So, Wizards have finally announced that D&D Next will be released in the coming summer:
It seems it will be named simply Dungeons & Dragons.
I wonder what's up with those "multiple platforms," though.
Exactly my question.
They want you to be able to add stuff on a roughly 1st/2nd edition chassi. Add feats and get 3.X, powers to get 4th, you know?
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Face off against the most fearsome monster? Singular? Do they mean the DM?
Going by the Murder in Baldur's Gate and Legacy of the Crystal Shard (Paizo, I've been seeing another system; it's not you, it's me :P) I'm guessing they're going to have free downloads with stats for several different editions. Though I'll be surprised if that continues past the end of the Sundering.
On the other hand, the Sundering is already a pan media event with three novels, so maybe WotC is just hoping we'll all buy boardgames and video games if we even want to have any idea what the hell is going on. (Paizo, if that's the case I'll be back at your door with hat in hand, saying the cheap floozie was just using me for my money, and it will never happen again, I promise.)
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I am looking forward to it and will likely buy the three core books, hopefully it will hit the sweet spot between 3.5 and 4e for me. But even them I still plan to play 3.5 and 4e.
And with the advent of Encounters being PDFs for sale - so we can run them at home and at conventions, it may even see me wave goodbye to Pathfinder Society Play (and thus Pathfinder), though to be honest unless I get a good D&D game going as a player I will likely play the odd PFS scenario.
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Going by the Murder in Baldur's Gate and Legacy of the Crystal Shard (Paizo, I've been seeing another system; it's not you, it's me :P) I'm guessing they're going to have free downloads with stats for several different editions. Though I'll be surprised if that continues past the end of the Sundering.
On the other hand, the Sundering is already a pan media event with three novels, so maybe WotC is just hoping we'll all buy boardgames and video games if we even want to have any idea what the hell is going on. (Paizo, if that's the case I'll be back at your door with hat in hand, saying the cheap floozie was just using me for my money, and it will never happen again, I promise.)
Until 6th edition, of course.
Face off against the most fearsome monster? Singular? Do they mean the DM?
I expect they are missing an 's' on 'monster'.
Face off against the most fearsome monster? Singular? Do they mean the DM?I expect they are missing an 's' on 'monster'.
I assumed they were talking about the BBEG of the Sundering.
(Sis, did you just call me fickle? Well, if that's how you feel, I'm just going to talk to that hot chick who keeps smiling at me!)
"Fearsome monster"? That was my other question!
I know press releases are known to have vague statements and hyperbole, but at least one can often guess what they're getting at. Here... I have no idea!
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Can we not have edition wars and Wotc bashing in this thread please.
"Fearsome monster"? That was my other question!
I know press releases are known to have vague statements and hyperbole, but at least one can often guess what they're getting at. Here... I have no idea!
I can see why they wrote the announcement the way they did. Last time they did marketing for 4E some gamers lost their minds. Accusing Wotc of personally insulting them, killing their favored puppy, burning their homes down etc. The way they announced it now no one can take any offence beyond it being boring and bland. Better to play it safe and be as inoffensive as possible imo.
Both the Numeria AP and 5th edition D&D this summer? Life is good sometimes.
Players fight the most fearsome monster of all time in an exciting multi-platform gaming experience.
Justin Bieber?
I'm definitely of the opinion that the primary reason for the failure of 4th ed. was marketing. The game was not bad (I played it for two years) and the online services were pretty good as well. It was very popular with a large segment of gamers, almost as many as Pathfinder even at the end. The problems arose from an attempt at marketing the player base away from all previous versions in order to corner the market.
The marketers missed key comprehension of the gamer community and relied too much on brand loyalty to accomplish their goals. The vision was impressive. The execution questionable.
So, now they are tentative when making the formal announcement. In a way that makes sense; with the announcement of D&D Next and the playtest, the BIG announcement is already out the door. This is sort of the confirmation announcement. It can't be as big due to the way this has unfolded.
