D&D Next

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu May 24, 2012 1:34 pm

Zurai wrote:Screw that; they can't even bother to make their account creation page compatible with Chrome. I wasn't that interested anyway.

I think someone from WotC put it on dropbox...that's how I got it...but of course I can't find the link now

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu May 24, 2012 1:49 pm

Still haven't gotten my download e-mail.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu May 24, 2012 1:52 pm

Mine didn't work. I ended up searching through their forums and found someone who said Wizards' CustServ put it on dropbox for them. Of couse I can't find that now

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Fri May 25, 2012 9:53 am

Strange, the whole healing surge thing was a very positive thing for D&D in my opinion. It reduced, although never replaced, the need for a dedicated healer in some groups, where the combination of surges and less healing could work, thus enabling more interesting party configurations.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Fri May 25, 2012 10:07 am

Turtle wrote:Strange, the whole healing surge thing was a very positive thing for D&D in my opinion. It reduced, although never replaced, the need for a dedicated healer in some groups, where the combination of surges and less healing could work, thus enabling more interesting party configurations.

I agree. This was a great addition. The healing kits are a kindred idea, but I'm not pleased with the idea of a random roll determining how much you can get back.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Fri May 25, 2012 11:11 am

Yeah, to me, this looks more like a 3E revamp than anything else. Not sure where the "modular" nature is that they were talking about...guess it's too early in the playtest.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:07 am

Preview from Ars Technica:

On 4E:

Several sessions into 4e, I came to a painful realization: if it took 10 encounters to gain a level for a PC, and if our combat encounters continued to span two to four hours of play time each, it would be a very long while before we reached level 10, where great boons were granted and characters truly evolved. To make matters worse, our play space had become a riot of status indicators, books, character sheets, and decks of custom-printed power cards that made setup and teardown a chore. Four years later, we still have yet to reach level 11.

New Character sheet:

The character sheet for my Halfling rogue, Larry, looked a lot like the one I cribbed form the back of my old Players Handbook when I was 12 years old. Character, class, race, and vital statistics sat at the top. Strength, dexterity, constitution, armor class (sorry, no THAC0)… check-check-check, and check. What were missing were 4e’s characteristic powers, and the seemingly endless modifications and exceptions they added to the rules.

Also missing was an endless list of minor skills I was not strong in, like dungeoneering and insight. The D&D Next sheet felt very streamlined, and on two short pages I was able to list not only these simple stats but the story of my character. Raised in a working family, a cook by trade and a tinkerer by necessity, my character was born into a hard-bitten world and had turned to pickpocketing and backstabbing to survive. I easily curled a contemptible sneer for the foppish PC, a nobleman’s son, seated to my left.

Favorite part:

The most impressive part of WoTC’s presentation, to me, was the admission that they were somewhat behind the times in not offering digital copies of their properties, both past and present. They promised that, in the coming years, they would finally release searchable PDF copies of books from every system, all the way back to the original 1970s classic. Gamers will, as the keynote’s moderator Kevin Kulp politely put it politely, finally be able to play D&D from their tablets like they can with competing properties from Paizo and countless independent RPG makers.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:19 am

Well, I don't think the combat was as bad as they make it, but really D&D Next looks to be D&D Old with some tweaks (which I'm fine with though I am going to miss some of the stuff that made the DM's life easier...like not having to track conditions and time). Unfortunately, I suspect this is just going to fracture the D&D base even more as there are some people that don't want to move from 4E or Pathfinder

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 9:54 am

IceBear wrote:Well, I don't think the combat was as bad as they make it, but really D&D Next looks to be D&D Old with some tweaks (which I'm fine with though I am going to miss some of the stuff that made the DM's life easier...like not having to track conditions and time). Unfortunately, I suspect this is just going to fracture the D&D base even more as there are some people that don't want to move from 4E or Pathfinder

Honestly, after my current 4E campaign finishes, a campaign that has lasted since 4E was first released and which just hit Paragon level, I'm going to be done with D&D for a while. I'll probably GM a little Warhammer Fantasy next, alongside my current Rogue Trader campaign.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:01 am

Yeah, I haven't played anything in almost a year as it's just gotten too hard to get the group together. I have been interested in Dungeon World as it seems a bit more free form and roleplay centric

but still won't solve the issue with getting everyone together on a consistent basis

