Upgrading to new D&D edition?

[cailano]

6 minutes ago, Lord Foul said:

I'm in both those camps. I mostly play 3.5 but I still run AD&D.

Can't be dealin' with these noofangled editions! Bah, get orff my lawn!

 

My lawn has a bottomless pit hidden in it. Roll a D6. The pit triggers on a 1.

[Chaz Hoosier]

My bad habit is finally moving on to a new system when it is already in its waning days. I started off with AD&D in high school when TSR was about bankrupt. I ignored 3.5 during most of its run because I was more into World of Darkness in those days. I finally got into 3.5 as the last few books were being published, and now have only gotten into 5ed. in the last year or so. Just in time for a new edition to come out!

Edited January 15 by Chaz Hoosier (see edit history)

[cailano]

6 minutes ago, Chaz Hoosier said:

My bad habit is finally moving on to a new system when it is already in its waning days. I started off with AD&D in high school when TSR was about bankrupt. I ignored 3.5 during most of its run because I was more into World of Darkness in those days. I finally got into 3.5 as the last few books were being published, and now have only gotten into 5ed. in the last year or so. Just in time for a new edition to come out!

I wouldn't feel too bad. I played BECMI Basic and AD&D back in the 80s and 90s, and only after around 2017 did I realize how great those systems were and how to properly run a campaign using them.

[bwatford]

21 minutes ago, cailano said:

I wouldn't feel too bad. I played BECMI Basic and AD&D back in the 80s and 90s, and only after around 2017 did I realize how great those systems were and how to properly run a campaign using them.

AD&D, and early 2nd Edition (before kits) still have the best fundamentals for RPG gaming. It was still a challenge back then (for the player). Everything since has been to make superhero adventurers with less death. Adventuring is no longer fundamentally dangerous at a level that would persuade the average joe not to do it.

[paula36]

On 1/14/2024 at 5:28 AM, bwatford said:

LevelUp is a solid game, they claim it to be 5e compatible, but it simply isn't. There is way too much power creep on the character side of things that makes running out of the box adventurers for 5e or the monsters within 5e a very big non challenge.

If you use their bestiary you will do ok with the system, but it does put limits on material you have to use.

They really should have moved away from 5e altogether as should have Kobold Press, both systems are basically 5e with more crunch that causes either to struggle with compatibility. I think both wanted the sales that come with the words 5e compatible more than they wanted to pull away.

Then I'll probably skip it, I don't want to get into something like that, especially with not seeing a single game using it.

[Mirilene]

Honestly, when WotC started with the OGL drama I already gave up on them, despite having roughly a dozen 5E books in physical copies here. Sure, they changed their approach, but them even trying this crap was enough for me. These days I'm playing in a PF2 game for a year now and I like it, more than PF1 at least. Otherwise I'm running just two games - one of them using 'The Dark Eye' (*The* german P&P system since, uh, I think 1984?) and the other being 'Battle Century' ... both of these feel quite different, despite TDE being also a fantasy game.

I'm reading up on OneD&D UA's out of curiousity these days, but I'll never give WotC any money again ... Shadow of the Bad Writing Queen was the last D&D book I ever bought, and I regretted even that before the OGL shittery even started.

[Chaz Hoosier]

I will say, as one that has been around long enough to say so, that every edition has its fanatical devotees who insist it's the only and best role playing system they could possibly use. Even 4th edition has its adherents, and it probably would have many more if WotC had been committed enough to it to fix its issues rather than quickly moving on to 5ed.

[Lord Foul]

D&D 4e is the Crystal Skull; the one that jumped the shark and shalt never be spoken of in polite company.

 

[Yamazaki]

1 hour ago, Lord Foul said:

D&D 4e is the Crystal Skull; the one that jumped the shark and shalt never be spoken of in polite company.

Nah, 4e took a great deal of heat back in the day for not being more 3.5, and created an echo chamber because it was the heydays of the internet, which trashed its rep to the point that hating on 4e is meme now.

Which is funny, because it was a flawed but incredibly well thought out edition that has many fans and successor systems. Just look at Lancer, 13th Age, Strike, and even Matt Colville's new game - folks are looking back at what 4e did right and stealing relentlessly.

Even Pathfinder 2e has taken a few points of inspiration (and a dev or two) from 4e, a bit of irony that is not lost to anyone.

Trust me - folks talk about 4e these days. Just not around the more DnD-centric regions.

[Chaz Hoosier]

In an alternate timeline they came out with 4.5ed to fix the problems with 4ed, and people today are complaining about the prospect of 5ed coming out. "But I'll never give up 4.5, the most perfect edition of all time!" :p :D

[Michael Silverbane]

We're in that timeline. They called it "Essentials".