the adventure, people roleplay their characters, they roll the included dice, everyone has fun. How is that not an RPG?

Then later, everyone says "Hey that was fun, oh...you can download more advanced rules from the internet which allow you to make up your own characters instead of using these premade characters. Awesome. And you can buy more adventures to play if you want. Or our DM can just use the monsters from the boxed set and keep running us through adventures he makes up.

 

[Mistwell]

What if, separate from the starter set, you can pick up for free a book that includes character generation rules, from any game store or any store already selling the starter set?

 

[jrowland]

It is gimped, though - most groups, let's be real, really most groups running 5E, are going to be using stuff like Feats, and other "optional" elements. So it's low-value to start with.

"Most groups running 5E" will be using the PHB,DMG, MM. Period. A theoretical free download of the "Basic" version is certainly a great option for people who only know the starter set. It's also a great option for "Advanced" groups who heavily modify their games as a SRD in many ways.

and

Sorry, I think we're talking at cross-purposes. I was discussing the theoretical free downloadable product, rather than the starter set, which I think you're meaning. But I could be confused!

The starter set would be of value, I agree (I mean, I presume it will be), but I don't think limited, downloadable rules will do much to propel D&D forwards into the future.

Orrrr do you know something we don't and the starter set will be $20 in print and $0 download? Dun dun DUUUUUUUN!

You're likely right that a theoretical free download will propel D&D forwards into the future. But that is a straw man: nobody is suggesting its a mechanism to propel D&D into the future. Only a way to get character creation rules before the PHB release. (among others proposed)

 

[Mistwell]

Sorry, imho, it's an add.

Oh I agree it's an add, I just don't agree that it's an ad.

 

[Thaumaturge]

Well, in the announcement of the "D&D Adventurer's League," there's mention of a Player's Guide. It doesn't say anything about it containing character creation rules, but that does seem like the sort of thing they might be excited about.

Cheers!
Kinak

I thought the same thing while reading that.

Thaumaturge.

 

[Mistwell]

Yeah I am starting to think it's a free book, available at all stores which also sell the starter set, which provides the character generation rules and introduces the Adventurer's League.

It's not in the starter set, because it's outside the set and available for free to anyone who wants it, so it can reach an even larger audience than just the starter set customers.

They even mention at the end of the Adventurer's League article, "Over the next several weeks, we’ll be exploring more aspects of the D&D Adventurers League and its play programs as we head towards launch in August. We’ll talk about how you can get involved, character creation rules, factions, and much more. "

That would make sense out of some things that have not made sense thus far.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Well, in the announcement of the "D&D Adventurer's League," there's mention of a Player's Guide. It doesn't say anything about it containing character creation rules, but that does seem like the sort of thing they might be excited about.

Cheers!
Kinak

The article just said the guide is to "to let you know how [the storyline] comes together." It sounds more like that Sundering facebook quiz than game rules.

 

[Patrick McGill]

Yeah I am starting to think it's a free book, available at all stores which also sell the starter set, which provides the character generation rules and introduces the Adventurer's League.

It's not in the starter set, because it's outside the set and available for free to anyone who wants it, so it can reach an even larger audience than just the starter set customers.

They even mention at the end of the Adventurer's League article, "Over the next several weeks, we’ll be exploring more aspects of the D&D Adventurers League and its play programs as we head towards launch in August. We’ll talk about how you can get involved, character creation rules, factions, and much more. "

That would make sense out of some things that have not made sense thus far.

At first I was thinking this is the best thing for everyone.

Then I realized people will probably still complain about it not being in the box, despite being free and available at the FLGS. (If this is indeed the situation.)

I can just imagine someone learning about this, shaking their head, and saying "Nope, still crippleware."