squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
just got it downloaded. its only 5mbs. im gonna do some work then check it out. let you guys know whats up!
dungeons and dragons (D&D) anyone?
just got it downloaded. its only 5mbs. im gonna do some work then check it out. let you guys know whats up!
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
hmmm. first impression.. this looks like what ive been playing already.
also, i dont know why i expected pictures in this playtest.
and finally, they gave monsters more attributes. like... kobolds are sensitive to light and take penalty to fighting in bright light. and beetles have prized glowing glands. i guess thats pretty cool. but any DM can make that shit up. i guess thats my whole beef. arent we just making shit up when we play RPGs?
and piercing and slashing damage? like in descent: journeys in the dark.
also, i dont know why i expected pictures in this playtest.
and finally, they gave monsters more attributes. like... kobolds are sensitive to light and take penalty to fighting in bright light. and beetles have prized glowing glands. i guess thats pretty cool. but any DM can make that shit up. i guess thats my whole beef. arent we just making shit up when we play RPGs?
and piercing and slashing damage? like in descent: journeys in the dark.
As far as I know because I don't have the playtest and am only hearing it second hand is that there is no flanking or attacks of opportunity or anything like that. What was suggested (I don't know if they stated this in playtest material or it's just the way a lot of DMs were doing it.) was that in situations like that you would give the attackers the "advantage" mechanic they came up with in the new addition where you roll two d20 and take the result of the best one.
I think they put it in the DM's hands to decide when a lot of the advantage/disadvantage situations happen...so it's pretty much by DM fiat, which again I'm not sure I like that much.
I'm not too big on their being no attacks of opportunity or flanking myself. It's way easier for some opponent to go past the front line people and attack the more squishy party members like the wizard. It's even worse considering pretty much every character in the game basically gets spring attack for free in this addition. Sure they said there will be abilities that allow for defenses of that, but I don’t really like the ideal of having to take a special defensive ability just to stop people from passing somebody.
I’ll admit the advantage/disadvantage mechanic they came up with actually seems like it might have a lot of promise. In some ways it's not too bad. The downside I think is that with the number of playtesters that like it they are going to force that mechanic to be everywhere in the new addition. I can almost sense it coming already. I think it works well as some very occasional and neat thing that comes up every now and then, but I have a feeling it's going to get totally ingrained in just about everything in the game, and I'm not really sure I like the implications of that mechanic wise or that it will make things less compatible with every other edition. Not to mention I think in some ways it's almost too gamist, but at least not that bad. What I'm even more worried about is it might be too simple. I like having various modifiers I can add to rolls for the situation and that mechanic seems like it will make a lot of modifiers pretty much the same as a one size fits all for a lot of things.
Overall they do seem like they are trying to make the game simpler. I guess that's good for the people that want that, although that also carries with it repercussions of it's own.
It should also be noted that this is only the first playtest and not only aren't the rules far from set in stone yet, but a lot of the rules they will have aren't even been tested out now. I wouldn't be surprised to see things like flanking and such as a latter addition or maybe as a module.
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
the advantage/disadvantage paragraph didnt say shit. i didnt even understand it. it was just telling you there will be situations that will give a PC/monster an advantage or disadvantage and to go with that. im thinking... yeah duh?
and yeah, flaking and opportunity attacks make sense. as, in a real battle, thats gives you combat advantage. i will keep on with those regardless. and a great point about the wizard. i know one someone gets behind us, our halfling wizard gets in danger, fast.
again, isnt advantage/disadvantage common sense? DMs need to quit their bitching and role play the damn game. make it up! i know i do.
and yeah, flaking and opportunity attacks make sense. as, in a real battle, thats gives you combat advantage. i will keep on with those regardless. and a great point about the wizard. i know one someone gets behind us, our halfling wizard gets in danger, fast.
again, isnt advantage/disadvantage common sense? DMs need to quit their bitching and role play the damn game. make it up! i know i do.
