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Dungeons & Dragons Next Playtest Released
New submitter thuf1rhawat writes "For a certain type of geek, nothing is more important than Dungeons & Dragons. In January, Wizards of the Coast announced that the next iteration of the game (referred to as D&D Next) was under development, and now they've released an open playtest. They hope to gather as much player feedback as possible to help refine the new rules."
So, AD&D used to try and simulate real-world conflict as closely as possible, leaving it up to the players to come up with "cool moves", provided their attributes and GM would support it. The modern versions of D&D are more in line with Video Game Design, in that they're trying to mimick a mechanic that is fun to play, balanced, but has nothing to do with realism.
I miss that realistic twist from the old rules, without "feats" or "powers" or other abstract concepts that are more just bootstraps to their specific world. I haven't been a table-top RPGer for 30 years, so I don't know what else is really out there, but I'm curious if there were any other properties that went the opposite direction, instead choosing to refine their rules in favor of keeping them out of the way of the experience of playing the game, and simulating a fantasy space. AD&D lost me completely with their 3.0+ versions because of that. Anything out there today that fits my criteria of interest?
Oh, and what's with D&D Next relative to AD&D? Did Wizards of the Coast just fold everything into a straight "D&D" branding (which makes sense to me)? Or do they still have a separate AD&D line of games?
Are they kidding here? Fourth edition is will turn 4 years old next month, and they're already actively developing the next set?
It takes at least four years just to fully develop a new edition of a major tabletop game, with all the adventures and campaign settings and stuff that come out. And forget how long it takes the publishing to catch up, what about the players? All the rule and supplement books are at least $20; the most basic set of stuff for running a campaign is $70+, and that doesn't include any "toys" like campaign manuals or power-gaming goofy shit like epic-level character rulebooks / setting-based weapons and spell guides, etc. That shit's expensive, and it takes time to get used to.
Releasing a new edition of D&D every five years is just as much a slutty cash grab as releasing a new Call of Duty annually. They're not even letting the new version settle in before they prepare to shove it out the door.
The playtest is pretty limited. Lots of little minor changes. But what I can make out so far:
4th Edition Base - Limited Power System + New simplified math system for positive or negative modifications to circumstance + Vancian Casting (kinda)
If you're expecting a huge shift or one back to 3rd you're better off sticking with Pathfinder at this point.
d6/2, round up. Turn in your geek card.
d6/2, round up. Turn in your geek card.
d2. Come on man, if you don't know the damage for blowguns and pixie bites what good are you?
My advice is to try Pathfinder, Castles and Crusades, or Microlite20.
M20 is free. Pathfinder and Castles and Crusades have cheap PDF/eBook alternatives to buying expensive books.
They all seem more intent on maintaining a usable rule set than simply releasing new rule sets every few years in order to convince people to rebuy all their books.
(rattles die....) 20! Veni, Vidi, Vici!
"Enjoy what you're doing! If it becomes drudgery, you're doing it wrong!" - Jim Butterfield
There is no d3. The lowest die is d4.
As an ancient D&D player, I must say you are wrong. The Three Sided Die is shaped like a football with three ridges. The football shape keeps it from standing on either end, and you read the top ridge.
You can use: "d6 divided by two, rounding up" in a pinch, but prepare to be pointed and snort-chuckled at.
I spent way too much of my teenage years playing D&D...very enjoyably.
But...
D&D is a crappy game system. Every fifth-level fighter is the same as every other fifth-level fighter. Every ninth-level magic user is the same as every other ninth-level magic user. The only way a character differs from others of the same class and level is in their strength, dexterity, etc., and those are (a) mostly not very important, and (b) generated by rolling dice, which is not very interesting.
Systems like GURPS and Traveller did a much better job of allowing you to create a character with individual skills, strengths, and weaknesses.
Why is anybody still playing D&D instead of something better?
Find free books.
I met my girlfriend through D&D. Lost my virginity through D&D too. Different girls and in a different time.
I said - don't look Ethel!..., but it was too late..., she'd already looked.
So Palmela and Her Five Sisters then?
You do realize you made that post on a Saturday night on a Slashdot story about Dungeons and Dragons, right?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
My biggest complaint with the fourth edition of D&D is that it has become a miniature game. If I want to play with miniatures I'll pull out Warhammer 40,000. Even the published material really just encouraged people to buy various miniatures to use on the supplied maps. Before the GM became a total ass, half the group I was playing with had not played role playing games and just don't understand what a game is. I tried suggesting other systems and the questions were always how do the maps work, how do the miniatures compare. D&D 4E is not a role playing game and I hope WoTC goes back to a role playing game.
-- Slashdot, making the Left look conservative since 1997.
You had one very interesting GM to allow losing your virginity through D&D. Were there multiple dice rolls or just a simple lookup chart?
For the first few levels of Gamer, the game system matters quite a bit. Be it so you can collect 'em, min/max them, abuse them, or complain and contrast them. These levels tend to be an adrenaline filled ride, and quite a rush.
After Gamer level four, you start to get access to the skills which suggest the rules themselves aren't as important as you thought. And maybe you start to doctor up your own set of house rules errata, or start to blend aspects from various systems you like, or just start writing up your own.
Around Gamer level seven, the social and creative aspects of gaming can come into sharper focus. This also tends be around the time of the realization that the raw supplies for gaming aren't just coming from RPG and office supply companies... but rather from life itself. Creative inspiration can suddenly be found almost anywhere, not just from books, movies, and songs, but every cultural medium... every thought or emotion.
By level eleven (or sooner, from certain types of cross-class synergy) you tend to have open access to the skills that let you liberally apply your gaming experience to manipulate many of the rules found in life itself.
And since I'm here, I'd like to give a big shout out to those who gamers who breeched the teen levels. Your secrets remain safe with us.
A steaming cup of soykaf would be real wiz right now.
First Edition all the way - everything else sucks and is nothing more than a money grab.
You can always use chits in a zip lock bag like we used to do before we could afford the dice (small kids, y aknow) - you can have a dAnything.
Guess again, Bucky. Link to d3 and other less-common but nevertheless very real dice.
I've got a d2 right here that cost me only a quarter.
Close up of a D3.
The ______ Agenda
You may be interested in OSRIC, which is a free PDF of 1e crunch, with all new fluff for copyright purposes. Basically, OSRIC is to 1e as Pathfinder is to 3e.
Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org
Why would the Israeli army be so against D&D? They claim that those who participate in the game, "are detached from reality and susceptible to influence."
If a person admits to playing D&D to the army they are automatically placed in low security clearance and are sent to a psychologist
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...you don't know the damage for blowguns and pixie bites...
Word is that the newest version just refers to these as "ouchies" -- "You have received an ouchie, you are now hopping from one foot to another for the next three rounds."
Thought thinks itself.
No. You roll d6, and 1-2 is 1, 3-4 is 2 and 5-6 is 3.
Can I light a sig ?
A d3 was essential for my Pathfinder character, an alcoholic gnome "drunken master" sorcerer; the DM tweaked a mechanic to allow all of my spells to be affected by my alcoholism; 1 was 50% less effective, 2 was normal, 3 was 50% more effective. Made for some tense moments (my fireball spell fizzling) or some utterly awesome moments (my fireball spell shattering the wooden bow of an Orc ship, saving the town and drowning about 50 enemies).
I miss Pathfinder.
hookers and grits.