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Post by Zenopus on May 22, 2014 14:01:54 GMT -6
Mike Mearls Twitter conversation where he mentioned the free pdf:
Also some interesting stuff about layering the rules by placing options (tactical combat, spell point system) in the DMG.
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Post by vladtolenkov on May 22, 2014 14:52:25 GMT -6
According to the ENWorld info from the ACD conference there will be sidebars in the DMG telling you how to customize 5E so that it runs more like previous editions of the game. Thought that was interesting.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2014 16:10:03 GMT -6
I see your point.
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machpants
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Supersonic Underwear!
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Post by machpants on May 22, 2014 17:04:55 GMT -6
This I like, from the Kobold Press interview: " What parts of designing for the next edition of D&D made you rub your hands with glee? What does it do in a way that makes it easier, or more fun, for you as an adventure designer?Steve: Every new edition of D&D—but 3rd and 4th especially—has moved the game in the direction of greater codification. More and more gets specified in terms of "this is how it must be" and less and less is left in the hands of the players and the DM to interpret or develop on their own. The new edition of D&D seems to be shifting the balance in the opposite direction. It's stepping back toward a philosophy of saying, "You DMs and players are smart people—the rulebook doesn't need to tell you how to do every little thing. Here's a framework for modelling fantasy. Do what you want with it." There's a lot more specificity than there was in, say, OD&D or D&D Basic/Expert, but there's considerably more freedom than there was in 3rd and 4th edition. As an adventure writer, that's tremendously liberating. Instead of spending all my mental energy figuring out the optimal spacing between foes or tightly scripting the precise order in which a monster will use each of its five special abilities, I can focus on plot and motivation. I can tell the DM, "The villain wants to accomplish this, but he'll run away if this happens," and leave it to the DM to handle that situation intelligently. That's better for me as a writer, and frankly, I think it's better for the DM, too. Wolfgang: Customization options for monsters were the big one for me—you don’t need to haul out a spreadsheet just to modify an orc or hill giant into a slight variant. And I agree with Steve: trusting the DM to make some decisions, giving them a direction but not spelling out massive attack sequences, that seems like a step in the right direction. Codifying everything was getting out of hand." Read more: www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?1636-Kobold-Press-on-TYRANNY-OF-DRAGONS-Their-Contribution-to-D-D-5TH-EDITION!#ixzz32ULfDEwL
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Post by Zenopus on May 26, 2014 22:45:09 GMT -6
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machpants
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Supersonic Underwear!
Posts: 259
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Post by machpants on May 27, 2014 0:00:54 GMT -6
Absolutely cracking news.
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Post by llenlleawg on May 27, 2014 2:51:00 GMT -6
This is one of the wisest decisions they could have made. It lets something stand as D&D quite apart from everything else in the PHB, MM and DMG, much less whatever other books they crank out. The idea of letting people get their hands one something short and simple that is recognizable as D&D, and which is at one and the same time (a) perfectly functional all on its own without having to pay a cent to play and (b) entirely compatible with anything new they might publish, is an excellent way to approach the game. The newest iteration of the rules might not please everyone, but I think they are close to being what the need to be to say "D&D" not just to those of us here who know the TSR years (and even before!), but also those who came to the game in the WotC years. Two thumbs up!
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Post by waysoftheearth on May 27, 2014 3:56:55 GMT -6
It's positive news for sure, but let's see it first. edit: Holmes Basic D&D 46pp Moldvay Basic D&D 64pp 5E Basic D&D 96pp AD&D PHB 128pp 5E PHB 320pp THREEE HUNDRED!!