Zurai · Post by **Zurai** » Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:16 pm

Some of my friends played a session of Next at GenCon and they came away actually liking it. None of them liked 4E. I didn't get in on that session, so no first-hand impressions.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:51 am

I downloaded the playtest material. It is pretty much 3E with some new ideas and tweaks. Only 4E stuff I could notice were healing after combat, death saving throws when in negative hps, rituals, and spell casters always have a couple of minor spells that they can cast at will). They did give fighters some maneuvers so they get to do more than roll a d20 to see if they hit or miss

Lypewaype · Post by **Lypewaype** » Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:00 pm

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:02 pm

Anyone still participating in the playtest? Just curious how it's going still. Also, anyone have any idea of a potential release date?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:06 pm

I'd like to, but I just can't get a group together to try it out.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:36 pm

I think it'll be 2014 (it might be sooner but haven't seen it listed in their product catalog) . They pretty much went 2012 without any products to sell, so they pretty much have to release something soon. The add on modules that they have been talking about will probably be later. Likewise, I haven't been able to play any rpg systems this year at all... Two of my players are constantly working on Saturday which is the only day that works for me

Mandeville · Post by **Mandeville** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:06 pm

I like 4E but I was always a fan of “basic” D&D. I’m a dm and 4E was fun to run and plan especially since high level 3.5 broke me. Now my players will never go back. They love 4E too much; this after railing about how 4E wasn’t real D&D during the development of that game.

I prefer the use of minis in the game but I long for the days when combat could be wrapped up in a few minutes. I hate that for all intents and purposes I just need to plan two encounters a night because I’m lucky if I can get through ONE fight.

I got the play test material last year and was under whelmed by what I saw. I tried to sell it to my group as a way to get our input into the process but there was no interest. I haven’t followed ANY of the changes and I don’t really care. I just want to know what the final is…or maybe I’m just getting old. Probably just getting old.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:13 pm

I always used minis back in the red box days (checker board and stratego pieces). I didn't find combat that much longer in 4E over 3.5 but I did use minions a lot for the less important encounters. I'd say we'd do 5 to 7 encounters a session (6pm to 11ish). I do enjoy more tactical options (otherwise it's just roll dice to see if you roll high enough to hit), but do appreciate quick encounters too. I think the lowering of hp will help speed things up

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 20, 2014 7:46 am

They dropped the "Next", simply opting to call it "Dungeons and Dragons" -- due out this July:

The Starter Set, at $20, looks like a great intro product. You get the basic rules, some premade characters, an adventure, character creation rules up to 5th level, and even a set of dice. But the three core books are $50 each, making even one of those a serious stack of clams for a middle schooler who wants to play D&D (and pity the poor kid who wants to be the DM).

hepcat on Mon Jan 16, 2012 wrote:Wouldn't it be great if they released the game as 17 books costing around 50 bucks each?

Maybe not 17, but you nailed the price point.

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue May 20, 2014 8:44 am

I have to say, I have not been pleased with the images I'm seeing of the covers of the core books. It looks like something I would have slapped together using PowerPoint.

I'll probably end up buying the core books...it is kind of surprising that they aren't releasing all three at the same time.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue May 20, 2014 9:25 am

hentzau wrote:it is kind of surprising that they aren't releasing all three at the same time.

Head of D&D R&D Mike Mearls reported on Twitter that this is intended to maintain quality control. When they released everything at once with fourth edition, it was too much to handle, and a lot of errors crept in (resulting in post-facto erratta and a lot of derision).

I still don't see how that is an issue as I wouldn't expect them to release the Players Handbook in August, realize there are issues for the upcoming November release of the DM guide and have them corrected. Maybe printing and shipping happens much faster than I realize but it seems to me that it's more of a "leave them wanting more" strategy.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Tue May 20, 2014 10:20 am

That's way better than power point art, however, you can tell they're deliberately going for a graphic design and art style closer to the very old D&D 2nd edition books.

Anyone know how the game is now? I have a feeling my group will want to try this, but to be frank, Pathfinder seems to fill a lot of what D&D used to do. How do they compare?

