What Happened?
Hey, what happened to your blog?
Why haven’t you posted anything recently?
Answer: I got bored of D&D, even bored of bitching about it. It wasn’t fun anymore
I was to the point that when I was at the table I was more detracting from the game than adding to it.
I spent a chunk of time updating my PC’s and would use them effectively in fights, but other than some dice rolling I would barely pay attention.
Hell I probably paid more attention to my smart-phone than the game.
So I left the group and D&D entirely.
I did leave them with a full group of people, so I figured I wasn’t hurting by disappearing.
But about half a year later the group fell apart thanks to jobs, wives, and babies.
It’s been about a year and a half and I’d like to play D&D again.
…Just not any of editions out there.
Oops? Yeah.
I’ve stated it many times but I just don’t like 4E. It’s not D&D. Never was. It’s a miniatures game. Hell, the DM is almost not even needed.
And while all of the editions have their pros and cons, no one edition makes me say “Yeah, that one”.
Getting players is going to be a problem, possibly a big one.
Several of our older players have lost interest. Maybe they’ve found another game (MMO or table-top).
Most have had real life force them to leave gaming in the manner they used to.
A lot of players play 4E or Pathfinder. And from what I’ve seen, Pathfinder looks to be fun, but it takes the things from 3.5 that didn’t set well with me (or us as we once were I suppose). It encouraged, and often required, min/maxed PC’s and munchkin attitudes.
I’ve discussed ideas with some past players and I think 2E is probably our best bet for the kind of game I’m looking for.
I have stated, prior to the publishing of 4E, I didn’t like 2E and it was the worst of the editions. But now I view it as an acceptable option that can be modified.
It will require getting used to things that 3E and newer editions have removed (the five original saving throw types), no feats, THAC0, and the like, but I think it will be minor.
We played 2E a long time, and 1E a long time before that. And those 2 editions were no more different from one another than 3E and 3.5E. And any rules that were bs or bad, we just hand-waved them away.
Is this nostalgia?
Possibly, though to me my burnout is over and I want to play a version of D&D that doesn’t require calculus level math planned out to make sure you don’t TPK.
What about 5E?
I have been so discouraged by 4E that when I look at 5E I feel absolutely nothing but despair. The last I checked, 5E is being made by many of the people who made 4E.
The only word I can think of that applies is “bleh”.
Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?
Probably. The D&D I have been playing since I was 12 (going on 30 years) is gone and is unlikely to return. Thanks to the history of TSR’s corporate stupidity, then the sale of Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro, D&D is now another “product” among many to be distilled into the maximum amount of cash so that Hasbro shareholders can reap as much from gamers as they can.
And I own a huge number of 1E & 2E books.
Dale has probably as much.
Between the two of us, we’ll have enough material to game for a decade.
And now that I think of it, all of the pros that each edition has/had, those could possibly be integrated into our new game.
Perhaps that will be my next blog entry.
Why haven’t you posted anything recently?
Answer: I got bored of D&D, even bored of bitching about it. It wasn’t fun anymore
I was to the point that when I was at the table I was more detracting from the game than adding to it.
I spent a chunk of time updating my PC’s and would use them effectively in fights, but other than some dice rolling I would barely pay attention.
Hell I probably paid more attention to my smart-phone than the game.
So I left the group and D&D entirely.
I did leave them with a full group of people, so I figured I wasn’t hurting by disappearing.
But about half a year later the group fell apart thanks to jobs, wives, and babies.
It’s been about a year and a half and I’d like to play D&D again.
…Just not any of editions out there.
Oops? Yeah.
I’ve stated it many times but I just don’t like 4E. It’s not D&D. Never was. It’s a miniatures game. Hell, the DM is almost not even needed.
And while all of the editions have their pros and cons, no one edition makes me say “Yeah, that one”.
Getting players is going to be a problem, possibly a big one.
Several of our older players have lost interest. Maybe they’ve found another game (MMO or table-top).
Most have had real life force them to leave gaming in the manner they used to.
