"DnD Next/5th E" Topic

Whatever we're calling it, I ponied up the 20 bucks to reserve a copy at my FLGS. The starter box is in on the 15th, and my FLGS is only getting two boxes, one of which is now spoken for ;]

I read the basic rules and I like them. I skipped 3rd-4th, and pathfinder altogether, never played them. I have only played 2nd ad&d but I really like how this looks so far.

Do you guys have any plans on getting it?

I've looked it over but I'm not seeing anything that has me on fire to play it. I'm not a big fan of 3e or 4e and I can see a good bit of each carried over to 5e under different names (surges and feats and such).
I play some of the OSR games that mimick/modify older versions of D&D… Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Swords & Wizardry and I'm pretty happy with those.

Good luck to it though.

The starter box came out on the 3rd, didn't it?

I thought the 15th date was for Amazon/online discount shoppers.

Probably.

Damon.

link

That says the 15th and none of my local shops get it until the 15th.

I'm holding a copy in my hands that my housemate bought from the local FLGS. It's already out, and has been for more than a week.

I have a copy also from my FLGS. I guess a few scattered stores got it early and the owner of my FLGS actually called someone (WotC?) to see if he could put it out or should wait for the 15th and he was told to go ahead and start selling.

Like many here, I've played every edition, most recently 4E with my teen children. Last night we played our first session of 5E and everyone liked it. It does feel like they cherry-picked things from both 3E & 4E but put them in a package that feels more like 2E to me. I think its a good combination, the game last night felt 'old school' but without the pains of wizards only having 1 spell or someone being knocked to zero Hps with a single hit from some low-level critter. This as opposed to 4E where encounters often felt like your were just repeatedly mashing down on your "X" or "Y" button, i.e. using your "At-Will" or "Encounter" powers over and over again.

Also, everyone at the table enjoyed trying to figure out ways to gain "Advantage" on their actions and it made some very creative play. To each their own, but I'd suggest giving it a try with the free download basic rules before passing to hard a judgment.

Also, I'd say the starter box set was a bit under whelming as there aren't any actual class or race rules, you only have the option of the 5 pre-gen characters. However the free download has those rules and you can make your own characters, abut only from the 4 most common classes and races (Cleric, Fighter, Rogue, Wizard, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human). We played a Pathfinder adventure and found the stats and challenges were very close to each other, so in my mind at least pretty darn compatible, which considering how good many pathfinder adventures are, is a big bonus for 5E.

As to some stores getting them earlier, all I can say is lucky you then. The only hobby store around here is about an hour and a half drive from me, and is quite small. If I feel adventerous I can drive just over 2 hours to the Hobby Bunker, which is much bigger. The closer store is some Flames of War, Field of Glory, Warlord stuff, and some historical items. It is primarily a Magic the Gathering and GW store. They have a very tiny bookshelf of DnD stuff. That might explain why they only got 2, and didn't get them early.

Found this on a D&D news site

The official street date is July 3rd for Wizards Play Network stores and July 15th for the rest of us

Also keep in mind the starter set is VERY much aimed at people who have never played. Experienced players of previous editions will get less out of it.

That said I ordered it anyway.

Xin

D&D 4th drove me to Pathfinder and I never looked back. What's different about 5th that recommends it??

Reaper, you can download the basic rules for free and see for yourself.

link

Xin

Not a bad set overall; seems like it will play a LOT more like 3rd edition than anything else, but that's not really a bad thing. But my taste has moved more towards light D20 variants like M20 or similar concepts.

-Will

Looks like a decent system, and certainly superior to the abominable 4e.
Seems very targeted to WotC's IP campaign worlds over homegrown stuff, but that's just smart marketing on their part. Certainly homegrown campaigns remain viable choices.
Low level survivability is much greater than classic D&D, a move which I'm inclined to approve of. Wizards are certainly more powerful at beginner levels, and more versatile. In general, I approve, but some of the "use anytime I like" cantrips strike me as overpowered. I'd want a way to restrict that in house rules (maybe cantrips can only be cast if you have an open spell slot, though they don't use up the slot? But once you've used up a slot, no more cantrips? In any case, needs a little something to alter the situation…)

It's not everything I want in an RPG, but neither was the original.

It's not everything I want in an RPG, but neither was the original.

Yeah, and meanwhile there are lots of other great/better games to be played.

Low level survivability is much greater than classic D&D

I agree with that. I had a player die to an angry group of house cats once. Very funny for us, not so for him.

My first two "blue box" characters-- both fighters-- died in succession in our first ever game. The first died in the first encounter in B1 "In Search of the Unknown," to a goblin. The second, his "brother," generated on the spot, ran down the hallway to join the party… and promptly died in the next encounter (giant rats, I think). A third "brother" then ran down the hallway (only a bit farther) and likewise joined the party, as if the whole thing were a staged race. Even as newbies, we realized this was ridiculous.

"But that one stayed up!"

I had a player die to an angry group of house cats once. Very funny for us, not so for him.

As someone who was mauled badly by a single angry tomcat… the idea that a GROUP of angry cats could take a guy down doesn't seem all that far-fetched… unless he was in full armor or something.

Played 3.5, really disliked 4.0 Went to pathfinder. tried the free 5.0 rules, and am sticking to pathfinder.

5.0 did not seem like a poor game the way 4.0 did. it is just that it doesnt seem better than pathfinder, and I dont want to spend a bunch more money to replace a system unless it is markedly better.

Largely, wizards lost me when they dumped 3.5 and DDM.

Owen