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Tue May 20, 2014 11:01 am

I didn't mean the art, I mean the graphics on top of the art. I wasn't sure how to explain that properly...

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Tue May 20, 2014 11:23 am

Turtle wrote:That's way better than power point art, however, you can tell they're deliberately going for a graphic design and art style closer to the very old D&D 2nd edition books.

Anyone know how the game is now? I have a feeling my group will want to try this, but to be frank, Pathfinder seems to fill a lot of what D&D used to do. How do they compare?

Honestly don't know... I have lost interest in fantasy RPG (rarely get time to play table top anymore and when I do it is Shadowrun or Star Wars Edge of the Empire) . I think they want it to feel more like 2nd Edition so it might attract players that want an old school feel, but I don't think people that are enjoying Pathfinder are going to be attracted to it. Pathfinder pretty much is D&D they just don't have the rights to the name... If 3.x Edition was your perfect D&D then stick with Pathfinder. Hopefully soon they will get the rights to the name, but I doubt they would rebrand to D&D nos

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Tue May 20, 2014 12:01 pm

Each core book will be $50!? Geez, for $50 you get all you need for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. Since I don't roleplay much anymore, $50 is too high for my "just buy RPG rules to read the system but never play" obsession.

RMC · Post by **RMC** » Tue May 20, 2014 3:03 pm

baelthazar wrote:Each core book will be $50!? Geez, for $50 you get all you need for Star Wars: Edge of the Empire. Since I don't roleplay much anymore, $50 is too high for my "just buy RPG rules to read the system but never play" obsession.

This is the price point for when the 3.5 books came out. They had a package of all three for around 100 bucks if I remember right, but they were like 50 bucks if bought separately.

I use to just buy the books, but stopped a long time ago, when I realized that they were just putting out crap. My group went to pathfinder around the time of D&D Next, and we have not gone back.

I doubt that this will bring us back, but I might pick up the books over time just to look at them.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue May 20, 2014 3:53 pm

Some curiosity had me dig up my original, firstish-printing 1989 2nd Edtion PHB and DMG. $20 each, which translates to ~$38 in 2014 dollars.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Wed May 28, 2014 8:04 pm

Apparently, they are releasing a free pdf called Basic D&D before the books are released http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx ... l/20140527

From the URL:

Basic D&D is a PDF that covers the core of the game. It’s the equivalent of the old D&D Rules Cyclopedia, though it doesn’t have quite the same scope (for example, it won’t go into detail on a setting). It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options.

But the best part? Basic D&D is a free PDF. Anyone can download it from our website. We want to put D&D in as many hands as possible, and a free, digital file is the best way to do that.

If Basic D&D is the equivalent of the classic Rules Cyclopedia, then the three core rulebooks are analogous to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Want more character options? Pick up a Player’s Handbook. Looking for more critters for your campaign? The Monster Manual has you covered. Want to sculpt a unique campaign? Pick up the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Still, Basic D&D is the true heart of the game and could easily provide a lifetime of gaming.

At the launch of the D&D Starter Set, Basic D&D will include the material needed to create characters and advance to 20th level. In August, with the release of the Player’s Handbook, Basic D&D will expand to include the essential monsters, magic items, and DM rules needed to run the game, along with the rules for wilderness, dungeon, and urban adventuring. (The Starter Set already covers the aspects of these rules that you need to run the included campaign.)

As we introduce new storylines like Tyranny of Dragons, we’ll also make available free PDFs that provide all the rules and stats missing from Basic D&D needed to run the adventures tied into the story. The adventures released as part of Tyranny of Dragons are playable without requiring any of the core rulebooks or the Starter Set. With just the Basic Dungeons & Dragons rules, you can play D&D for years.

