Would you play D&D if the sacred cows were sacrificed?

[diaglo]

my hat of it would know no limits.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Live without levels.

Hit points should be determined in a universal fashion and not randomlly rolled. If every monster is using hit dice based on type, then that's what the PC's should be using.

Character creation should by default by point buy.

Abilities should be bought with points.

Now mind you, I can see a section where they recreate the PHB using points to show GMs and players how 'balanced' material can be created, but one of the reasons I keep looking at my Hero material is that it's a lot more freedom in character creation without needing 60+ books. The thing that stops me is that I like the adventure support d20 has.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Most of those sacred cows - levels, hit points, classes, etc. - are what makes D&D, D&D. Take them away, and it's no longer D&D. There are plenty of games that don't use any of these sacred cows. Why not play them? I'm sure many would say it's because they can't get players for games other than D&D. Well, sorry to sound cold, but too bad. The game shouldn't be radically altered to please those who don't like D&D's core assumptions and mechanics, because I don't think they make up anything like the majority of D&D's current players.

 

[WayneLigon]

I'd mostly like it. Most of the Sacred Cows are products of a first generation of game play and design that can be weaned away from. People didn't scream when AC went to 10+ and fireballs no longer filled thousands of square feet, and they won't scream for long when ability scores are replaced by modifiers, or classes go away, or trolls no longer have long cucumber noses.

There are some things I like, like classes, because it makes characters a little simpler to create and compare. But I wouldn't especially scream about them if they disappeared in 4E or 5E. I predict something will be done with the class structure that is different from how things work now. Same with magic. At some point you have to bite the bullet and say 'we're not going to support old technology anymore - there might be some people clinging to that, but we just have to wish them luckand let them fend for themselves as we move the majority of our customer base to a New Thing'.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I said hate it.
Im not a fan of the so called simpler d20 games such as T20.

 

[Technomancer]

Due to some discussion on other threads I got asking a question. If say 4th ed comes out and all of the sacred cows get slaughtered (hit points, AC, levels, etc) would you play? For the sake of arguement the new D&D plays very well without the Sacred cows. What sacred cows could you not live without? What are the "must have SCs?

If, as you say, the game plays very well without the sacred cows, sure I'd play it. That's really my biggest deciding factor (for the record I don't think D&D in its current incarnation plays well, but that's just my opinion and a discussion for another thread).

And the fact that it had the D&D label would probably increase my chances of finding a group to play with, since a lot of people would stick with it just because it was familiar, so it would be a double win for me.

 

[Melan]

WayneLion: once again - why not just play something else, then?

 

[Crothian]

It really depends more with what they get replaced with then what gets sacrificed.

 

[drothgery]

Depends on the cow:

Some of them I would protect with my dying breath (Classes, levels, hp)

Some of them I don't care that much about (AC vs Armor as DR)

Some of them I'd be the one to fire up the grill (Vancian magic - I just don't like it)

Yup, that's about how I think. And the arcane/divine/psionics split in magic is a cow that I'd happily slaughter in any non-D&D fantasy game, but I think it's sacred in D&D.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

WayneLion: once again - why not just play something else, then?

Yeah, exactly. As I said in my post above, why not just play any of the hundreds of RPGs that don't use any of D&D's sacred cows? Plus, I just don't buy the whole "new technology" notion. Yeah, AC was changed, but the basic concept and mechanic remained. Improve upon what's there, that's one thing. Scrapping it entirely, that's quite another story.