A lot of players play 4E or Pathfinder. And from what I’ve seen, Pathfinder looks to be fun, but it takes the things from 3.5 that didn’t set well with me (or us as we once were I suppose). It encouraged, and often required, min/maxed PC’s and munchkin attitudes.
I’ve discussed ideas with some past players and I think 2E is probably our best bet for the kind of game I’m looking for.
I have stated, prior to the publishing of 4E, I didn’t like 2E and it was the worst of the editions. But now I view it as an acceptable option that can be modified.
It will require getting used to things that 3E and newer editions have removed (the five original saving throw types), no feats, THAC0, and the like, but I think it will be minor.
We played 2E a long time, and 1E a long time before that. And those 2 editions were no more different from one another than 3E and 3.5E. And any rules that were bs or bad, we just hand-waved them away.
Is this nostalgia?
Possibly, though to me my burnout is over and I want to play a version of D&D that doesn’t require calculus level math planned out to make sure you don’t TPK.
What about 5E?
I have been so discouraged by 4E that when I look at 5E I feel absolutely nothing but despair. The last I checked, 5E is being made by many of the people who made 4E.
The only word I can think of that applies is “bleh”.
Aren’t you being a little melodramatic?
Probably. The D&D I have been playing since I was 12 (going on 30 years) is gone and is unlikely to return. Thanks to the history of TSR’s corporate stupidity, then the sale of Wizards of the Coast to Hasbro, D&D is now another “product” among many to be distilled into the maximum amount of cash so that Hasbro shareholders can reap as much from gamers as they can.
And I own a huge number of 1E & 2E books.
Dale has probably as much.
Between the two of us, we’ll have enough material to game for a decade.
And now that I think of it, all of the pros that each edition has/had, those could possibly be integrated into our new game.
Perhaps that will be my next blog entry.
posted by BlueBlackRed at 5:15 PM
2 Comments:
I really need play testers for back to the Dungeon RPG Rough Draft. This will satisfy the Old School Gamer and the New School Gamer (I hope). Early playtest have went really well but reaction has been nearly zero due to everyone being satisfied with their own game.
IF you guys are interested here is the link.
BttDRPG is not yet another retroclone! It is a neoclone that takes the simplicity of the older rules and some of the innovations of the new rules without adding the rules clunk. The play style is what I describe as "the flow" which is when a game speeds along and the rules are in the background and the story is foremost.
The Game Master and the players will not have to stop and look up a rule to see how something works as it is all explained very simply. If there is confusion the Game Master is to use GM FIAT and make a decision!
Monsters are not full page characters! They are simple and concise and usually are made up of Armor Class, Hit Dice, Movement, and a small description of their attacks and abilities.
I have split the documents into five booklets totaling 104 pages that if made into fold over booklets only takes 26 pieces of paper and you have a complete (in playtest form at least) RPG.
I am going to concentrate on making a few simple dungeons and adventures and let the chips fall where they may.
All I have to do is get a few people to play it from both sides of the fence at one table.
Book 1 PC Guide
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUUmU0Ym4tbS0zZVE
Book 2 Spells
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUV3hJRVU3Q012N3M
Book 3 Monsters
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUX2p1d24xMUJKRGs
Book 4 GM Guide
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUYTA2LURxck5TMkk
Book 5 PC Guide 2 Additional Races and Classes
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUdWh3RGtjYzJFdEU
Character Sheet
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzYaSvmA-OpUOFdrYzF5dERkNjg
SO print these out in booklet form and fold them over and read them.
If you decide to play it then let me know how you enjoyed it.
BTW it's free to download and print out for personal use.
NOTE: This version is soon to be replaced by a reformatted and edited version. Especially the Spells section. If you have any suggestions please feel free to add.
While I appreciate the offered help, I'm not sure using a playtest clone of D&D will not aid us in getting new players to the group.
I did skim through some of the documents and I saw some things I liked but it is not likely we'll adopt anything from it.
Soon I'll post some changes I'd like to add to our potential 2e game by adopting the better ideas from the newer editions.
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