Basic D&D makes it easier than ever for new players and DMs to jump into tabletop RPG play. We’re involved in the greatest gaming hobby ever invented. It’s time to bring that hobby to everyone who wants to take part.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed May 28, 2014 9:28 pm

Everything old is new again.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Wed May 28, 2014 9:29 pm

Yup.... Good thing I still have my copy of the Rules Cyclopedia

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri May 30, 2014 2:51 pm

Had some credits and the Starter Set is on sale via Amazon pre-order for $12.65 so I pulled the trigger. I have zero expectations, but I am curious. For $8 I can take a gamble.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:58 pm

The free, basic rules are online here:
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx ... basicrules

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:24 pm

Going to go pick up the Starter Set from my FLGS after work. I promised my kids a 4th of July weekend filled with D&D.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 5:05 pm

IceBear wrote:The free, basic rules are online here:
http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx ... basicrules

That's strange. From how they described the basic rules earlier, they were supposed to be like a D&D Cyclopedia thing with a bit of everything in it, including monsters and treasure. This PDF however, contains only stuff that would be considered part of a player's handbook. You can't use this to play the game, as you have no opposition and no rewards to provide.

I've only glanced at the rules themselves, and I have mixed feelings. This looks very similar to D&D 3.5 in many ways, and brings back some of its features that I like the least (multiple attacks chief among them).

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:13 pm

hentzau wrote:Going to go pick up the Starter Set from my FLGS after work. I promised my kids a 4th of July weekend filled with D&D.

Your kids are going to be disappointed. AFAIK, the Starter Set does not release until July 12.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:19 pm

Not exactly true. My FLGS had it today but they are one of those that are affiliated with WotC so they get it earlier. Not sure why I picked it up other than I have picked up every edition since the red box. Not really interested in it and my group is pretty much on hiatus for all pnp games just because we're having trouble getting together

hentzau · Post by **hentzau** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:32 pm

IceBear wrote:Not exactly true. My FLGS had it today but they are one of those that are affiliated with WotC so they get it earlier. Not sure why I picked it up other than I have picked up every edition since the red box. Not really interested in it and my group is pretty much on hiatus for all pnp games just because we're having trouble getting together

This.

I opened up the box and took a quick peek at the contents an was kind of underwhelmed. Comparing the starter set to the Pathfinder beginner box and Pathfinder comes out head and shoulders above the D&D box. All you're getting are 5 pregen characters on plain paper, the beginners rule book, and an adventure. The adventure is about twice the size of the rule book. The art on the books is taken from the same art as the box. No maps, no counters. Oh, and a set of dice.

Once I get back from fireworks I'll give it a closer look, concentrating on the contents of the books.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:42 pm

Yeah, WotC is pretty much done. Moving back to 3.x is silly... Pathfinder already does that. I doubt Hasbro is letting them spend much money and I wouldn't be surprised to see them try to sell the license... Again too late.

Most of the starter sets from WotC have been pretty cheap, but I could tell from the price that this one was even going to be cheaper.

I have heard good things about 13th Age so I would probably give that a try before 5E. Actually, if I get a chance to run something this summer it'll be Age of Rebellion or Numenera (still haven't played it even though I kickstarted it)

baelthazar · Post by **baelthazar** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:16 pm

hentzau wrote:
IceBear wrote:Not exactly true. My FLGS had it today but they are one of those that are affiliated with WotC so they get it earlier. Not sure why I picked it up other than I have picked up every edition since the red box. Not really interested in it and my group is pretty much on hiatus for all pnp games just because we're having trouble getting together
This.

I opened up the box and took a quick peek at the contents an was kind of underwhelmed. Comparing the starter set to the Pathfinder beginner box and Pathfinder comes out head and shoulders above the D&D box. All you're getting are 5 pregen characters on plain paper, the beginners rule book, and an adventure. The adventure is about twice the size of the rule book. The art on the books is taken from the same art as the box. No maps, no counters. Oh, and a set of dice.

Once I get back from fireworks I'll give it a closer look, concentrating on the contents of the books.

Huh, so it pays to go to FLGS then!

Glad you could report on this. I've been dangerously close to clicking the "buy" button for the starter pack, but I think I will wait and see. It sounds like this is somewhat cheap, which is a bit of a bummer in comparison to the Edge of the Empire starter pack.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:18 am

It won't be every FLGS that will have it before the July 12th street date, just those affiliated with WotC.

The basic rules, linked above, are free and there's a couple D&D Next adventures for probably about the same price on drivethrurpg that I believe are more fleshed out (though granted, pdf format).

BTW, the Age of Rebellion starter pack has been out for awhile and similar to the Age of Empire starter pack for contents. Hopefully you can still find it now, as it's worth it for the dice alone