D&D General You are given the reigns: what do you do?

[Reynard]

Imagine: Wizards of the Coast decides that you, yes YOU, are the perfect person to revitalize any one of the existing editions of (A)D&D and givce you the job of Line Developer for the re-launch.

Here are the rules: you MUST pick an existing edition of D&D, from OD&D through 5E. You are tasked with setting the slate for the first year of the relaunch with up to 5 total products. Your goal is to not just have a successful relaunch, but set the line up for ongoing success.

Which Edition do you relaunch? With what 5 products? What aesthetic and design paradigm do you go with?

For my part, I would relaunch AD&D 2E starting with a single volume rule book that owes a lot to the BECMI Rules Cyclopedia in form and function. I would lean into the late 80s, early 90s high fantasy art and aesthetic, going neither Old School nor Nu School. The first peak at the new setting would be in the core book. The setting would be classic high fantasy but built with modern sensibilities in mind (inclusivity, avoiding clumsy uses of race and real world cultures, avoiding colonial ideas, etc...).

The second book would be a big old Game Mastery Guide" that combines the best of the DMG and the blue leatherette DM series of supplements. The trhird book would be a PHB 2 taking the best of Skills and Powers and the Complete guides. The fourth book would be a full on old school boxed set for the new setting, including an adventure anthology. I think I would cap off the line for the year with a monsters and lairs book that is part bestiary and part mini adventure collection.

What would you do?

 

[Demetrios1453]

Imagine: Wizards of the Coast decides that you, yes YOU, are the perfect person to revitalize any one of the existing editions of (A)D&D and givce you the job of Line Developer for the re-launch.

Here are the rules: you MUST pick an existing edition of D&D, from OD&D through 5E. You are tasked with setting the slate for the first year of the relaunch with up to 5 total products. Your goal is to not just have a successful relaunch, but set the line up for ongoing success.

Which Edition do you relaunch? With what 5 products? What aesthetic and design paradigm do you go with?

For my part, I would relaunch AD&D 2E starting with a single volume rule book that owes a lot to the BECMI Rules Cyclopedia in form and function. I would lean into the late 80s, early 90s high fantasy art and aesthetic, going neither Old School nor Nu School. The first peak at the new setting would be in the core book. The setting would be classic high fantasy but built with modern sensibilities in mind (inclusivity, avoiding clumsy uses of race and real world cultures, avoiding colonial ideas, etc...).

The second book would be a big old Game Mastery Guide" that combines the best of the DMG and the blue leatherette DM series of supplements. The trhird book would be a PHB 2 taking the best of Skills and Powers and the Complete guides. The fourth book would be a full on old school boxed set for the new setting, including an adventure anthology. I think I would cap off the line for the year with a monsters and lairs book that is part bestiary and part mini adventure collection.

What would you do?

Well, spell "reins" correctly in the thread title to begin with.

 

[CleverNickName]

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm trying to answer the question honestly. So here goes.

If I were given the reins, I wouldn't look backward to older editions and products. I would "pick" 5E. Then I'd hire cultural sensitivity experts and younger brand managers, and work with diverse writers and artists to develop an entirely new product line. The past is in the past for a reason.

 

[payn]

Push 5E more towards 3E. Make another DMG II like the 3E one. Release adventures both modules and APs.

Edit: I'd actually focus the 5 books on delivering the modularity discussed during NEXT. That is more or less what I mean by push towards 3E. Maybe even some 4E but i'm not the best judge of it since I dont like the tactical focus.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Imagine: Wizards of the Coast decides that you, yes YOU, are the perfect person to revitalize any one of the existing editions of (A)D&D and givce you the job of Line Developer for the re-launch.

Here are the rules: you MUST pick an existing edition of D&D, from OD&D through 5E. You are tasked with setting the slate for the first year of the relaunch with up to 5 total products. Your goal is to not just have a successful relaunch, but set the line up for ongoing success.

Which Edition do you relaunch? With what 5 products? What aesthetic and design paradigm do you go with? <snop> What would you do?