As the months fall away, we will approach GenCon and the 40th anniversary celebrations. Expect more and more advertising and "Buzz" generators over that time leading to a massive launch during the Con. It should be impressive to watch as I suspect that the advertising budget for this could equal or surpass most of Paizo's expenses for a year.
175,000 playtest participants? That's pretty impressive!
It will be interesting to see the final product :)
I'm curious if they will use miniatures. So far i've liked the material released so far
I think multiple platform is another word for it being modular allowing players to incorporate material from every edition. If they can pull off kudos to them and it might make me interested in getting it. If they can simply the gameplay even better.
The consensus elsewhere is that "multiple platforms" is a fairly standard way of referring to the sort of cross-media production we usually see out of the D&D brand: the tabletop game itself, video games, board games, books, movies, clothing, etc. This is a press release, and it would be pretty atypical for a press release to make a passing reference to a particular facet of the rules system (modularity) without actually clarifying its meaning for the reader.
I'm curious if they will use miniatures. So far i've liked the material released so far
I hope so. I also dream of a revival of the D&D Miniatures line. Although with Reaper Miniatures 'Bones' line I really don't need it the minis are an excellent source of revenue on the secondary market (I think I've made back my initial investment in them 5 times over now - and I *still* have hundreds of them!!)
The last Playtest packet has variant rules for using a grid and miniatures. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this :) hope it's out in time for my b'day.
I believe multiple platforms involves using multiple media outlets and various forms of interaction such as RPGs, Novels, and video games.
As for "monster", they admitted that there should have been an "s" on the end.
Further, I'm sorta excited that the release is a bit closer than I had originally expected. Though I don't think that means their time-table for fixing bugs and the like is too long and I fear that the game will debut with multiple problems that will need errata (sad panda face).
I believe multiple platforms involves using multiple media outlets and various forms of interaction such as RPGs, Novels, and video games.
As for "monster", they admitted that there should have been an "s" on the end.
Further, I'm sorta excited that the release is a bit closer than I had originally expected. Though I don't think that means their time-table for fixing bugs and the like is too long and I fear that the game will debut with multiple problems that will need errata (sad panda face).
That will almost certainly happen. It's basically impossible to produce a product with the mechanical complexity we see in D&D without getting a few things wrong, even with extensive playtesting. Hopefully D&D Next will feature a digital infrastructure that makes dissemination of errata and updates straightforward.
"monster" lol nobody gives WOTC any slack. I was hoping for the basic game to be released at gen con and the standard at x-mas so they had more time to work on it. Looks like this thing is all but in the bag.
I don't think there have been any formal announcements yet on what format the physical products will take but I see them doing one of two things:
1. Release a "basic" set that is an intro product along with the core rules of the game as a separate product or products.
2. Release the game as a boxed set core product with all of the pieces you need to play (rules, sheets, dice, map/pawns, etc.) and which covers the introduction case.
Neither initial product release will cover the add-on modules like a tactical module for example.
As for timing, either they put out the product early summer, like they did with 4E, or they release it at Gen Con, at least in my opinion.
That will almost certainly happen. It's basically impossible to produce a product with the mechanical complexity we see in D&D without getting a few things wrong, even with extensive playtesting. Hopefully D&D Next will feature a digital infrastructure that makes dissemination of errata and updates straightforward.I believe multiple platforms involves using multiple media outlets and various forms of interaction such as RPGs, Novels, and video games.
As for "monster", they admitted that there should have been an "s" on the end.
Further, I'm sorta excited that the release is a bit closer than I had originally expected. Though I don't think that means their time-table for fixing bugs and the like is too long and I fear that the game will debut with multiple problems that will need errata (sad panda face).
While I think the core game will be really solid, I'll be extremely impressed if the digital infrastructure is what it should be. If we assume they keep the DDI, then in an ideal case at release they would have at a bare minimum the online tools to create a 5E character and the first Dragon and Dungeon issues with 5E content ready to go. I think a really good iOS/Android app for using your character at the table with a tablet would be great too.
Was 4E a summer release? I swear I remember it being a November release.
