Monday, January 16, 2012

IF They Ask Me....

So WOTC is looking for players to tell them what they want in the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons. If they asked me I would gladly tell them what I want. I want D&D to be wild , mysterious and even a little bit creepy. I want the artwork to reflect that style. I would like the books to be like ancient tomes, not how to guides. I want them not care about upsetting people and not shy away from some material. I want the game to feel like an experience not an activity. I do not want some over hyped , one in every store, mass marketed, spoon fed, bubble wrapped, safe version of the game.

I WANT IT TO BE LIKE A HAUNTED HOUSE , NOT A FUN HOUSE.

That's what I would say if they asked me.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Rain on the Parade

5th edition scmith edition. I don't want to rain on the parade but the new edition of D&D will suck. By suck I mean fail to achieve its promise of having something for everyone. It just can't happen. I hope I am wrong but lets look at the facts. 3rd edition was supposed to be the massive revamp of the system designed to clear up and unify the rules and make the game accessible to a mass market. Yet it was replaced only 3 years later by the 3.5 "revision". 3.5 itself was replaced only 5 years after that by 4th. That edition was decried by many of the old guard as a tabletop copy online RPGs. 3.5 had a lifespan of 5 years. 4th ed is currently four years old. Time for a new edition! The designers might want a good game but the company wants a popular one. Popular means it will appeal to the most players. Does anyone wonder why 3 rd ed was so similar to computer games? I think the designers tried to tap into that popularity thinking popular=better. They could have turned away from that path with 4th ed. But they didn't so why would you think they would now. Sure they will listen to the players. But who is going to be talking. The squeakiest wheel will get the grease. I think the grognards voices will be lost to the noise of the munchkins.

P.S. This post didn't turn out as I originally planned. I had to compose it over the noise of children in the background.