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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 3280843" data-attributes="member: 871">(Emphasis mine.)IMHO, this just won't happen.Any game system can ony go so far.  If it tries to focus on one element, it has to move away from including another.  And, as it is, there will be those gamers out there who'll always say "Why can't D&D be more like ________?".  Each game system out there has it's strengths & weaknesses, and there'll never be a perfect game system, because each person's perception of what "perfect" is will be different.  And, having the option to have D&D have more elements which could make it more like X may not be enough for those gamers, because those options still may not go far enough.  There'll always be those gamers who'll think the system isn't complex enough, or isn't simplistic enough, or should be skill-based instead of class-based, or be more flexible, or more set in stone, or etc....Honestly, I think 3.X's consideration of balance is a good thing, because it's lousy to think that your PC isn't that great & is limited just because you picked the wrong race/class combo, even though you wanted to play that certain mix because it appealed to you initially.  The severe lack of in-game balance (or an effort to really make in-game balance) is what drove me away from Palladium products, and it easily explains the ridiculous popularity of the umpteen subraces of elves and numerous monster PCs (like half-ogres, minotaurs, and thri-kreen) played by various other players in 2nd ed. AD&D games back in the day.Sorry, bit of a tangent on my part.If you really want to go the technical route, then potentially the NEXT BIG THING, or the next big thing a few next big things down the line from now, would be the totally-immersive online gaming experience.  Playing MMORPGs using virtual reality hardware instead of a keyboard, mouse, game controller, monitor, & other traditional computer input/output devices.Or, OTOH, the potential Next Big Thing is already out there, but it's going to take a bit more time & the right things to gel--no-fee MMORPGs.  Guild Wars fits this bill, but it's not WoW.  But imagine a no-fee WoW MMORPG, Everquest, or City of Heroes.  Or, a no-fee D&D MMORPG, perhaps built off of the Neverwinter Nights games, or using a lot of the big/good/popular innovations from many past D&D CRPGs used towards a new flagship D&D CRPG/MMORPG title.Maybe add to this the use of consoles instead of computers, utilizing a floorpad (akin to something for DDR) with a pair of motion-sensitive hand controls (like the Wiimote & Nunchuk).  Add a voice controller for online communication with other players & interaction with game elements/mechanics.  So, in the end, you'd have a cool, extensive MMORPG game that you actually get up & play for the most part, AND on top of all that, there's absolutely NO silly monthly fee to play the game--just the initial cost for the game itself (and the console & controllers).<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Perhaps the Next Big Thing RPG-wise could be a general d20 System which uses the same system for all & any WotC games (and no longer have the "Big 3" similar-yet-distinct WotC d20 games of D&D, Star Wars, and d20 Modern).It usually seems that a lot of Next Big Things seem to be a sort-of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup sort of fusion of existing ideas ("You got peanut butter on me chocolate!" "You got chocolate on my peanut butter!").  CCGs are basically a fusion between playing cards and collectible cards.  Collectible minis games seem to be a fusion between CCGs and minis gaming.  Heck, D&D originally was a fusion between minis wargaming & fantasy fiction.  CRPGs were just a fusion between RPGs and computers.  It's usually something not made from whole cloth, but instead pieced together from things already out there.  Which is why, of course, a lot of people wind up slapping themselves on the heads & say "Why didn't I think of that?" when it comes out.</blockquote>

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