D&D 5E Why not Alternity? (Or, will or how might WotC do SF?)

[Stormonu]

Alternity is no longer owned by WotC (and a 2nd edition for it exists, BTW, under it’s current owners).

I would like to see a Sci-Fi offering from the makers of D&D, but more like Star Frontiers and not like Starfinder. I don’t particularly want it to use the class and level engine either - I’d rather a more free-form approach to accumulating skills and talents that can be advanced seperately without putting characters into some arbitrary box or artifically restricted “level”.

P.S.: Bring back Gamma World would be nice too. The 4E version was … not what I wanted.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

*Alternity - a SF cap-system that offers a variety of settings of SF sub-genres, in a somewhat similar way that D&D offers different flavors of fantasy via its settings. But each setting would likely be "one and done," like D&D, or rather "two and done" (setting and story arc) as there wouldn't necessarily be a default setting like there is with D&D.

*D&D in Space - a singular game and setting of science fantasy that is developed through story arcs, ala the Realms with D&D.

Well, now you're talking essentially about releasing an entire new product line. I definitely don't see that in the cards.

The best I'm willing to hope for is a rules book with a handful of classes, new races, and a little fluff on creating a Sci-Fi setting (using Star Frontiers world as an example). Then a short adventure included. Essentially, trying to smoosh the PHB, DMG, and an adventure into one condensed book, with the implication that the owner has the D&D core books.

Anything more than that... yeah, it won't happen. Too much risk involved as Davies says.

If that one book sells like hotcakes, then they'd pursue more setting/adventures, but that's an if.

 

[Fenris-77]

Planejammer!

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Unless sales show any sign of slowing down, why would WotC bother? It'd sure be a more interesting hobby if its biggest company had a more diverse output, but people simply love stabbing stuff in dungeons, and also pretending that stabbing a vampire in a spooky manor means you're in a different genre than when you stab a kobold in a dank cavern.

 

[Fenris-77]

What if I stab a dank Kobold in a spooky manor? Is that cross-genre?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Disney doesn't want Hasbro to produce a new brand as potential rival of Star Wars.

Today players would ask mind-upload and digital inmortality like in Eclipse Phase RPG and Altered Carbone.

With high-tech weapons you can kill dinosaurs, megafaun and kaijus with only one-shot. This means you can't use the old system of XPs reward/Changueling Rating of d20 System.

The most likely will be a TTRPG based in the future sci-fi videogame being developed by Archetype Entertaiment.

I imagine Gamma World like the middle step between D&D and d20 Future. And this has got lot of antropomorphic animals, perfect to be sold as action figures. Do you remember Batle-Beasts?

 

[Fenris-77]

Disney doesn't want Hasbro to produce a new brand as potential rival of Star Wars.

Today players would ask mind-upload and digital inmortality like in Eclipse Phase RPG and Altered Carbone.

With high-tech weapons you can kill dinosaurs, megafaun and kaijus with only one-shot. This means you can't use the old system of XPs reward/Changueling Rating of d20 System.

The most likely will be a TTRPG based in the future sci-fi videogame being developed by Archetype Entertaiment.

I imagine Gamma World like the middle step between D&D and d20 Future. And this has got lot of antropomorphic animals, perfect to be sold as action figures. Do you remember Batle-Beasts?

This seems oddly narrow as a set of notions. Even in high-tech settings, Kaiju don't usually get one-shotted by guns. I agree about the XP system generally though, of course I don't even use for D&D, so there's that.

 

[Azzy]

With high-tech weapons you can kill dinosaurs, megafaun and kaijus with only one-shot.

Have you even watched any kaiju movies? High-tech weapons short of actual mecha are useless (and even mecha can't one-shot kaiju).

 

[Grendel_Khan]

What if I stab a dank Kobold in a spooky manor? Is that cross-genre?

Now you're talking!!

If you stabbed a well-appointed kobold in breeches and a powdered wig while he wandered his romantic rival's spooky manse I'd say you invented a whole new genre. Maybe the best one.

 

[Fenris-77]

Now you're talking!!

If you stabbed a well-appointed kobold in breeches and a powdered wig while he wandered his romantic rival's spooky manse I'd say you invented a whole new genre. Maybe the best one.

We need to write this...