5e announced!

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Darn it, just when I got into converting massive amounts of cross-edition Ravenloft material to L5R!

[Lost Heretic]

I'm sort of interested, but I really wonder what 5e can bring to the table. 4e tried to buck the trend and failed, so is the new edition just going to be "more of the same" to appease grognards?

For Ravenloft, I'm at a bit of an crossroads. Should I go for a clean 2nd edition retroclone, stick with the messy 3e, or convert Ravenloft to a more fitting system like Burning Wheel. I don't think 5e will even factor into my decision.

[BedrockBrendan]

I'm sort of interested, but I really wonder what 5e can bring to the table. 4e tried to buck the trend and failed, so is the new edition just going to be "more of the same" to appease grognards?

For Ravenloft, I'm at a bit of an crossroads. Should I go for a clean 2nd edition retroclone, stick with the messy 3e, or convert Ravenloft to a more fitting system like Burning Wheel. I don't think 5e will even factor into my decision.

I recently ran a 2e Ravenloft campaign and very happy with the results. It works well with the system and you can use all the 2e Ravenloft material (which is still out there if you look around).

[Lost Heretic]

I recently ran a 2e Ravenloft campaign and very happy with the results. It works well with the system and you can use all the 2e Ravenloft material (which is still out there if you look around).

I believe it. Maybe I should start a new thread debating which edition or game system to go with - I don't want to derail the 5e discussion.

[HuManBing]

Darn it, just when I got into converting massive amounts of cross-edition Ravenloft material to L5R!

Why is that a problem? You find a system you like and you converted the setting. The arrival of a new edition of a separate system doesn't magically invalidate your good work.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I'm sort of interested, but I really wonder what 5e can bring to the table. 4e tried to buck the trend and failed, so is the new edition just going to be "more of the same" to appease grognards?

I agree. Defragmenting the player base and bringing everyone back into the fold is a noble goal, but I certainly don't envy the people designing it. You can't "go back" too much to 3e and you can't "stick" too much with 4e, and you can't completely reboot again. So what do you do? Very curious to find out...

[HuManBing]

Of course the question on everyone's mind here: Will we see a Ravenloft 5e anytime soon?

If their press statements are to be believed, the new edition would be more modular and user-adaptable, rather than prescriptive. This would suggest that porting Ravenloft to 5th might be a less daunting task than porting it to 4th would be.

Personally, I think this is a step in the right direction. This approach of "tell us what you want" is much more palatable than the previous tone of "this is how you should be playing our game". Whether this results in a more flexible game system remains to be seen (it could just result in a setting that reflects the most demographically popular settings, whether that's Faerun, Twilight, or Azeroth).

My thoughts: The old editions generally tended towards high-powered, high-magic, cinematic action play. That's understandable given the genre roots in Vance and Tolkien. Gothic horror was always going to be a weird fit for the system.

If you're looking for a system to play Ravenloft, a better bet might be a universal system, such as GURPS, Alternity, or triStat dX which is specifically designed to be flexible in how you apply the rules to emulate different play styles in different settings. Or you could use a system that specifically targets your genre of gothic horror play, like Storyteller system etc. I went with GURPS after testing various systems out and finding one I liked, because its assumptions of the basic game world were very close to mine, so porting Ravenloft took less effort than tweaking the d20 would have.


If they make 5th ed a universal system like Alternity or Amazing Engine, then it might be easier for fan communities to do porting work. If they stay with majority tastes, however, then we're unlikely to end up with anything that supports gothic gaming any better than prior editions did. After all, gothic horror has always been a niche pursuit even among tabletop gamers.

[MichaelTumey]

I hope WotC can make fans happy with a more modular system, though I am both pessimistic and likely will not buy into the next edition. I've only played Pathfinder for about 2 years, it's got plenty of life ahead, so I don't see a reason to leave that system for the next generation of RPGs. I've never been the first one in line for a new RPG, I usually wait a few years and see how the direction and following goes, before I even look.

I'm not excited about 5e, so its not really a concern of mine.

[Ken of Ghastria]

If their press statements are to be believed, the new edition would be more modular and user-adaptable, rather than prescriptive.

