Micah Sweet
Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
So what? Does the lack of a VTT product make it impossible to play online? Does the designer not liking online play make it impossible to play. He got the reins to make the game he wants to make.
D&D General You are given the reigns: what do you do?
We are pushing back that there is a wrong way to play, and nothing more.
Incenjucar
Legend
Say no to badwrongfun.
Look, the supposition of the thread is that you're in charge, so @Lanefan is allowed to say "no official VTT support" if that's the preference. I don't get it, being someone who gets to play with his far flung high school gaming buddies because of VTT, but it is well within the parameters of the hypothetical.
That's not what they said. They said the game is meant to be played in person, period. Not that it was ok to use other tools.... That it was wrong to not play in person. I'm ok with WotC no making a VTT, I'm not ok with them saying it is wrong to use one at all, which is what they are saying now that they run WotC.... That means no support for any other tools either. No released on any other platform. No support at all, only tools to look up rules. That's the quote.
It's a big dumb hypothetical. It doesn't mean anything.
Besides, even if Creative Director Lanefan made a public statement about D&D being for IRL play only, it would have exactly zero impact on people that wanted to play it using VTTs (or other digital methods). The tools exist. The genie isn't going back in the bottle.
As such, I don't think it is worth completely devolving the yhread over. It's just one poster's preference.
There one more reason why I'd choose 4e as my base. I explaied in the "high level play" threads
Once people learn the game, they tend to not like having limited options in combat, exploration, and social interaction. "I attack!" is fine for most when they're learning but once they understand the game, 80% of people want more.
BUT People have a limit.
it's usually about 10 things. 10 buttons
D&D spellcasters blow past this limit fast. They're usually nothing in between but the half casters. And even there you speed past 10.
So I'd use a 4e's cap of 10 combat powers. You can freely choose at will, encounter, and daily powers of your power source. So if you want to play a wizard with 10 daily spells who chucks daggers when they gas out, fine.
But you never get past 10 powers. And you don't hit 10 until level 20 when you complete you paragon path.
This lets the game be simple enough for a 8 year to get and stay up with a 8 year veteran optimizer with the least analysis paralysis as possible.
Along with the trimming of powers, this makes it easier to be translate into official and third party apps and builders.
Once people learn the game, they tend to not like having limited options in combat, exploration, and social interaction. "I attack!" is fine for most when they're learning but once they understand the game, 80% of people want more.
BUT People have a limit.
it's usually about 10 things. 10 buttons
D&D spellcasters blow past this limit fast. They're usually nothing in between but the half casters. And even there you speed past 10.
So I'd use a 4e's cap of 10 combat powers. You can freely choose at will, encounter, and daily powers of your power source. So if you want to play a wizard with 10 daily spells who chucks daggers when they gas out, fine.
But you never get past 10 powers. And you don't hit 10 until level 20 when you complete you paragon path.
This lets the game be simple enough for a 8 year to get and stay up with a 8 year veteran optimizer with the least analysis paralysis as possible.
Along with the trimming of powers, this makes it easier to be translate into official and third party apps and builders.
For real, though, here's where I'd go with it:
First, NO DMG. Why? Read on.
1) PHB: Mashup of 5E, 4E, 13th Age, and Shadow of the Demon Lord. It would use 5E's bounded accuracy, advantage/disadvantage, and cap on overall complexity. From 4E it would take powers, power sources, healing surges. Not all classes would follow AEDU, but I think that's a sturdy framework to start from. Shadow of the Demon Lord would influence the class structure. Something like novice/expert/master paths or base class plus paragon path and epic destiny. Like 13th Age, it would substitute skills for background and put an emphasis on narrative mechanics. Also: abstract distances--far, near, engaged.
2) Monster Manual. Definitely take inspiration from 4E and 13th Age.
3) Campaign Setting based on 4E's Points of Light/World Axis. I'm not a fan of the Nentir Vale. It's a rather dull expression of a really wild setting. I want something that feels like you're adventuring through the epic ruins of a broken cosmos!
4) Adventure Path. Okay, this is the DMG! Each adventure would contain not only the actual adventure, but advice for running it, any necessary rule subsystems, treasure tables and magic items, etc. It would be a true DM resource. Each adventure would give the DM new tools and toys.
5) Another Adventure Path. Because I love me adventures!
Fun thread.
First, NO DMG. Why? Read on.
1) PHB: Mashup of 5E, 4E, 13th Age, and Shadow of the Demon Lord. It would use 5E's bounded accuracy, advantage/disadvantage, and cap on overall complexity. From 4E it would take powers, power sources, healing surges. Not all classes would follow AEDU, but I think that's a sturdy framework to start from. Shadow of the Demon Lord would influence the class structure. Something like novice/expert/master paths or base class plus paragon path and epic destiny. Like 13th Age, it would substitute skills for background and put an emphasis on narrative mechanics. Also: abstract distances--far, near, engaged.
2) Monster Manual. Definitely take inspiration from 4E and 13th Age.
3) Campaign Setting based on 4E's Points of Light/World Axis. I'm not a fan of the Nentir Vale. It's a rather dull expression of a really wild setting. I want something that feels like you're adventuring through the epic ruins of a broken cosmos!
4) Adventure Path. Okay, this is the DMG! Each adventure would contain not only the actual adventure, but advice for running it, any necessary rule subsystems, treasure tables and magic items, etc. It would be a true DM resource. Each adventure would give the DM new tools and toys.
5) Another Adventure Path. Because I love me adventures!
Fun thread.
Eyes of Nine
Everything's Fine
Agree wholeheartedly. In fact just that: Points of light in the epic ruins of a broken cosmos. Someone should just make that a thing, regardless!
Cool ideas
Eventually I'd assume folks would be clamoring for all those DM tidbits and subsystems to get collected into some sort of book
