Aberzanzorax
Hero
I had written something similar in this thread back in June:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/307836-what-if-instead-5e-addition.html
But I'll refine it now that we know a bit more.
How could the Mike Mearls articles and the modular style of 5e actually resolve edition wars and unify editions?
What would be amazing to see would be for WotC to release a beautiful and solid conversion device (including relevant/important fluff), so that anyone could buy a product from ANY edition and quickly and easily convert it to any other edition. Or, if they play it in 5e, it'd effectively be the same as that.
Then they release their full line of PDFs for sale (as part of D&Di or not) for all editions.
Suddenly, I can play 4e, buy a 1e adventure, and EVEN BETTER, IT IS AUTOCONVERTED TO 4E (or 4e style) by the device being computerized. I guess I'm suggesting, along with manual pen and paper, that people could buy an app/component of D&DI that would do the conversion for them.
Imagine if, as this series seems to hint, all editions truly could be unified as a "whole D&D" and anyone could play any adventure/class/kit/specialty priest/prestige class/paragon path in the edition of their choice.
If they could do THAT, I'd be back on board with WoTC big time, and I think it could do well to quiet a lot of the edition warring....and actually make new editions welcome rather than controversial. Plus, it would mean all new products they'd sell (an adventure for 5e, 6e, 7e etc) would be usable for people who play 1e, 2e, 3e, and 4e.
While I'd agree supporting out of print models in and of itself would not be lucrative for WotC, I'm not JUST suggesting that. I'm saying they would have a way to sell current material to people playing out of print editions. I'm also suggesting that classic adventures and their pdfs and such could be used (sold as new) for people playing the current edition.
I can imagine 5e being best done through an app or computer at the table, where each person has their own character sheet on it, maybe even in different "editions" and the computers "cross talk" so that each person only feels as though their playing their own edition.
But, I also think this would be doable manually by a DM. Some charts and specifics on conversion or modularity should be able to translate these things as a computer would.
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/307836-what-if-instead-5e-addition.html
But I'll refine it now that we know a bit more.
How could the Mike Mearls articles and the modular style of 5e actually resolve edition wars and unify editions?
What would be amazing to see would be for WotC to release a beautiful and solid conversion device (including relevant/important fluff), so that anyone could buy a product from ANY edition and quickly and easily convert it to any other edition. Or, if they play it in 5e, it'd effectively be the same as that.
Then they release their full line of PDFs for sale (as part of D&Di or not) for all editions.
Suddenly, I can play 4e, buy a 1e adventure, and EVEN BETTER, IT IS AUTOCONVERTED TO 4E (or 4e style) by the device being computerized. I guess I'm suggesting, along with manual pen and paper, that people could buy an app/component of D&DI that would do the conversion for them.
Imagine if, as this series seems to hint, all editions truly could be unified as a "whole D&D" and anyone could play any adventure/class/kit/specialty priest/prestige class/paragon path in the edition of their choice.
If they could do THAT, I'd be back on board with WoTC big time, and I think it could do well to quiet a lot of the edition warring....and actually make new editions welcome rather than controversial. Plus, it would mean all new products they'd sell (an adventure for 5e, 6e, 7e etc) would be usable for people who play 1e, 2e, 3e, and 4e.
While I'd agree supporting out of print models in and of itself would not be lucrative for WotC, I'm not JUST suggesting that. I'm saying they would have a way to sell current material to people playing out of print editions. I'm also suggesting that classic adventures and their pdfs and such could be used (sold as new) for people playing the current edition.
I can imagine 5e being best done through an app or computer at the table, where each person has their own character sheet on it, maybe even in different "editions" and the computers "cross talk" so that each person only feels as though their playing their own edition.
But, I also think this would be doable manually by a DM. Some charts and specifics on conversion or modularity should be able to translate these things as a computer would.