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

[Eyes of Nine]

Ok - all of my last post in this thread notwithstanding, I do not consider myself a typical current consumer of D&D. So if it was my heart, not my professional perspective, I'd do the following:

A) Start with the 4e chassis, with some updates, including Proficiency instead of half-level; Advantage/Disadvantage for a lot of roll modifiers. OR! I might start with the 5e chassis; but completely redo it using "sources of power" and "party role" as the foundations for the core 20 classes; and make Magic Items more of a thing.

Books would be:

1. PHB, including Magic Items and a robust social interaction rules set
2. MM, including rules to create new Monsters and encounter design
3. DMG, including cosmology, Skill challenges (done right), DM Principles, lots of examples of play, and an initial set of four or five 5 room adventures that hand-hold a DM through running to get confidence, and that can then tie into the adventure book released fourth
4. Initial Adventure for 1-10, taking place around Interior Faerun and the western coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars - Cormyr, the Dragon Coast, and the Vilhon Reach; with a gazeteer much like Tomb of A or Storm Kings had for a large part of the area
5. PHB2, that would support another set of classes, more feats, more Magic Items, and a Stronghold/Domain development guide for players/DMs so that people have something to do with their money! And that also has robust rules for followers
6. This is not a book; but the online model would be subscription based and that gives you access to ALL official WotC SRD content; and for a fee you get access to new non-SRD content (not $30, but more like $10). AND! 3PP's can add/sell their content into this marketplace as well

Keep releasing gazeteers for the areas around the Sea of Fallen Stars for the next year, typically contained within an adventure.

B) Hire cultural consultants and take a run at Dark Sun to make it releasable

C) Make 4e SRD CC; and I would open up the DMGguild to all existing settings - including a newly modified Dark Sun.

D) Every four years, I would create a BRAND NEW SETTING. It could be via a contest, which I actually loved when 3e did that. And then that Brand New Setting would get a World Guide, 2-3 adventures/content books, and then open it up to the DMGuild after the first year

E) Every alternating four years (like the Winter and Summer Olympics), I would release a "classic" setting in the same way: an updated World Guide, 2-3 adventure/gazeteer books, and then opened up on the DMGuild after the first year. The first one of these of course would be Dark Sun, with Greyhawk, Mystara, Blackmoor(?), and others coming later

 

[Mecheon]

I'd honestly stick with the 5E paradigm. Not as confusing as THAC0's sheer presence, not as punishing for new players as 3E, not as requiring on other stuff as 4E, and 5E's solidly the "This is D&D" in pop culture. Plus, rather than doing the old 'PHB monster manual DM guide' you'd need to do when relaunching anything else, it lets me launch some weirder products due to 5E stuff already existing

1: The sort-of-PHB. Due to the PHB existing ,this is instead focused on a whole set of new classes. Warlord, Psion, Witch, Gunslinger, your "People have been making 3rd party versions of these for years there is clearly fan demand"
2: The new monstser manual with monsters. The basic stuff is in the original, so this is going more for mechanically interesting ones and includes some bits and bobs on how to spice them up, and altering existing ones. Also has the Catastrophy dragons from 4E because those were dang nice
3: Obligatory adventure book. I personally think the "Just grab this thing and throw it anywhere" ones work better than the long-form ones so that's moreso self-contained campaign ones so that's the aim, with a loose connecting story to tie it all together
4: Themed more player options book ala Volo's. With gnolls, lupin, and at least two flying races. Volo's was one of the best sellers and nothing since has had the sheer number of options it did
5: An online exclusive, exceedingly expensive, Faerun campaign setting thing. No, it doesn't include all of Faerun, just the basic parts. Yes, people will still be paying hand over fist for it

 

[Lanefan]

I'm under no illusions that what I want from the game is what the market wants from the game. And I absolutely am not going to make a game other than the one I want.

Same here; but as they've given me the reins anyway, here goes:

First off: this would be in addition to the existing 5e productions; the specific intent is that the two systems would run side-along. This isn't intended to replace 5e.

Start with 1e. Tweak it extensively, and drop (or very clearly label as optional) those parts that didn't often get used e.g. weapon speed or weapon-v-armour-type. Intentionally keep roll-under and some other "reverse" subsystems; I want a game where players have to think, and my target market is college-age and higher. Add in a few new classes. Each class has a clear niche, and has clear weaknesses to go with its strengths. Multiclassing (which works for all species like the 2e version) either goes away or becomes highly suboptimal. Make it clear that while the game is designed deep into the teens levels it's only intended to be played up to about 10th-12th and if it breaks after that it's not covered by warranty. Options for advancement rates from fast (2-4 sessions or one adventure per level) to very slow (20+ sessions or 2-3 adventures per level) to suit those who want their campaigns to be able to sustainably last. Provide lots of in-game ways for characters to spend their money including stronghold rules, training to level, DM-facing magic item pricing, and so forth.