From the D&D Next Playtest questions and answers:
12:15
Comment From Jon
Can you talk about the motivation behind the advantage/disadvantage?
12:17
Mearls: This was a contentious issue on the design team. Basically, we wanted to do two things -
1. Make modifiers much more important, rather than relying on lots of little ones that don't have a big effect but require a lot of bookkeeping.
2. Introduce a benefit or disadvantage that you can apply after you rolled and forgot about it. I like that if you forget advantage or disad, you can just throw another die and resolve it. I've found in my games that sometimes people roll, announce a result, pick up their dice, and forget what they had when someone points out a missing mod 5 seconds later.
NQ
What I also don't like about the advantage/disadvantage is that it seems like it's a one size fits all hammer that tries to pound any shape peg into any shape hole. There will be times it works and makes things simpler and maybe better, but I think there will be times when the DM might actually want different chances of different things happening depending on the circumstances.
Maybe the DM will feel circumstances dictate that something is more likely to happen and in a game than some other circumstances that give a player and advantage. Now the DM or certain abilities and spells might give add up to lets say a +4, or maybe +6 modifier in a previous edition where the is only advantage and not much else in 5th edition. The mechanic seems like it changes things exactly the same for pretty much everything. I guess you could add in standard static number modifiers with it, but then again, if you do that then it mitigates much of the whole point of the advantage/disadvantage mechanic in the first place. It should also be noted that a dice roll can no longer go above 20 with the mechanic. If there is a really tough monster to hit it will still be tough whereas a fixed modifier can get a virtual d20 die roll up above 20 with the modifiers. So for example getting advantage by flanking a monster that a character can only hit on a 20 doesn't really do that much to change things, while getting a few modifiers and getting a +4 or 5 to hit could be huge in that situation.
I can also see another problem with it in a metagame sense. It's going to artificially influence the way players play the game. A lot of them aren't going to do what they did before and just have the mechanic thrown on when applicable, but instead they are going to adjust their entire game and playstyle to nothing but what they can do gain advantage now and avoid disadvantage, especially since statistically it's more powerful than small modifiers of the past. I can see where it would irk me as a DM.
Maybe the DM will feel circumstances dictate that something is more likely to happen and in a game than some other circumstances that give a player and advantage. Now the DM or certain abilities and spells might give add up to lets say a +4, or maybe +6 modifier in a previous edition where the is only advantage and not much else in 5th edition. The mechanic seems like it changes things exactly the same for pretty much everything. I guess you could add in standard static number modifiers with it, but then again, if you do that then it mitigates much of the whole point of the advantage/disadvantage mechanic in the first place. It should also be noted that a dice roll can no longer go above 20 with the mechanic. If there is a really tough monster to hit it will still be tough whereas a fixed modifier can get a virtual d20 die roll up above 20 with the modifiers. So for example getting advantage by flanking a monster that a character can only hit on a 20 doesn't really do that much to change things, while getting a few modifiers and getting a +4 or 5 to hit could be huge in that situation.
I can also see another problem with it in a metagame sense. It's going to artificially influence the way players play the game. A lot of them aren't going to do what they did before and just have the mechanic thrown on when applicable, but instead they are going to adjust their entire game and playstyle to nothing but what they can do gain advantage now and avoid disadvantage, especially since statistically it's more powerful than small modifiers of the past. I can see where it would irk me as a DM.
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
wait.. how long as it been?
meanwhile, i got 2 monster vaults. the first one got damaged by UPS so i got a replacement. tons of tokens...
Petra
Cult Mother and Simpering Cunt
Well, I'm baaaack!
