What direction will D&D head in?

[Samurai]

My group seems a bit reluctant to try 4e, and have suggested waiting for 4.5 or 5e to see if it heads back in a "more roleplaying, less combat focused" direction. Personally, I don't think it will... I think it will continue on the path it's on, with a heavy focus on combat powers and relatively few utility powers and rituals in future editions, though inevitably supplements will expand the number of rituals (and possibly introduce some classes with more Utility powers than Attack powers).

What do you guys think? Where do you think it's headed? Any experience in using 4e with a group heavily focused on roleplaying and social encounters, with maybe 1 combat every 3-4 game sessions, and how well did it work?

 

[Teemu]

I think it will keep on treading that well-tried path of violence leading to personal enlightenment.

 

[GnomeWorks]

I think it will keep on treading that well-tried path of violence leading to personal enlightenment.

Heh.

As to the topic at hand - can we really say, at this point? Who honestly saw all the things they did in 4e coming?

I know I didn't.

We'll just have to wait and see. At this point, so hot on the heels of an edition change, it's difficult to see what they might do in the future. Give it a few years, and then - perhaps - some serious conjecture and theorizing may begin to pop up.

But, again, it might be moot to do so.

In short - who knows, man.

 

[lkjopajdowma]

Where does this "4e has no roleplaying" come from? I've played a few 4e sessions and my group has had tons of roleplaying.

The rules for D&D have always seemed "combat focused" to me, mainly because that's the part of the game that needs mechanics to handle it, whereas roleplaying is almost entirely up to the players to control.

All the "roleplaying mechanics" (diplomacy/intimidate/whatever) seem intact to me, and I could easily see playing a campaign focused heavily on roleplaying with few combats. Hell, now they actually give you guidelines for making social encounters skill challenges that can net XP for your characters.

It doesn't seem to me that they left roleplaying behind, but that's mainly due to the fact that I've never seen the need to have tons of rules for roleplaying...the players should be able to handle that themselves (especially if that's their preferred playstyle).

 

[GnomeWorks]

It doesn't seem to me that they left roleplaying behind, but that's mainly due to the fact that I've never seen the need to have tons of rules for roleplaying...the players should be able to handle that themselves (especially if that's their preferred playstyle).

If you want combat, then, why don't you break out the foam swords and chain shirts, and go it at? After all, if combat-heavy is your preferred playstayle, you should be able to handle that.

 

[Rechan]

You mean like the roleplayign skills of... non-weapon proficiencies? Or 'Roll a diplomacy. Okay, you win' of 3e?

 

[Vegepygmy]

Where does this "4e has no roleplaying" come from?

Why don't you start a new thread to discuss that, instead of highjacking this one?

To the OP, I agree with you. I see no reason to believe that the "direction" will change anytime soon. If, after a few years, 4E has failed to attract the new players it is hoping to draw in, and the large number of existing enthusiasts who have chosen to stick with 3e have continued to shun 4E, then perhaps the "direction" will shift back. But unless those two things occur, I doubt there will be any change.

 

[Maggan]

If, after a few years, 4E has failed to attract the new players it is hoping to draw in ...

Heh, with the brouhaha over 4e in other threads, I subconsciously read that as "after a few hours" and I thought, "man this guy is impatient!"

On the subject of direction change, I think D&D will continue much as it has in a general sense. The rules will change, but dungeon delving will be the basis of the experience. All else will be layered on top of that.

I think that we will see a "back to the roots" movement sometime along 6th or 7th edition, meaning that the old canon and even old rules will once again be used as a basis for a new edition, giving us a new "3rd" edition once again, so to speak. That will happen when, and if, new player aquisition is too low to sustain the current game, and the only hope for commercial survival (albeit at a lower level than now) will be to recapture the "old guard". Possibly this will occur after D&D changes ownership, or after the D&D roleplaying license is ... well, licensed out to Mongoose.

Nah. Not Mongoose. Possibly Kenzer, who would rebrand Hackmaster into AD&D 3rd edition. Or Troll Lord, or Paizo. That's at least 10 years down the road though.

/M

 

[Doug McCrae]

I think 5e will be a weird Forge-y strongly player empowering system with minis that a lot of people will say isn't a roleplaying game. 6e will be an MMORPG with user-generated content.

I will welcome both developments.

 

[Xyxox]

There will be no 4.5 according to ScottR.