Well, it would be 4e, but I would take great pains to never, ever call it 4e. That would be the kiss of death.

Before I continue though: the "five products" are specifically books, yes? I can include non-book elements (meaning, nothing that adds any content, but perhaps offers services/benefits) beyond those five things? Because five is painfully limiting if I can't do any software or database stuff.

 

[aco175]

I would take 5e and add the 4e stuff that worked (which is wildly open to individual interpretation I know). PCs could have a cool power that works for the class.

A big book of classes so I could do away with multiclassing and all the cheese that goes with it.

I would bring back Dungeon and Dragon Magazines as I do not think DMsGuild is the same as these were.

I would also make modules again that were a level or two in length with $10.00 price tags to accompany the hardcover books. They might have to be black and white or have less art or cheaper paper, but people would be able to afford them.

The company might go out of business or I would get voted out of being the guy in charge before I could implement all of these though.

 

[TwoSix]

3E.

I'd keep all the trade dress and presentation. Underlying mechanics like BAB, F/R/W saves, and skill ranks would stay.

The system would keep the "Lego block" style multiclassing, and lean into it. 8-12 base classes, that all go to 10. Dozens of Prestige classes would be in the PHB, and the assumption is that almost all characters will multiclass.

A unified spells/powers known table across all classes. This would be the holding place for all class selectable abilities: wizard spells, warlock invocations, bard songs, martial feats and maneuvers, would all go in here. Some passive, some at-will, some on cooldowns or X/day abilities.

Class levels give some fixed features, advance BAB, Hit Die, and saves, and unlock new selectable option for powers/spells known. No feats by level, no ability progression except by explicit class feature or selected power.

A DMG with lots of standard guidance, unlockable PrCs, rules for making your own PrCs, and an in-depth magic item creation/treasure system. Wealth-by-level, and clear guidance that treasure into magic items is the expected secondary axis of progression.

Monster Manual with simple monster/NPC creation rules, but ones that parallel PC creation. Monsters have a Type (Giant, Dragon, Outsider), which corresponds to "class". One HD = one level, with corresponding increases in BAB/Saves. Each Type has a menu of selectable abilities. Every ability costs from 1 to X levels of progression. A 10th level Giant, for example, picks 10 points of Giant abilities.

Also has a "Non-combatant/Template" class, that gains levels but no Hit Die, and has its own ability menu. Allows for the 3 HP baker with 18 ranks in Profession: Baker.

After that, re-release the 3e FR book, lightly update to 1400-whatever DR, gloss over the last century. Make FR the core of the future releases. A few supplements a year, half gazetteer of a new area, half crunch associated (even loosely) with the region.

 

[Aldarc]

Open 4e to the CC License. That's it.

 

[Tonguez]

Well, spell "reins" correctly in the thread title to begin with.

well reigns just implied that I'm now the King and can get my minions to handle the reins

I'd bring back 3.5, add in 4e Weapon groups, Backgrounds and Traits (as Aspect tags), Advantage-Disadvantage mechanics and the concept of Reactions/Lair Actions, Mystara as the core setting and tap into the Mystara modules (Karameikos Gazeteer for the win).

Tone down PrCs, focus Feat trees and have some Domain Management rules keyed of leadership and a wealth mechanic, also a Factions system and Downtime that feeds in to Domain and Adventuring pillars.

Monster Manual organised by Habitat with a strong focus on Exploring Habitats and building Lair encounters, including dungeons as Lairs.

The Spell system would change to be skillbased - (co-opting Enworlds Elements of Magic)

 

[Scribe]

Push 5E more towards 3E. Make another DMG II like the 3E one. Release adventures both modules and APs.

Edit: I'd actually focus the 5 books on delivering the modularity discussed during NEXT. That is more or less what I mean by push towards 3E. Maybe even some 4E but i'm not the best judge of it since I dont like the tactical focus.

Yep.

And I'll accept the spelling, as it implies the I am King and Lord of All, which is perfect for what I would do.

Riffing on payn, I add that modularity, some of that crunch (3/3.5/PF1) and my setting reflects the Western Fantasy Tradition.