D&D 5E We've had dragons, elementals, and demons - so what iconic evil is next?

[Parmandur]

Oh, a personal anecdote. Well that certainly means all customers are like you. My life is ashame. Looks like suicide again for me.



Anyway, introducing some relevant facts here, considering Stewart said that people who played the game for less than 5 years represent one fifth of those who bought the core books, I would say that at 80% old foggies are an important potential source of revenues when it comes to the RPG. Unless you see a shrinking market (contradicted by ICv2).

*shrug*

So older players don't play video games, or like giants?

 

[Parmandur]

It's been presented weirdly in the past, but 5e psionics would probably be easy to grasp as anything else in that edition (pretty simple)

Been different in every edition so far; that leaves room for reinvention.

 

[SoulsFury]

Halflings.

For a change, they could introduce a campaign where the players are not heroes by default.

Any campaign is going to naturally assume the characters are going to win. So... how is this possible? Care to elaborate on how to sell a successful book where the characters do nothing important?

 

[Ravenheart87]

Any campaign is going to naturally assume the characters are going to win.

In my campaigns I never assume anything, especially not winning - survival is a reward on it's own. There's a chance of failure and I don't create goals for my players - it's their job to find one for themselves. I find it far more satisfying to reach your own goals than one that was written by someone else for you. Of course this needs players who have some ideas about what they want to achieve with their character, and aren't just here for another fantasy theme park ride about saving the world.

So... how is this possible? Care to elaborate on how to sell a successful book where the characters do nothing important?

Not being a hero doesn't mean doing nothing. I think you misunderstood what I wrote. What I wanted to say is I'd like to see a campaign where the goal is not saving the world from another great evil, but something more grounded, and where there is no clear line between good and evil, heroes and villains. Something influenced by sword & sorcery literature or Game of Thrones. Finding an artifact for your own profit, taking part in the war between two factions, becoming a major power in an area, conquering and taming a wild barbaric area, and so on. Or just give me a fun dungeon I can put in my campaign with crazy monsters and loot.

 

[Ravenheart87]

Chris Perkins was asked point blank about that on Twitter, and his answer was very firm: WOTC will not do villain stories, period, he described it as something for home game experimentation that they will not support.

See my previous post. No need to be villains. There are shades of gray and there can be different (personal) goals than saving the world and fighting another big bad boss of the FR.

 

[SoulsFury]

Halflings.

For a change, they could introduce a campaign where the players are not heroes by default.

In my campaigns I never assume anything, especially not winning - survival is a reward on it's own. There's a chance of failure and I don't create goals for my players - it's their job to find one for themselves. I find it far more satisfying to reach your own goals than one that was written by someone else for you. Of course this needs players who have some ideas about what they want to achieve with their character, and aren't just here for another fantasy theme park ride about saving the world.


Not being a hero doesn't mean doing nothing. I think you misunderstood what I wrote. What I wanted to say is I'd like to see a campaign where the goal is not saving the world from another great evil, but something more grounded, and where there is no clear line between good and evil, heroes and villains. Something influenced by sword & sorcery literature or Game of Thrones. Finding an artifact for your own profit, taking part in the war between two factions, becoming a major power in an area, conquering and taming a wild barbaric area, and so on. Or just give me a fun dungeon I can put in my campaign with crazy monsters and loot.

I'm not saying characters should automatically survive, but those that do, want a reward, for the most part. When I run a sandbox campaign, my players pretty much create everything, but I also do not run a sandbox campaign that was bought. I don't think it is possible to write a generic adventure that doesn't have some kind of preset goal. Finding an artifact, winning a war for one side, becoming a major power, taming barbarians, and so on make the characters heroes. I think what you are asking for is generic maps with keyed encounters to them. That by definition is not what a campaign or even an adventure is. That is something you have to create for your players, based on the players and their characters. No one can write that for you.

 

[CapnZapp]

He did say that, but I'm not sure he said "right after Alice". Giant/Titan themed AP is probably set for next year, but we can guess the second one! Althought it seems odd that they would have an AP about giants so soon after Paizo's giant themed AP.

Why would they care what Paizo does?

 

[Ravenheart87]

No one can write that for you.

Interestingly TSR, Judges Guild, Goodman Games wrote plenty of adventure sites I could use.

 

[Mephista]

Been different in every edition so far; that leaves room for reinvention.

So far in 5e, its now a warlock subclass!

 

[justinj3x3]

So far in 5e, its now a warlock subclass!

... and Mephista loves warlocks!.... and tieflings...