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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 5:20PM
#21
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Date Joined:
Dec 12, 2011
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We have go for launch.... Happy playtesting, guys, I hope you both have fun. 
Playtest or get off the playtest boards.
---
I want justice for the voice that can't be heard
Vindication for every suffering and hurt
Let retribution hold dominion over earth
--Nemesis, VNV Nation
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 5:33PM
#22
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In my last group, we took turns DM'ing, so I'm comfortable doing both playing and DM'ing. I haven't played in a while, due to lack of a group and devoting large quantities of time to my studies, so I'm rusty on the rules. As for being willing to playtest 5e, heck yes I'm willing.
Well, I am certainly comfortable DMing and playing. I can DM if you want to get back into the swing of things by playing at first. I don't think we'll have too hard of a time grabbing 3-4 more players. I can ask my current groups if any want to join up and I can host. You may have a person or two that you know, as well.
We have about a month until we get the 5E rules, so we have some time to work that all out. If you are interested, drop me a PM.
The same offer goes for any Southeastern Michiganders.
Reflavoring: the change of flavor without changing any mechanical part of the game, no matter how small, in order to fit the mechanics to an otherwise unsupported concept.
Retexturing: the change of flavor (with at most minor mechanical adaptations) in order to effortlessly create support for a concept without inventing anything new.
Houseruling: the change, either minor or major, of the mechanics in order to better reflect a certain aspect of the game, including adapting the rules to fit an otherwise unsupported concept.
Homebrewing: the complete invention of something new that fits within the system in order to reflect an unsupported concept.
Default module =/= Core mechanic.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 5:46PM
#23
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Congrats at finding someone close by! *Jealous*
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 6:01PM
#24
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2008
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*Reads the posts above* That is why D&D so rocks. What edition you play does not matter. It is the meeting of people, making friends and having a good time while adventuring in an imaginary world that makes D&D so special. I have met total strangers and then forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime thanks to this hobby, and that's the main reason why I play the game.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 6:08PM
#25
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*Reads the posts above*
That is why D&D so rocks. What edition you play does not matter. It is the meeting of people, making friends and having a good time while adventuring in an imaginary world that makes D&D so special. I have met total strangers and then forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime thanks to this hobby, and that's the main reason why I play the game.
Oddly enough, this is my first time meeting a potential friend through D&D. Usually it has been people who were already my friends, or who were their friends, that I played with.
@Hipster_Cat: I do feel like I owe you an apology for the thread derail. Sorry about that.
Why Mechanics-Alignment Integration is Bad
Show
so why even play a fighter if you can play the paladin the exact same way behaviorally and get added power to boot. "Paladin" is about accepting better game-enhancing mechanics at the price of more rigid in game behavior.
Really? So it goes something like this?
Fighter: "I want to be a paladin."
NPC: "Really?"
Fighter: "Yes."
NPC: "Very well." Starts reading from a holy book while still in-character "Do you accept having to choose and stick to the lawful good alignment, eventhough neither of us actually knows that it exists or what it is?"
Fighter: "I do."
NPC: "Do you reject good game balance because you accidentally rolled a high Charisma?"
Fighter: "What?"
NPC: "I don't know what it means either."
Fighter: "Oh. Umm, ok I do."
NPC: "In the name of all that is metagamey and broken, accept these better game enhancing mechanics."
Fighter: "These what?"
NPC: "Just get out there and try to fulfill a million different people's notion of good while not violating and part of any of them."
So the system is designed such that every single hit needs to be described to avoid confusion? Here's a scenario. The players are nudists, everybody in the world are nudists, it's not weird, it's totally normal in this land. They are naked and they fight drakes taking damage throughout, but healing up with surges. Later they meet the guy who raised the drakes.
Part 1: I didn't describe any of the hits. What does he see?
Part 2: Lets say I described the drakes as biting the players, yet they healed up. What does he see?
D20 Modern Toon PC Race.
Mecha Pilot's Skill Challenge Emporium.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 7:03PM
#26
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Date Joined:
May 19, 2011
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I actually started DnD through a friend at school. He mentioned off-hand one time he played DnD, I mentioned interest, turned out his group gamed at a game store literally a 5 minute walk fom my house, we had a laugh and he invited me since they recently had to kick a player our. Never regretted it.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 29, 2012 - 10:36PM
#27
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2008
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To help put Hipster_Cat's thread back on topic:
I think we can have both.
