Will trying to maintain legacy and the "feel" of D&D hurt innovation?

[Guest 85555]

Honest question. What separates D&D from Runequest or MERP, aside from the basic mechanics of SDCIWC, hit points, AC and Saving Throws?

These are the big differences that come to mind for runequest

Levels
D&D doesn't have hit location
Classes
Vancian magic (RQ uses spell points)
Core mechanic
Cults
RQ is skill-based

MERP, I am less familiar with. I played it though and it was definitely a different experience than D&D. It uses the rolemaster system which Does have levels (however I seem ti recall these a bit distinct from the D&D approach to leveling) but uses a percentile core mechanics and is known for its critical hit tables. It also has actual injuries your character can suffer from combat. Like RQ it is skill based. pretty sure it had three types of magic.

 

[Spatula]

Honest question. What separates D&D from Runequest or MERP, aside from the basic mechanics of SDCIWC, hit points, AC and Saving Throws?

What seperates D&D from a lot of other FRPGs is that D&D is pretty much it's own sub-genre. Wizards that can do everything but heal or bring back the dead, priests that are very martial in their heavy armor and swinging their mace, two-weapon fighting rangers, musicians running around the dungeon with their lute, kung-fu monks in a pseudo-European setting, the various iconic monsters... (beholder, mind flayer, etc.) That's before you get to any mechanical differences - of which there are plenty with Rolemaster. Runequest I'm not very familiar with.

 

[hanez]

What seperates D&D from a lot of other FRPGs is that D&D is pretty much it's own sub-genre. Wizards that can do everything but heal or bring back the dead, priests that are very martial in their heavy armor and swinging their mace, two-weapon fighting rangers, musicians running around the dungeon with their lute, kung-fu monks in a pseudo-European setting, the various iconic monsters... (beholder, mind flayer, etc.) That's before you get to any mechanical differences - of which there are plenty with Rolemaster. Runequest I'm not very familiar with.

D&D is its own fantasy subgenre, exactly. When we talk about how it should relate to tolkien etc, we miss the point. It RELATED to Tolkien and other fantasy topics when it was made, now it nas enough fans and cultural head space that it need only relates to itself for justification. It has all the Forgotten Realms, RA Salvatore, Dragonlance, Weiss and Hickman, Dark Sun, Spell Jammer fanst to also stay true to while staying true to fans who know of fantasy only because of D&D.

I mean really, I know many people who have hundreds of books, but only ones that say "forgotten realms" and dragonlance on the side.

 

[billd91]

Wizards can get the Pathfinder audience with 2 simple steps:
1: Fuller products
2: lower prices.

Wow. Not even close.

Sure are there system differences? Of course. But when I go to the bookstore you know the major difference I see between Paizo and WOTC? The size and the price. You get more for less with Paizo than pretty much any edition of D&D ever.

I'm sure there are a few people who shop entirely based on how much content you get for your money. I think, particularly when there are major system differences, they are a very small minority of people buying the RPG. There may be something to be said for it when buying adventures that you're content to convert, but not the RPG system itself.

 

[El Mahdi]

I don't see these two priorities as incompatible in any way.

I couldn't XP you. Gotta spread it around a bit more yet.

But I agree with this 100%!

 

[Charwoman Gene]

WotC is trying to make a horse shaped car and that's just as silly as it sounds.

So a car that captures the open feeling of being in a saddle.
Maybe the feeling of be astride something powerful.
Narrower, more nimble than a car.

Man, would that be sweet. Not for everyone, but kinda awesome.

I bet if you did some engineering, you could beef up a bicycle, and add a powerful motor and you'd come up with what 5e could be.

Nah, that's just silly.

 

[Jack Daniel]

When considering 5e, WotC had to make a decision. Either:

1) Figure out ways to make D&D run smoother and to make it more accessible to new audiences

-or-

2) Figure out ways to unify the base of D&D players and get everybody who plays D&D or used to play D&D buying the new edition

You just described two convergent aims and then said that they were wildly divergent by describing the first one as "forwards" and the second as "backwards."

The smoothest-running and most accessible editions are most definitely not the newest ones. I would look to B/X and core-only 2e --- yes, "backwards" --- to find the games most likely to inspire new players to become dedicated gamers.

 

[ExploderWizard]

If you don't buy new books on a regular basis, the brand line and maybe the company dies. That's the problem. If you like new materials for your game, you have to support the company that makes them.

This is the kind of thinking that believes the hobby exists to support the industry.

If we want a healthy industry we have to buy whatever is released?

Nope. The company has to provide products that hobbyists want. Period.

The thing nobody wants to admit is that the amount of stuff hobbyists want doesn't sustain an entire industry with the level of profit desired.

The industry answer to this: turn hobbyists into consumers.

 

[Mattachine]

This is the kind of thinking that believes the hobby exists to support the industry.


Nope. The company has to provide products that hobbyists want. Period.

The thing nobody wants to admit is that the amount of stuff hobbyists want doesn't sustain an entire industry with the level of profit desired.

And the answer to this is that D&D becomes a fan-only supported hobby, like some other games. That isn't too satisfying to me.

 

[Alzrius]

I think it will hurt innovation, and Shidaku makes a good point: why cater to folks that don't buy new books?

This is a good point. I know people who don't buy new books of anything on principle. When asked about it, they usually say something like the following:

"Those stupid new books! They're all just sitting there being all smug in their new-ness! Just the other day I saw this book in the store, and it was all cool and all, but then I realized it was a new book and I was all like 'oh look at you! You think you're so great just because you're a new book huh? Well guess what? I don't buy frickin' new books! Get your paginated ass to a used bookstore and we'll talk!' and I totally walked outta there! 'Cause someone's gotta take a stand against all these new books takin' over!"