Busy and stressful week in Miami for the MissFO awards/party and then I flew to the west coast to spend time with my family. Didn't get a chance to raid the little gaming store since they're now only open 2 evenings a week evidently. That was probably for the better due to the fact I bought myself an entirely new wardrobe and wouldn't have had room for any gaming books. LOL
So, now we have some gaming to do I believe. I'm going to get FantasyGrounds downloaded and set up for my network here at the house and I'll have Squally and StarDebut try to log in once I remember how to use it (been a few years now). What I may do is open your games to 1-2 more people just so you guys can really have a group vs. just playing 1 on 1 (not that it's a bad thing, but I always enjoy a group more myself). You just need to decide what system you want to play (not 4e).
Busy and stressful week in Miami for the MissFO awards/party and then I flew to the west coast to spend time with my family. Didn't get a chance to raid the little gaming store since they're now only open 2 evenings a week evidently. That was probably for the better due to the fact I bought myself an entirely new wardrobe and wouldn't have had room for any gaming books. LOL
So, now we have some gaming to do I believe. I'm going to get FantasyGrounds downloaded and set up for my network here at the house and I'll have Squally and StarDebut try to log in once I remember how to use it (been a few years now). What I may do is open your games to 1-2 more people just so you guys can really have a group vs. just playing 1 on 1 (not that it's a bad thing, but I always enjoy a group more myself). You just need to decide what system you want to play (not 4e).
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
WELCOME BACK!!!
glad everything went well! oh..new pc over here.. ill have to re-dl fantasy grounds.
all i know is 4e though! i hope that will be ok. ive yet to try out other systems besides give that 5e a skim.
Petra
Cult Mother and Simpering Cunt
Other systems can be explained. ;-) Besides, if you can play 4e, you can play 3.5. Biggest difference is probably how to make a character and combat. That can be explained. Besides, if that's the system you guys want to play, it'll be a low/no magic game so that will limit you even farther (been having an idea float around for that type of game).
I would suggest mailing books back to yourself, but if what I hear from people that order RPG books from the U.S. is that the price for international shipping is a pain in the ass.
Petra
Cult Mother and Simpering Cunt
When hubby bought me the anniversary edition of CoC, the shipping was damn near as much as the book and it's not any bigger than the PHB of 3.5. ;-\ I think the shipping for the annivesary edition of Vampire the Masquerade was something outrageous like $85. o-O
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
i shipped the little mini monster manual in the monster vault to someone a state away and it was almost 6 bucks. what is that shit? i bought the damn book for 8 bucks.
i had gotten another copy so i just sold it. shorted myself thinking it would be about 3.50. sigh.
i had gotten another copy so i just sold it. shorted myself thinking it would be about 3.50. sigh.
Petra
Cult Mother and Simpering Cunt
Ok, for the FG campaign(s):
- 3.5ed
- low magic but magical creatures do exist in limited quantities (think 'clash of the titans' where the objects Persus gets from daddy are a big freakin deal to go off and kill those monsters)
- norse pantheon
- only human allowed as player race
- only non-magic classes allowed (cleric allowed with limits)
I've wrote out all sorts of ideas a few years ago for a low powered campaign, I think it would be a lot of fun.
- 3.5ed
- low magic but magical creatures do exist in limited quantities (think 'clash of the titans' where the objects Persus gets from daddy are a big freakin deal to go off and kill those monsters)
- norse pantheon
- only human allowed as player race
- only non-magic classes allowed (cleric allowed with limits)
I've wrote out all sorts of ideas a few years ago for a low powered campaign, I think it would be a lot of fun.
I have been playing D&D for about 15 years now. Started with AD&D and have kept up with it all the way through 4th edition (and soon 5th).
I love it. Most complaints people have about the game itself can be fixed with ease.
I love it. Most complaints people have about the game itself can be fixed with ease.
squallumz
knows petras secret: she farted.
so awesome!
Has anybody played Traveler before? I'm contemplating getting the fifth edition of it, but don't know how good it would be. From a brief description of it I wasn't blown away by it, but it also didn't seem bad. Other than Star Wars, which is pretty setting specific, and the old d20 Modern and Future stuff, which doesn't have new material made for it, I don't really have any sci-fi futuristic material I can use. Does anybody have any suggestions?
