D&D 5E Why I Think D&DN is In Trouble

[Halivar]

The default setting for 3e was Greyhawk.

I understand that. I am saying that if you didn't play pre-3E you would have no way of knowing that at all.

EDIT: As a matter of fact, I didn't know it was Greyhawk until I found out on these very boards.

I think you are confusing cosmology with setting, in which case core 3e was tied quite tightly to the Great Wheel and all it's smörgåsbord of planes and politics.

I never got a copy of Manual of the Planes, so I never saw material about the Great Wheel in depth, other than some planes being mentioned in monster stat blocks. The core 3 books have a diagram of the Great Wheel, and nothing more.

I found 4es cosmology to be a breath of fresh air compared to the Great Wheel and and the weight that went along with it, especially for homebrews.

The Astral Sea was indeed so much better of an idea, and I hope D&DN keeps it.

 

[Mistwell]

I think 5e is in trouble because there is profusion of people believing them to be in trouble.

Can you support your claim it is a "profusion" of people? I think it's a rather small number of people, relative to the marketplace. Profusion suggests "an abundance or large quantity" of people that have that view, and I just don't see it as being that.

The "all things to all people" ideal has been proven to be utterly impossible, however admirable, as a goal.

You physically cannot prove it impossible, until the game actually comes out and we see what happens with it.

The divergent playstyles of today's gaming community have thoroughly made themselves [not the game, mind! we gamers have done this to ourselves...willingly!] mutually exclusive.

It is in trouble, no doubts.

The basis of your conclusion seems to contain serious doubts about both planks that form that conclusion. So, I'd say there is doubt.

 

[Dausuul]

I think 5e is in trouble because there is profusion of people believing them to be in trouble.

The "all things to all people" ideal has been proven to be utterly impossible, however admirable, as a goal. The divergent playstyles of today's gaming community have thoroughly made themselves [not the game, mind! we gamers have done this to ourselves...willingly!] mutually exclusive.

It is in trouble, no doubts.

So, because 5E is never going to get every single gamer to play it, it's doomed to failure? Please. There were lots of people who never made the jump from AD&D to 3E, does that mean 3E was a failure? If 5E gets most 4E players and a large chunk of Pathfinder players on board--or vice versa--it will be fine. And despite people asserting otherwise, I've yet to see any hard data indicating that 4E players will not switch. All I've seen are anecdotes, and my anecdotes say 4E players are gung-ho for Next.

 

[Wulfgar76]

Shouldn't this thread be titled: Why I don't like WotC and hope DDN fails.

 

[DEFCON 1]

All I've seen are anecdotes, and my anecdotes say 4E players are gung-ho for Next.

My anecdotes say Earthdawn players are gung-ho for Next.

 

[DMZ2112]

There is some crazy nonsense going on at Wizards/Hasbro right now vis a vis D&D. There's a legal battle going on over the movie rights. Hasbro is launching D&D LEGOs this month, for gods' sake. For all we know D&D5 will launch in August 2014 with -- surprise -- the full Hasbro marketing juggernaut behind it, and at that point the game could literally be printed on bathroom tissue with excrement and it would still reconquer the hobby and possibly also a few third world nations, just for good measure.

Your opinions are noted. I'll see you at GenCon Drizztstan in 2015.

 

[King Stag]

13th Age is Next

I liked Pathfinder okay, I love 4E, but have not found anything exciting about Next. I will likely buy it out of loyalty but everything I wanted Next to be is what I found in 13th Age.

It really feels like a wonderful old-school 4e blend and plays like it. It also doesn't ruin my enthusiasm for powers and monster building that built with 4e. Most importantly for me and new gamers 13th Age starts fast and plays fast. I started an RPG club at my school and my students dig games that allow them to start and play quickly and simply.

Next, unlike 13th Age, feels just meh. Nothing really new or exciting.

 

[Halivar]

Next, unlike 13th Age, feels just meh. Nothing really new or exciting.

I yet still hold out hope for 13th Age style Backgrounds. Those hopes shall not be crushed until I buy the books. Hope springs eternal, yada, yada, yada...

 

[tangleknot]

Lego's... wow...

Maybe this why they killed off the D&D miniature lines... Now each game we will literally have to "Build the encounters"

lol

Yep the brand is still strong, and D&D next will sell very well this summer.

 

[DaveMage]

They don't forbid them, but their employment contract claims ownership of them if you develop them while working for WotC.

Well, there you go.

Thanks for clarifying!