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  1. #1

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    How Is D&D Next?

    Our group currently plays a PF game but we're not opposed to giving 5E a try (we're new-system-whores), so I'm specifically looking for some opinions from folks who normally play 3.5 or PF, but I'll take input from all.

    How is it? How do you like it? Is it more rulesy, less rulesy, just "different"? How does the game system "feel" (very ambiguous, I know)?

    Thanks

  2. #2

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    To help answer my own question... I asked this on a PF email group I'm a part of, and the most vitriolic 4E haters came out in support of 5E (they've been playtesting it), so the devs must really be reaching out to the community. Looking forward to giving 5E a whirl at some point!

  3. #3

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    Honestly, right now I think they are just testing the rules to see what is going to be in the core and what are going to be in optional modules. You can see what they are thinking is going to be part of each class at a slice of time but the details/actual values are not yet very balanced.

    Its fun enough to play a few games with the included modules though. The way things have developed I don't think the Caves of Chaos is a the best starter dungeon though because the bounded to hit/damage means low level monsters in mass are quite dangerous and Cave of Chaos has a *lot* of low level creatures.

  4. #4
    They are way beyond Caves of Chaos. There are over 5 different modules to use at least. Including Isle of Dread, Against the Cult of Chaos, The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb, Reclaiming Blingdenstone, plus the Caves of Chaos has been revamped 3 times as the rules progress. It is easy to convert any module from O D&D, AD&D 1st and 2nd and 4th or make your own. The rules are mostly done for basic and they are branching out into testing standard rules and new classes such as the druid and barbarian. All you have to do is go to wizards and download the latest playtest packet and you'll have all the answers you want.

  5. #5

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    As daumnation says their are many modules in the playtest now... but only *Caves of Chaos* has encounters for 1st and 2nd level characters since Isle of Dread starts at 3rd level and I think the 1st and 2nd level encounters in the Caves module are overly difficult and don't give a good "feel" for 5E. I think this is important to mention since most people brand new to the 5E playtest will probably try low level characters first in the only module with 1st and 2nd level encounters.

    I ran B2 when it was first released and the conversion of the Caves of Chaos portion of the module for 5E is almost identical to the original but there is a *huge* difference between a 2nd level fighter in plate mail & shield being hit by a kobold in OD&D and 5E. Originally the kobolds would need a 20 to hit the fighter so the large numbers didn't matter, in 5E they hit just fine because of banded accuracy so the large numbers of Goblins, Orcs and Kobolds in the module are not representative of the recommended encounter size per the current DM encounter recommendations for 5E.
    Last edited by Griogre; February 27th, 2013 at 22:45.

  6. #6
    I've taken part in three early playtest sessions (with groups from another forum). I really don't know what to make of 5E. My initial impressions are really really negative, but then I am a huge fan of 4E. I've considered each new edition of (A)D&D an improvement (since I played simple D&D with 'Champions of Mystra'), but 4E really balanced the game and I love the tactical element. Playing 5E online hasn't really matched that, and some of the mechanics seem dubious - Advantage mechanics in particular (I don't like "more dice"). I haven't played since, and I'm assuming that stuff like that has been changed. Basically I'm trying not to dismiss it until it's released and I've tried some of the final product, but I have little faith right now.

    Having said that, I think there is a lot of scope for FG to really shine with 5E. In the 'Advantage' mechanic above, the person with Advantage rolled a d20 twice and took the most favourable result. That's hella clunky in person, and worse if you have a lot of creatures doing simultaneous attacks with Advantage (like a bunch of rats ... ). However, FG could automate that process beautifully.

    The modular view of 5E would also seem to fit well with FG. Given that:
    a) DDI's online gaming table was massively delayed;
    b) when it did arrive it was utter crap (hopefully Wizards have learned a lesson there);
    c) this + copyright leads to 4E workarounds involving parser programmes, scraping of DDI etc which are horrible;
    I really hope Smiteworks can strike some sort of licensing deal with WOTC for 5E that they couldn't manage with 4E.

    I would have happily forked out a one-off cost to have all my 4E stuff ready for me in FG2, even if that one-off cost was the equivalent of two years DDI subscription, just for the convenience. If Smiteworks could find a way to let Wizards re-sell 5E content through the Smiteworks shop (even if it means modules are "checked" by FG2 to see if they are legitimately owned each time a campaign server is started), this would be brilliant. If we could then pay by module (e.g. I want the tactical module, I want the Forgotten Realms modules, I don't want anything associated with Greyhawk) then I'd be a very happy user, and both Smiteworks and Wizards would profit from me. I suppose technically they both already have since I have an Ultimate licence and a DDI subscription, but this way Wizards would profit from me without also garnering my contempt.
    Last edited by Bleak Midwinter; April 7th, 2013 at 10:45.

  7. #7
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    @Bleak Midwinter: You will be glad to know that an unofficial 5E ruleset is already in development. The Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic is already implemented. An extra panel is provided next to the modifier box on the Desktop that enables the DM or a player to set advantage/disadvantage before a roll. The ruleset will roll two d20's, if the player has advantage the most favourable roll is used automatically, if not the least favourable is used. The chat window is updated automatically with an apprprioate message, the advantage dice result is encoded in Green whilst Disadvantage dice result is encoded in Red.

    As for content, a new parser (PAR5E) tool has been developed to enable easy bulk loading of 5E data into FGII. At present its supports text file input only however if WoTC support an online model (e.g. DDI Compendium) then it will be adapted to support auto scraping.
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  8. #8
    Hi DrZeuss,

    I saw Par5e and it looks really good. I suppose as a person who isn't good at coding, I've really struggled with the 4E parser. The more you can automate the more attractive this will be (especially if FG2 gets through Steam Greenlight).

  9. #9
    Rules are simplified and its a bit of kickback, maybe like Ad&D + 3rd? Its fairly modular now that things have opened up a bit, some of the mechanics are closer to True 20, though right now certain abilities require 'training' to perform.

    Unfortunately, this semester has turned out to be a very big pain and I haven't kept up-to-date with the last 2 releases other than to glance over them. Right now, I am somewhat in favor of it as it seems to be going a little more rules lite and more story focused, which I will admit I prefer.
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  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Bleak Midwinter
    I saw Par5e and it looks really good. I suppose as a person who isn't good at coding, I've really struggled with the 4E parser. The more you can automate the more attractive this will be (especially if FG2 gets through Steam Greenlight).
    (I feel a little rude making demands of the kind folks who make these parsers for free in their spare time, so i apologize in advance, but. . .) As someone who loves FG, but knows little to nothing about programming, i have to second this.

    I would love it if the final product was simple enough for me to use. I tried to get Par5e running, with the intention of scraping the latest playtest packet for my FG group, but failed pretty quickly.

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