That's been my take, too. WotC folks have been saying that, under the new system, 4E would continue to be supported, which certainly suggests a "use the rules that you want" approach. (That's already going on, in fact. Many folks who like 4th edition consider the introduction of themes to be Power Creep, so they don't use 'em. Simple. The rest of the game works fine for them.)

As this "open discussion" has just gotten started, I wouldn't expect anything concrete until at least Gen Con 2013. In the meantime, keep in mind that any playtesting details we hear about will be just that: early rounds of playtesting. If you see/read something this year about the playtests that you don't like, let them know while the game is still being shaped.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Why is that a problem? You find a system you like and you converted the setting. The arrival of a new edition of a separate system doesn't magically invalidate your good work.

I'm just thinking out loud, so please bear with me.

[alhoon]

I'm sort of interested, but I really wonder what 5e can bring to the table. 4e tried to buck the trend and failed, so is the new edition just going to be "more of the same" to appease grognards?

I agree. Defragmenting the player base and bringing everyone back into the fold is a noble goal, but I certainly don't envy the people designing it. You can't "go back" too much to 3e and you can't "stick" too much with 4e, and you can't completely reboot again. So what do you do? Very curious to find out...

IMO, they can go back too much to 3e, keeping some nice features from 4e without any problems.
Bring the vancian system of spellcasting back or something similar to give spellcasters more choice, making the power difference between the levels bigger, while keeping the rules "light" would do the trick IMO.

My main problems with 4E is the magic system and (something I fixed) how a 22nd lvl fighter can't kill a 4th lvl orc without using an encounter power.

IMO, the best system from what WotC has published so far is the Starwars saga system. If for 5th edition they go to a similar to that system tailored for medieval fantasy, I would be glad.

[HuManBing]

To Dion: Yeah, I definitely know what it's like to want to keep up with the company releases. It happened for me all through 2nd ed (where they were at least worthwhile fluff even if the crunch was lacking) and 3rd ed (where even the fluff was sometimes thin on the ground).

4th ed broke me of that thinking, and I began to think much more objectively in terms of the system itself, and not merely the trademark. It's much easier on the wallet, for starters!

[ewancummins]

I'm sort of interested, but I really wonder what 5e can bring to the table. 4e tried to buck the trend and failed, so is the new edition just going to be "more of the same" to appease grognards?

For Ravenloft, I'm at a bit of an crossroads. Should I go for a clean 2nd edition retroclone, stick with the messy 3e, or convert Ravenloft to a more fitting system like Burning Wheel. I don't think 5e will even factor into my decision.

Why a retroclone? You don't own the AD&D 2E books?

[Arikail]

Darn it, just when I got into converting massive amounts of cross-edition Ravenloft material to L5R!

Speaking of this, is there anywhere your material and conversions are collected in one place, aside from just the various threads? I'm running Ravenloft soon, and not happy with D&D. The conversions to L5R seem interesting, and I'm considering a couple other possibilities (I hadn't thought of L5R until I started seeing your stuff pop up. )

Edit (to be somewhat on topic): And while using 5th Ed. might work, it's a little ways off for my needs atm. I imagine I'll take a look, but it will be a look before buying, just like 4th Ed. was.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

I chose L5R because of the sheer simplicity of the system (the mechanics are there but the cultural element is mind-blowing), added to that the fact that the various Courtier/Diplomat and Artisan classes are proof that not all RPG classes should be combat-oriented.

The 3E prestige classes are basically Domain Classes in my L5R conversions now; I'll put them up as soon as I get at least half of them converted, and I'll also fart out a thread for all of the conversions along with them.

I've already converted the following:

Anchorite of the Mists (Priest)
Borcan Court Poisoner (Artisan)
Dementlieu Stage Magician (Mage)
Dilisnya Deceiver (Rogue)
Drakov Hawkmaster (Warrior; Advanced Class)
Grime Trekker (Warrior)
Guardian Seeker (Priest)
Forfarian Sword Dancer (Warrior)
Highway Rider (Rogue)
Monster Hunter (Scholar)
Mordenheim Learned Physician (Scholar)
Mordentish Lamplighter (Diplomat)
Renier Recruiter (Diplomat)
Von Zarovich Crimson Hound (Warrior; Advanced Class)
Von Zarovich Tyrant Mage (Mage)