The DDI doesnt really have a draw for me. If they offered PDFs I could have on my own drive that I could buy piecemeal Id go for that. Im not into subscription services that are all or nothing.
I believe the 4E Essentials line came out in the fall in 2010 (or was it 2011) which you may be thinking of but the original 4E books came out in June of 2008, at least here in the US.
Given they have dndclassics now which sells PDFs of products from all editions of the game, I don't think we'll see any pay-per-item offerings on DDI. I suspect the DDI will continue to offer access to the back library of Dragon/Dungeon, new issues of the same after the 5E release, and various tools and other services.
Anyone else get a image of the Tarrasque with Justin Biebers head and Bard levels attacking a group.Players fight the most fearsome monster of all time in an exciting multi-platform gaming experience.Justin Bieber?
Nope, but I already know what's under Hastur's shroud, that mere look can kill :-)
The starter set will release on 15 July for $20. The Player's Handbook will follow on 19 August for $49.95. Presumably the DMG and MM will follow in the months afterwards.
So far, reception to the PHB price has not been positive [/understatement].
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So far, reception to the PHB price has not been positive [/understatement].
Not surprised gamers are notorious for being cheap. I find the price to be a little expensive but not by much. Most rpg hardcovers go for between 35-40$. In some cases 45$ or more. Even then One can use Amazon to get it cheaper. The price of everything has gone up. The days of getting tommorows rpg products now at yesterday prices is simply not going to happen.
A lot will probably depend on how they release the game digitally. When Pathfinder came out, I was initially going to pass, but the $10 Core Rulebook PDF convinced me otherwise. The big discount at the time on Amazon.com also helped a lot.
If WotC is going to price the core rulebooks that high, I hope they release one heck of a starter set. A good starter set can probably up the amount people are willing to spend. Otherwise, people who are already on the fence are probably going to balk at a possible $150 buy-in for three rulebooks.
I'm saying this as someone who has no intention of supporting 5E at all.
If it were a game that I was interested in supporting, even at $60? I'm probably going to buy the game.
Because overall if I'm gaming even once a month for 4 - 5 hours? The book will have paid for itself (in entertainment value) in a few months.
I bought Borderlands 2 back when it first came out in 2012. I bought most if not all of the DLC's so that's close to $80 I spent on a video game that I bought 2 years ago. THAT I'M STILL PLAYING NOW. More than worth it.
On the other hand...I bought the 4E Gift Set off Amazon for about $50 and only ran and played the game a few times. There was a case where I didnt get my moneys worth.
My HERO SYSTEM 5th edition book I bought many years ago for $50? (It might have been $40?) I'e used the HOLY HELL out of that book. Even though I dont play anymore, during the time that I did? FUN QUOTIENT > money spent.
These days I dont buy a game system unless I know that there's going to be a good chance of me running or playing it. There was one recent exception and that was the FATE Core Rulebook. But it was just $25 and perfect so...
I think I blew 100 bucks on the three core books for 4e, and after reading them, never played it.
I certainly won't be dropping 50 on one book without trying it first this time around.
Hopefully they do something similar to a cheap PDF of the core rules. Otherwise It's hard to see them attract to many players who are either already heavily invested in another edition/game, or who may be on the fence regarding 5E
If they clarify that the PHB is 500-odd pages long with all of the races/classes that were previously in all of the 4E PHBs, I think a lot of people will be happy with that. The PATHFINDER core book's RRP is also $49.95 (£30 here0, but is so huge it's quite reasonable value for money.
If it's another 200-300 page book with iffy artwork, I don't think that will go down so well.
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Really 50 bucks is not bad considering how much fun you can have on that 50 bucks. I wont speak for everyone but I can blast through 9/10 video games in a week or two and those are at least 50 bucks new. I think it would be wise of them to offer a cheap PDF though for folks who prefer a cheaper more tech friendly version.
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I, for one, will be happy if the price of RPGs increases to a level more representative of their cost to produce and minuscule demand. RPG professionals aren't paid enough, in my view. The only realistic way that's going to change is if prices go up.