And bring an attitude across the board of "it's the party that matters, not the individual character". Characters - including yours! - will die or worse, but the party carries on.

Then, 4 books plus a cheater 5th thing:

• PH, DMG, MM much like we're used to, with the DMG cleaned up from the 1e version but containing much if not all of the same general material.
• a setting book/guide: brand new somewhat-generic setting, but also with a chapter (or two!) of general worldbuilding tips and advice for the DM who wants to homebrew a setting.
• a series - and by a series I mean eventually a whole bunch - of standalone adventure modules along the lines of what we saw in the 0-1e era.

More important: notice what's not there? No VTT support. No 3-D malarkey. This is a game to be played in person around a table, period; with the only online element perhaps being digital copies of the books etc. for ease of reference.

So I'd start by questioning the sanity of the person who hired me, and then I guess I'd clear my desk.

Were the above to crash and burn I'd then do the same; but if not, I'd keep at it.

 

[Zaukrie]

Same here; but as they've given me the reins anyway, here goes:

First off: this would be in addition to the existing 5e productions; the specific intent is that the two systems would run side-along. This isn't intended to replace 5e.

Start with 1e. Tweak it extensively, and drop (or very clearly label as optional) those parts that didn't often get used e.g. weapon speed or weapon-v-armour-type. Intentionally keep roll-under and some other "reverse" subsystems; I want a game where players have to think, and my target market is college-age and higher. Add in a few new classes. Each class has a clear niche, and has clear weaknesses to go with its strengths. Multiclassing (which works for all species like the 2e version) either goes away or becomes highly suboptimal. Make it clear that while the game is designed deep into the teens levels it's only intended to be played up to about 10th-12th and if it breaks after that it's not covered by warranty. Options for advancement rates from fast (2-4 sessions or one adventure per level) to very slow (20+ sessions or 2-3 adventures per level) to suit those who want their campaigns to be able to sustainably last. Provide lots of in-game ways for characters to spend their money including stronghold rules, training to level, DM-facing magic item pricing, and so forth.

And bring an attitude across the board of "it's the party that matters, not the individual character". Characters - including yours! - will die or worse, but the party carries on.

Then, 4 books plus a cheater 5th thing:

• PH, DMG, MM much like we're used to, with the DMG cleaned up from the 1e version but containing much if not all of the same general material.
• a setting book/guide: brand new somewhat-generic setting, but also with a chapter (or two!) of general worldbuilding tips and advice for the DM who wants to homebrew a setting.
• a series - and by a series I mean eventually a whole bunch - of standalone adventure modules along the lines of what we saw in the 0-1e era.

More important: notice what's not there? No VTT support. No 3-D malarkey. This is a game to be played in person around a table, period; with the only online element perhaps being digital copies of the books etc. for ease of reference.

Were the above to crash and burn I'd then do the same; but if not, I'd keep at it.

Ya, heaven forbid people not in the same city play together......just, wow. "you're playing it wrong" is never a good message.

 

[Mecheon]

More important: notice what's not there? No VTT support. No 3-D malarkey. This is a game to be played in person around a table, period; with the only online element perhaps being digital copies of the books etc. for ease of reference.

VTTs have existed for a good decade already, they're not going away anytime soon. Plus, given my last game was with people from other countries, playing in-person around a table ain't exactly feasible for everyone (unless you want to foot the living expenses and flight costs)

 

[jmartkdr2]

1. 4e, I'll sacrifice up to 2 books to make "solid digital tools" a major component of the business strategy. Character maker, VTT, and if we're really lucky an online AI-dmed option that plays like an mmorpg but as a West Marshes- style campaign and uses exactly the same rules as the books.

2. BECMI, but focusing on simple, thematic classes and letting players focus on roleplay because the rules are so dang simple. The first 5 products are the first four box sets and big book of adventures.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Appoint insert name of Enworlder who has opposite RPG views to you to head design.

Laugh evilly.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Ya, heaven forbid people not in the same city play together......just, wow. "you're playing it wrong" is never a good message.

Plenty of games right now don't have a specific VTT presence. Do you have an issue with the publishers of those games? You seem unnecessarily hostile here.

 

[Micah Sweet]

VTTs have existed for a good decade already, they're not going away anytime soon. Plus, given my last game was with people from other countries, playing in-person around a table ain't exactly feasible for everyone (unless you want to foot the living expenses and flight costs)

You can play any game online without a specific VTT initiative. I use Discord, for example. There's no moral requirement to spend money on a VTT.

 

[Zaukrie]

Plenty of games right now don't have a specific VTT presence. Do you have an issue with the publishers of those games? You seem unnecessarily hostile here.

He literally said the game should be played in person or not at all ...