{"id":31181,"date":"2013-01-19T14:00:01","date_gmt":"2013-01-19T20:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/roleplayerschronicle.com\/?p=31181"},"modified":"2013-01-14T08:49:07","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T14:49:07","slug":"guest-spot-dnd-next-playtest-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/roleplayerschronicle.com\/?p=31181","title":{"rendered":"Guest Spot – DnD Next Playtest Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

DnD Next Playtest Review<\/strong>
\nBy Martin Tideswell<\/em><\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of people around the world are playtesting the latest incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons. Journalist Martin Tideswell, a 29-year DnD veteran, and his friends in Stoke-on-Trent, England, are among them\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are those who greet any new edition of their beloved game system with, at best, naked cynicism and, at worst, howls of disapproval. There\u2019s good reason for this. Very often, a game manufacturer\u2019s decision to revamp\/refurbish\/upgrade (take your pick) their most popular lines is motivated by profit rather than what is necessarily good for the game in question or their loyal customers. They are, when all is said and done, businesses who need to innovate to survive but it is a fine line that designers tread when launching new products. The truth is that nothing irks a seasoned gamer like system changes for the sake of it.<\/p>\n

I speak from experience. I\u2019ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1983 and have worked with every system \u2013 from the Basic and Expert rules through AD&D\u2019s 1st<\/sup>, 2nd<\/sup>, 3rd<\/sup>, 3.5 and 4th<\/sup> editions. Yes, I am one of those grognards who gets all misty-eyed when talking about T.H.A.C. 0 and can often be seen stroking a copy of the 1st<\/sup> edition Dungeon Master\u2019s Guide<\/em> and muttering the words: \u201cmy precious\u201d. I take great pride in the fact that I still have my TSR dice bag and can still remember the company\u2019s UK address in Cherry Hinton, Cambridge \u2013 years after it ceased to exist. Thus my relationship with its successor, Wizards of the Coast \u2013 guardians of the Dungeons & Dragons brand \u2013 hasn\u2019t always been an easy one.<\/p>\n

On the one hand, I am grateful to the company for helping to keep my hobby alive with funky online applications like Character Builder and the DnD Compendium as well as new product releases such as a range of miniatures which has greatly enhanced our roleplaying experience in recent years. On the other hand I don\u2019t think I will ever quite forgive the powers-that-be for the 4th<\/sup> edition experiment which turned the daddy of all RPGs into a strategy game and alienated many of its loyal players.<\/p>\n

It is well documented that 4th<\/sup> edition split DnD\u2019s fanbase. You had people like myself who will continue to play DnD no matter what, irrespective of our misgivings, because \u2013 well, it\u2019s DnD isn\u2019t it? You also had people who said: \u201cHang on now just a minute\u2026 This isn\u2019t roleplaying! Anyone for Pathfinder?\u201d<\/p>\n

Courtesy of the owner of this website, I was lucky enough to obtain tickets for the inaugural Gen Con address at Indy in August. It was a fascinating evening for a DnD nut like myself involving, as it did, a very public show of contrition and humility by senior Wizards of the Coast employees. They held their hands up and said, very publicly: \u201cWe got it wrong with 4th<\/sup> edition.\u201d Better still, they acknowledged that the only way to regain the trust and respect of DnD\u2019s core audience was to start over and involve as many people as possible in playtesting a new edition. Wizards calls it DnD Next. Others will call it 5th<\/sup> edition. I call it about bloody time.<\/p>\n

The 4th<\/sup> edition of the game, which has captured the imaginations of generations of roleplayers, was fundamentally flawed from the start. It was clearly targeted at the MMORPG community and thus became a sort of strange hybrid \u2013 a doppelganger of a game system that wanted to be an RPG, but was actually part wargame where combat and \u2018powers\u2019 actually take centre stage. DnD is supposed to be a storytelling experience where all the players enhance the tale through their words and actions.<\/p>\n

Instead, the truth is, those of us who have soldiered on playing 4th<\/sup> edition have done so\u00a0 with heavy hearts \u2013 knowing that we spend most of our evenings leafing through seven pages of abilities and waiting for our turn through interminable battles. The monsters in 4th<\/sup> edition have stacks of hit points but do very little damage. The rules make it very hard for a character to actually die and very easy for a DM to become disillusioned.<\/p>\n

I could go on\u2026 suffice to say 4th<\/sup> edition is a poor interpretation of what DnD was intended to be.<\/p>\n

This explains why so many of our community fled to Pathfinder \u2013 an RPG which is faithful to the old 3.5 edition DnD system. But all is not lost. With the launch of playtesting for DnD Next, Wizards stated that the evolutionary process would take a couple of years and, crucially, instead of foisting a new edition on consumers they would be giving the game back to the people who matter \u2013 the players \u2013 by asking them what they want. This is a bold claim but one which, up \u2018til now, the company appears to be honouring.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been impressed with the playtest packets to date simply because they have allowed my fellow gamers and I to have a crack at a very simple, stripped-back version of the roleplaying game we all love. It makes absolute sense to me for Wizards to revisit classics like the Isle of Dread \u2013 the sandbox setting for the second playtest \u2013 as they are quality games which make old \u2019uns like me feel all warm and fuzzy. More importantly, we\u2019ve been given a version of the game which is far more true to how I believe Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson intended DnD to be played back in the late 1970s and early 80s.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve DM’d and played the playtest and enjoyed both immensely. I don\u2019t ask for much, really. I like the fact that my character can die. I like the fact that the fighter has twice as many hit points as the wizard. I like the fact that my wizard runs out of spells. These things add a vital degree of realism, for me. What\u2019s more, I am not alone in having early favourable impressions of the new system. I play fortnightly with a large group comprising a mix of veteran and relatively inexperienced players and they all like the look of DnD Next.<\/p>\n