When I compare Basic and AD&D to 4e and Pathfider, AD&D looks like "Macgame" in comparison. AD&D had virtually no character customization and tactical options were limited. The rulebooks had very little advice on how to roleplay. The average combat for a party of 6 took 10 to 30 minutes on average, and yes a session could be completed in a 2 to 4 hours.
This didn't stop us from having epic campaigns complete with 8+ hours sessions or even weekend long marathons. The "Macgaminess" of AD&D was a virtue because we could clear entire dungeon levels in one night or simply sit and RP being in a tavern.
There were some who felt AD&D was too simple. This lead to an explosion of more complicated game systems in the early 80's like Chivalry & Sorcery, Rolemaster, and so on. This desire for complexity spearheaded the changes that lead to 2e and 3.5 as well. Some folks like lots of complexity, others not so much. I think simple rules can be built up and stacked to make more complex rules in the same way the humble Lego can be used to build cool and complex things.
There is another advantage for 5e being a little Macgamey at the base level. I have in my Pathfinder game the 12 year old son of one my players. I will tell you this: Pathfinder is NOT beginner friendly. This kid is not dumb, but making an 8th level character in the 3.5 system is a chore and it frustrates him. Sure, we help him out, but he wants to make his own character by himself, and he simply can't. I know for a fact if we were playing AD&D he would not have an issue.
Now yes, if 5e is so shallow that it can't hold a gamer's attention for more than 4 hours at a time tops, then it is doomed since a campaign is nothing more than a long series of 2 to 4 hour sessions ever a period of weeks, months or years.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 2:23AM
#28
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Kishri, I remember being a 12 year old who could play AD&D and have fun with it, along with my father and older brother. I wish that the game could be that "newbie-friendly" again. It's also nice to be able to kill a few monsters in just an hour (okay, maybe 90 minutes), instead of making it an every other Saturday-only thing due to time constraints. I've recently looked at the PHB1, DMG1 and MM1 for 1e and there are plenty of things that I think were improved in other editions. However, I just love how fast you could create a character and conduct combat as long as you didn't get caught up in things like "weapon speed" or "gender and race based class and ability restrictions". I'm glad that they are committed to breaking new ground and not just making a "best of" from the previous editions.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 30, 2012 - 2:53AM
#29
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Date Joined:
Oct 28, 2008
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Kishri, I remember being a 12 year old who could play AD&D and have fun with it, along with my father and older brother. I wish that the game could be that "newbie-friendly" again. It's also nice to be able to kill a few monsters in just an hour (okay, maybe 90 minutes), instead of making it an every other Saturday-only thing due to time constraints. I've recently looked at the PHB1, DMG1 and MM1 for 1e and there are plenty of things that I think were improved in other editions. However, I just love how fast you could create a character and conduct combat as long as you didn't get caught up in things like "weapon speed" or "gender and race based class and ability restrictions". I'm glad that they are committed to breaking new ground and not just making a "best of" from the previous editions.
I totally hear you. If I read the designers' notes and blogs right, what you ask for is what they are trying to accomplish.
I think it will be a tall order to appeal to those of us who want a simpler game and reconcile that with those who enjoy complexity, especially in character builds and options.
I truly hope WotC succeeds.
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1 year ago ::
May 01, 2012 - 1:27AM
#30
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I agree with you that that is the design goal. I'm sure it will be difficult to implement but having that as a goal is a big improvement over the past. Mearls wrote in his "Many Faces of DnD" article (am I the only one on the forum who has read it?) that they never really tried to make a multiplaystyle edition before. They were too busy creating mechanics for every little thing assuming one particular playstyle.
On another note, it is very important for kids and teenagers to be able to play a game without "handholding" by adults. I'm sorry about your friend's son. Pathfinder is too complicated for my tastes and I'm now in my late 30's with a Master's degree!
I like your LEGO analogy. I have another example that involves Avalon Hill. Avalon Hill was the premier manufacturer of tabletop strategy games during the 1970s-1990's. Their games were often very complicated. They eventually went bankrupt in 1998. This wasn't due to competition from other "hard-core" tabletop wargame companies (by that time there weren't any others). It was due to an overall decrease in the market for that type of game. Avalon Hill is now a part of WOTC (Hasbro bought them in 1998 and merged them with WoTC when the bought WoTC in 1999) and they make games that are much simpler and a lot more like Risk than what they made when I was young.
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