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Post by llenlleawg on May 27, 2014 5:53:49 GMT -6
waysoftheearth, true enough re: page count, but not precisely fair. After all, the 5E Basic will have twenty levels, not merely three as did Holmes and Moldvay; it will have as well, it would seem, monsters suitable for all of those levels, rules perhaps for wilderness adventures, etc. In other words, I think a closer comparison would be: Moldvay + Cook/Marsh D&D 128pp 5E Basic 96 pp In other words, at least the basic rules themselves are not out of proportion with earlier versions, taking into account the kind of material included in each. You are probably correct in general re: the AD&D PHB and the 5E PHB, but we'll want to see, e.g. font size, art, etc., since I suspect that the AD&D PHB, when printed with current typographic standards, would be rather more than 128pp. (What is that anyway, 10-point?)
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Post by waysoftheearth on May 27, 2014 6:05:46 GMT -6
I suspect the AD&D PHB is closer to 7pt, but I don't know for sure.
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idrahil
Level 6 Magician
The Lighter The Rules, The Better The Game!
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Post by idrahil on May 27, 2014 6:59:17 GMT -6
Wow, that page count is "off-putting". I still want to check that boxed set out though. I'm curious at how playable it will be. I mentioned before at going over the starter set for 2nd Edition and that while not at all like 2nd edition, it was complete enough to play and expand on.
It got me thinking of the other RPG I am most familiar with which was Star Wars d6. I know for a fact I had 1 rule book for that game and it was smaller than any 1e+ book for D&D and it had everything in it. Then, there was also a boxed intro set that had even smaller books. And those were 100% playable rules.
So, I'll be curious at what goes into these pages: Rules necessary just to play? Or just "fancy" things added to a basic core that is a complete game in its own right.
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Post by llenlleawg on May 27, 2014 7:10:05 GMT -6
So, I'll be curious at what goes into these pages: Rules necessary just to play? Or just "fancy" things added to a basic core that is a complete game in its own right. If we trust Mearls on the WotC D&D page, then the Basic rules will be fully playable, "for years" if you want to! The thing is that the Starter Set isn't necessarily the way to start. It will have dice, and adventure, advice about playing for players and DMs, pre-gen PCs, etc. The rules to give the new edition a spin will be the free ones available as a pdf. I would guess most people on this site could just pick those up and run with them, as indeed anyone who has played D&D before (or any other RPG). So, I wouldn't be too put off by the page count. If Mearls is right, then there will be a fully-playable D&D for free in 96 pages for levels 1-20. Not bad, by current standards and, as I noted above, short than the equivalent material (so far as I can guess) in the B/X total of 128 pages. The nice thing, though, is that these will be the same rules as the larger books, just not all of them. That makes it a lot easier, I think, to have learned it and played around with it for free and then drop into other people's games. It also means that the sh*t you make up to work with the Basic rules will likely work if applied to the larger rulebooks.
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Post by kesher on May 27, 2014 8:04:57 GMT -6
Purely awesome and right-headed. ...and as soon as the PDF is released, lulu and etc. will be flooded with people making their own hardcopies.
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Post by vladtolenkov on May 27, 2014 15:14:04 GMT -6
Ha! I called it last week!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2014 11:22:20 GMT -6
Up until this point I had less than zero interest in 5th edition. The only reason I even looked for this thread is from hearing a fellow gamer at work tell me about the free pdf. Now I will at least download the free pdf just to see if "Basic D&D" has any resemblance to Basic D&D.
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Post by jmccann on Jun 6, 2014 22:07:12 GMT -6
I will definitely check it out. My kids are the age where they might become interested over the next few years and it will be easier for them using the latest edition, as opposed to their dad's weird old 70s and 80s stuff.
Free PDF I'll definitely check out, and I'll probably buy the basic set unless it gets horrible reviews. The others I'll wait and see.
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Azafuse
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 245
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Post by Azafuse on Jun 23, 2014 22:48:18 GMT -6
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Post by waysoftheearth on Jun 23, 2014 23:13:51 GMT -6
Jeez, it's an hour long!
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Post by kesher on Jun 25, 2014 7:40:36 GMT -6
...and I watched the whole hour! It's encouraging, really. The adventure in the Starter Set looks like it'll be both fun and versatile.
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