WotC What Official 5E non-D&D Game Do You Want To See from WotC?

[Tonguez]

Metamorphosis Alpha

although this poll has made me nostalgic for Boot Hill (though it would probably never get played - does anyone play Western RPGs?)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Metamorphosis Alpha

although this poll has made me nostalgic for Boot Hill (though it would probably never get played - does anyone play Western RPGs?)

The Red Dead franchise is pretty popular, and I have seen some other RPG adjacent computer games, such as Weird West. I see no reason a Western RPG couldn't be popular, especially if they mix in fantasy elements.

 

[Faolyn]

The Red Dead franchise is pretty popular, and I have seen some other RPG adjacent computer games, such as Weird West. I see no reason a Western RPG couldn't be popular, especially if they mix in fantasy elements.

It would have to be pretty different from Deadlands to break into that niche, I'd think.

 

[Reynard]

It would have to be pretty different from Deadlands to break into that niche, I'd think.

DCC has a Weird West book.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

but assuming they were going to stick pretty close to the 5E system as a base

Then I say "WotC should stick to D&D".

d20 Modern was a beautiful trash fire. Like, maybe the fire smelled okay, and it had cool colours, and the trash bin it was in was pretty cool-looking, but it was a trash-fire nonetheless. There was literally nothing good about the system (the art/layout was fine at least!). I double-checked this like two years ago, because I thought "Surely this can't be as bad as I remember, look at this pleasant art, it's just d20 bitterness!".

Nope lol.

I was right the first time, it's purely awful and incredibly, incredibly bad at what its stated purpose is, which is basically to emulation action-adventure movies and TV. It could hardly be more ill-suited for that. This is what happens when you arbitrarily "stick close" to a system even though it's totally inappropriate for what you're trying to do. The sad thing is, you can make a decent d20 game about that subject matter, but you need to be willing to depart a lot further than they were.

So any non-setting-specific 5E Modern or 5E Sci-fi is going to eat dirt the same exact way d20 Modern did. Star Frontiers likely would too, though perhaps they could make it work. Star Wars d20 was a significant deviation and still not quite enough of a deviation to work, and likewise a 5E Star Wars that didn't deviate would just be D&D in a Jedi robe. Also Jedi/Force Users would almost certainly be objectively better classes than all the rest.

Gamma World would probably be fine but I'm just not interested.

The Red Dead franchise is pretty popular, and I have seen some other RPG adjacent computer games, such as Weird West. I see no reason a Western RPG couldn't be popular, especially if they mix in fantasy elements.

Do you honestly think 5E is going to be the system for that, though? We'll have people getting shot like 20 times and being fine by level 8, and the whole thing will be deep into "farce" territory, and not in a good way. If they deviated hard from 5E and did a sort of E6-ish thing I could see it working but the OP's position is that they don't.

 

[Reynard]

I think it is interesting that Star Frontiers has a fanbase. I played it way back when, too, but I can't say anything except the races have stick with me. I don't remember anything about the setting or system. I think Star*Drive was a far superior setting and would love to see it revived.

 

[Parmandur]

I voted Gamma World, Star Frontiers...and Boot Hill.

Those are the three non-D&D TSR RPGs for sale on the DMsGuild, so they are maintaining the trademark and copyright for them. I'd buy 5E versions of each.

 

[Parmandur]

It would have to be pretty different from Deadlands to break into that niche, I'd think.

"This one is for D&D" would do the trick.

 

[Parmandur]

Then I say "WotC should stick to D&D".

d20 Modern was a beautiful trash fire. Like, maybe the fire smelled okay, and it had cool colours, and the trash bin it was in was pretty cool-looking, but it was a trash-fire nonetheless. There was literally nothing good about the system (the art/layout was fine at least!). I double-checked this like two years ago, because I thought "Surely this can't be as bad as I remember, look at this pleasant art, it's just d20 bitterness!".

Nope lol.

I was right the first time, it's purely awful and incredibly, incredibly bad at what its stated purpose is, which is basically to emulation action-adventure movies and TV. It could hardly be more ill-suited for that. This is what happens when you arbitrarily "stick close" to a system even though it's totally inappropriate for what you're trying to do. The sad thing is, you can make a decent d20 game about that subject matter, but you need to be willing to depart a lot further than they were.

So any non-setting-specific 5E Modern or 5E Sci-fi is going to eat dirt the same exact way d20 Modern did. Star Frontiers likely would too, though perhaps they could make it work. Star Wars d20 was a significant deviation and still not quite enough of a deviation to work, and likewise a 5E Star Wars that didn't deviate would just be D&D in a Jedi robe. Also Jedi/Force Users would almost certainly be objectively better classes than all the rest.

Gamma World would probably be fine but I'm just not interested.


Do you honestly think 5E is going to be the system for that, though? We'll have people getting shot like 20 times and being fine by level 8, and the whole thing will be deep into "farce" territory, and not in a good way. If they deviated hard from 5E and did a sort of E6-ish thing I could see it working but the OP's position is that they don't.

I thinkntheybwould work if they are presented as D&D Settings with a good number of variant rules. So, Boot Hill is a Western setpiece, but Wizards and Dragons can enter the picture at any time. Zany? Yes. But it would fit with the Spelljammery miltiverse approach.

 

[Reynard]

I thinkntheybwould work if they are presented as D&D Settings with a good number of variant rules. So, Boot Hill is a Western setpiece, but Wizards and Dragons can enter the picture at any time. Zany? Yes. But it would fit with the Spelljammery miltiverse approach.

I don't think so -- or at least, that's not the way I would prefer it. All the rules to play in D&Deadlands should be in the D&Deadlands book.