I really don't care about D&D Next that much.
While there are a handful of interesting elements present in D&D Next, like the Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic and Finesse weapons, but I have yet to see anything that would actually make me set Pathfinder and the other editions of D&D aside for this new game.
Secondly, the "design by committee" process has started to turn the game into this weird, Frankenstein system that become less appealing each time I look at it. It seems like they are trying to please everyone, which in turn will turn off a lot of people. I think I would have preferred if they would have just made the game and let us playtest it, then used the comments that were not just people yelling, "THAT'S NOT D&D!" to refine the system instead of creating new subsytems in an attempt to please everyone.
Now, I will probably give the next few playtest packets a glance out of pure curiosity and to see if there are any other elements that I can steal for the other games that I run or play. However, I doubt I'll actually sit down and run the game as it is again. I just don't care enough about D&D Next to do that anymore.
The multitude of cooks and soup probem I see. It's why I decided that Mythus 2 will have just the one cook; I'll take advise and counsel, but I decide on what goes in.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping Wizard's decides to do it right the next time.
I really wish they would have done that too. Usually when something is done by "committee" (or in this case, people yelling on a forum), the final product feels like a jumbled mess.
DeleteI'm doing the same thing with my rules-light fantasy game. I'm designing it, but I occasionally as people for their opinions on certain elements that I'm having trouble with. However, I still make the final decisions about anything.
I moved to Savage Worlds because of this exact same problem, too many cooks in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteMy own group has been running D&D Next since the playtest began. The majority view (from players whose opening experiences range from 1e to 4e) is that its the best system thus far. By "best" I mean the best combination of smooth uncluttered mechanics and story-telling potential.
ReplyDeleteI've only run a few sessions of D&D Next and I like certain elements and hate others. I like the focus on abilities and the idea and some of the implementation of the divine archetypes for clerics. However, I feel like the skill dice add an unnecessary second layer of randomness to the game and the constant adding of new elements to the playtests instead of taking the system and refining it to make simple and smooth to run. However, these are just my opinions and everyone's entitled to like any game they want to. It's one of the best parts of this hobby. There are so many games out there to choose from and it's interesting to hear from those who like a game that you don't. I might give the playtest one more go if I can get another group together since my last one kind of fell apart.
DeleteI've recently started playing Next after 17 years away from the game, so for what it's worth, I don't carry any 3rd/3.5/pathfinder/4th baggage. I find next really captures the flavor of AD&D with a great deal of streamlining. My group, all of whom are brand new to role-playing in general, are having a blast. They love advantage/disadvantage and are basically just experiencing the game without the rules getting in the way. That being said, I don't see why people who are playing and loving pathfinder/4th/etc would feel the need to shell out a bunch of cash for a new system. Hell, if I still owned my 2nd ed. books, I might never have liked into next.
DeleteFinally, I'd say it's totally reasonable to not have an interest in the playtesting process, but don't let that lead you to pre-judge the final product.