D&D 5E (2014) Whats so hard about character creation?

[Grimmjow]

You pick a race, class, background, and a feat. Am i missing something? Why are people saying its so hard?

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Don't forget ability scores, subrace, class archetype, maneuver, cantrips, spells, and equipment. Then you need to note down your ability modifiers, weapon attack bonus, spellcasting bonus, skill die, skills, martial damage dice, martial damage bonus, racial traits, background trait, weapon and armor proficiencies, and class features.

As I said in another thread, it's not hard, but it's inelegant. A little bit of streamlining would go a long way.

 

[Sunseeker]

Don't forget ability scores

But we've always done that.

subrace

Which is really just part of picking your race and has been around for a long time.

class archetype

Which is really part of picking your class, which is nothing new.

maneuver

If you're a fighter yes, previously the fighter had precious little to choose from.

cantrips, spells,

Which caster classes have done for quite some time.

and equipment.

Which we've always done.

[quote[Then you need to note down your ability modifiers, weapon attack bonus, spellcasting bonus, skill die, skills, martial damage dice, martial damage bonus, racial traits, background trait, weapon and armor proficiencies, and class features.

As I said in another thread, it's not hard, but it's inelegant. A little bit of streamlining would go a long way.[/QUOTE]

Most of those things we've done for years.

Sure, it could be streamlined somewhat, but few of the things DDN asks us to do are new, nor particularly difficult.

 

[Grimmjow]

exactly my point. Its all just stuff that we have had to do before. In the end, in the released core, I'm sure most of the stuff will be on the same page or two. We wont have to go to different chapters of the book to find what we are looking for, it'll all be right there.

 

[GX.Sigma]

Most of those things we've done for years.

What's the point of a simple new edition if it's just as complicated as the last few?

 

[Grimmjow]

What's the point of a simple new edition if it's just as complicated as the last few?

but whats the fun of a simple edition? I like having my options

 

[GX.Sigma]

but whats the fun of a simple edition?

It's something that people have wanted (and have been unable to get) for over a decade.

 

[Grimmjow]

but why? if people want a simple RPG they can play WoW. I enjoy the complexity of having options. Or are we talking about two different types of complexity?

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Most of those things we've done for years.

Sure, it could be streamlined somewhat, but few of the things DDN asks us to do are new, nor particularly difficult.

Nor is any of this the end of the world. D&D has always been a rather haphazard game. But, you have to admit, each packet has introduced new subsystems, each one with it's own way of doing things.

This one took expertise dice and maneuvers, and turned them into martial damage dice, martial damage bonus, general and class maneuvers, parry as a fighter only ability, and rogue skill tricks. The latter two interface with a change to skills that resembles nothing else in the whole system. Each of these may have been done for a good reason, but it's far less elegant.

Another example is the presentation of specialties. Feats are now the core part of the system, and specialties are just packages. Before, specialties were the important part, and everything you needed to know was contained directly in the specialty.

The system as it stands lacks a sense of order, and that's the next thing I'd like to see addressed.

 

[Sunseeker]

What's the point of a simple new edition if it's just as complicated as the last few?

I was under the impression that DDN was advertized as the "flexible" edition, not the "simple" edition. Managing expectations is as important for the developer as it is for the consumer no?

It's something that people have wanted (and have been unable to get) for over a decade.

People have also wanted a pony, and world peace. We don't have those either. If you take the Core of almost any edition of D&D, you get a pretty simple game with easy character creation IMO. We're never going to have an edition that is Core and nothing more, plus really, if a "simple edition" was all people really wanted, the statement that "you've got WoW" is fairly on point. I don't consider WoW to be D&D, even if it shares some founding roots, so I find it unlikely that even folks who want a "simple edition" would be satisfied for long, then the splat would roll out, the expansions, the errata, etc...and then it wouldn't be the "simple edition" anymore.

So, as before, I suggest sticking to Core if you're looking for a "simple" edition.

Nor is any of this the end of the world. D&D has always been a rather haphazard game. But, you have to admit, each packet has introduced new subsystems, each one with it's own way of doing things.

While it has grown, that's expected. However, the point of the playtest is to well, playtest new ideas, and those can't be tested without being introduced in one of the various packets.

The system as it stands lacks a sense of order, and that's the next thing I'd like to see addressed.

Order is more easily implemented once you've figured out exactly what you want to have in the game.