My friend Anna is a librarian and mum-of-two who has been playing 4th<\/sup> edition for a little over 18 months and has known no other system. Thus she comes to the table for DnD Next with no preconceptions. These are Anna\u2019s thoughts:<\/p>\n

\u2018I am really enjoying the playtest.\u00a0 I felt it isn\u2019t so focused on the powers and abilities of each character, and so gives the players more opportunity to improvise.\u00a0 It seems to me that the survival or otherwise of each character now depends more on the player and is not simply predetermined by the character sheet.\u00a0\u00a0There is a real sense that one wrong move could seriously jeopardise a character\u2019s survival, and this adds an element\u00a0of risk which gives the game credibility. The playtest made me\u00a0realise that 4th edition is somewhat overcomplicated.\u00a0 During the playtest I really enjoyed watching how the other players responded to\u00a0combat situations \u2013 something I feel I haven\u2019t really had the opportunity\u00a0to do before.\u00a0\u00a0During a 4th edition session I\u00a0seem to spend each round of initiative plotting my next character’s move, and missing many of the actions of my fellow players.\u00a0\u00a0As a player of DnD Next I felt\u00a0more involved in the\u00a0storytelling of the game than in previous 4th edition adventures.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Josh, a photography student, is another relative newcomer to DnD who likes what he sees of the new system \u2013 particularly a few of the new rules. He writes:<\/p>\n

\u2018<\/em>I find the playtest rules are significantly less time consuming than those we use in 4th edition. The\u00a0advantage\/disadvantage system also works out better in the new rules.\u00a0The expertise dice are also a nice addition and the reduction in hit points also keeps players on their toes as characters now feel \u2018kill-able\u2019 whereas in 4th edition, the characters would struggle to die.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Myles, a father-of-three and veteran gamer, is also a fan. He writes:<\/p>\n

D&D next has put the roleplay back into the game. By simplifying the character it has made it much easier to remain aware of what your character can and can\u2019t do without having to continually go back and reconsider your choices. Having a simpler sheet with basic skill stats allows you to interprete how skills play out more imaginatively. Subsequently the characters become more interesting because they are played as original characters and not cardboard cut-out warriors and magic users. Character Classes are well thought out. Speaking for myself, the Bounty Hunter is inspired. The flexibility of the rules allow me to play him as gritted mercenary or compassionate law-bringer – depending on the situation. The use of skills is fast and does not slow play in any way. The system is fast and has the feel of 1st, 2nd or 3rd editions. Formerly complex rules have been reconsidered and rewritten. I particularly like the advantage\/disadvantage die role. The use of 2 D20s is excellent – easy to understand and use in any situation. The combat is fast, damage lethal and adds a palpable air of tension. I.e. in our last session a character was struck with a rock and almost died because of the blow. Excellent stuff.<\/em>\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I leave the final words to my friend Elton, a veteran but lapsed player\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been a lapsed player since 3rd<\/sup> edition and have recently played a few sessions of 4th<\/sup> which I found far too cumbersome. Its mechanics seem to get in the way of what I used to enjoy – namely roleplaying. I\u2019ve played two sessions of the prototype 5th<\/sup> edition rules and enjoyed both immensely. The main positive for me was the stripped back feel to the rules which allowed for far quicker combat rounds and a sense that everything is happening at once. Another addition which worked well was the advantage\/ disadvantage rule \u2013particularly as this is used for monsters as well as PCs. Previously DMs have given a bonus\/ penalty to your dice roll but I like the new method\u2019s potential – providing it\u2019s not over-used. I guess this is down to individual DMs.<\/em><\/p>\n

The expertise dice also worked well. I hope that this is rolled out across the range of classes as otherwise it would seem to favour a select few. My one concern would be the critical hit damage. I agree in principal that a devastating blow is a devastating blow – whatever your character\u2019s level and that this is realistic. However, I wonder whether a sliding scale may be more appropriate as I can foresee a disproportionate amount of low level characters failing to become mid or high level characters. All in all, though, I liked what I saw and if things continue along the same lines it could be the rules system that gets me playing again.\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The other players and DMs in our group who have dipped their toes into the water of DnD Next have come to the conclusion that they like the look and feel of the proposed system because it is simpler, faster and more in keeping with their vision of roleplaying game. Yes, it is early days. Yes, there is no guarantee that what we are playing now will bear any resemblance to the new products launched next year and in 2014. But it genuinely feels like the DnD R&D team at Wizards are having a damn good stab at giving us what I believe most of us want \u2013 which is to take the rolls out of roleplaying and give the power back to the players and DMs.<\/p>\n

Fingers crossed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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