I've been privy to the D&D Next playtest notes for a few months now, but since they're public, I can say finally what my ongoing impression of the new rules is:
D&D Next reads like somebody's campaign house rules that they've been assembling over the past few decades, cherry-picking from each edition things they like and discarding what they don't. That doesn't make it a bad thing, but you may already be playing D&D Next and not know it. Only time will tell whether the customer base wants to play the "official" house rules or not.
In the meanwhile, don't forget to playtest my new game once the "new car smell" of D&D Next wears off.
6 comments:
D&D Next reads like somebody's campaign house rules...
Yes, 'somebody'.
Hasn't pretty much every edition read like that?
For me BECMI reads as a house-ruled B/X, AD&D a house-ruled BECMI, 2nd Edition AD&D a house-ruled AD&D, and 3.5 a house-ruled 3.0.
There is a big transition between AD&D/D&D and 3.X and another with 4e. 5e seems more like it is based on 3.X with rules slightly lifted from other editions. Maybe a better move on WotC part than one edition to rule them all, but they lost the 3.X ball to Pathfinder and now they are dropping the 4.X ball, for whatever it was worth.
I don't see people putting aside Pathfinder to play it. I wouldn't put down AD&D/D&D to play it myself. Will new players and the 4.X people flock to it?
If it's broadly compatible with core D&D, it will be okay with me. But, looking over the playtest stuff, I didn't see anything that would make me want to buy it.
I think the important distinction is that Wizards designed this. 3.X & 4E DID NOT have that feel. They were trying to codify every rule. I can't say how the Open Playtest will look at 8th level, but in running the Closed Playtest since March, 8th Level characters are not very similar to their 3.X or 4E counterparts.
From reading people's comments on this version of D&D, it's unclear what Wizards thinks the 'point' of the edition is.
In particular, what's supposed to motivate people to change over from Pathfinder?
PS I wonder if anyone will do a clone of 4th edition.
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