Café de Nuit

I plan on taking a look at 5e (or Next, or whatever it's called) fairly soon so I can judge it for myself. What I can say with certainty is that there is a huge contingent of "4E ONLY" fans and sabernerds who are hard at work on what's been released so far, looking for anything and everything to tear apart, no matter how small or inconsequential. It's already getting tiresome to hear people on other forums rant incessantly about how 5e is the most terrible thing ever invented because "reasons."

In a way, they get to do what the "3.5 ONLY" crowd did when 4E was released with precisely the same level of objectivity and self-awareness. The people on these forums have spent the last six years decrying 3.5 as Satan's System, and now they get to turn their wrath on a new target. It'll be interesting to see what else is in the new edition when the full books are released.

I think there will always be the edition wars; the only thing you can do is try and ignore them.

Personally, my favorite is Pathfinder, but I can honestly say there are good things in 4E that I really like, and I'm sure there will be in 5E too. The only edition that I don't have time for anymore is 2E, even though I learned to play under that system. There's just too much that 2E doesn't let me do anymore, it actually impedes my fun in the game. And I say that as someone who tried 2E again a few years ago; it's the first time I've ever walked away from a group and a campaign; I just hated the system that much. But to each their own; one of my pathfinder players loves 2E, so there you go, right?

Interesting insights, guys! Very nice to hear that at least noone is upset about 5e.

As an edition warrior, I would fight you all. 5e is nice, 3e was nice, OD&D is retro-nice for those days of nostalgia when you think of your first love and the time you were in high school thinking that test in Monday is a REAL problem or trembling that your parents may find out that you skipped the last 2 hours of the school day.

2e was not to my liking. 4e... that's a mixed bag of feelings there. I miss the system kinda. Very nice for tabletop fun for 2 hours. Way better than monopoly. I actually plan to create a few chars, use some maps that cartographers make and the random encounter system for no-DM in 4th and play it again.
But it's not what I have in mind for D&D. 2e was a version of D&D that didn't work for me (I hate it), 4e was a version of ??? that works for me (but it doesn't seem D&D to me).

alhoon wrote: OD&D is retro-nice for those days of nostalgia when you think of your first love and the time you were in high school thinking that test in Monday is a REAL problem or trembling that your parents may find out that you skipped the last 2 hours of the school day.

I protest that! OD&D, as per the Mentzer/RC system, is a pretty well-rounded system; you need to beef it up, with respect to classes and races, but I keep finding it intensely playable as an adult as well. - Then again, my preferred game of choice nowadays is the DCC RPG, and before that, it was "Lamentation of the Flame Princess", so it might be simply that I am biased for that type of game.

For the new edition, I doubt I will have much use as a DM, right now, but so far, I only hear good things about it, which I like. Nothing against Pathfinder, but I'd love to have some of the old stuff back around. Not retconned to death, like they did with FR, but a coherent reedition of, say, Domains of Dread, for 5e, why not?

Le Noir Faineant wrote:
I protest that! OD&D, as per the Mentzer/RC system, is a pretty well-rounded system; you need to beef it up, with respect to classes and races,

So... 5th edition.

Once the monster manual comes out Des, check the basic D&D next rules and have a couple of games. It will feel like OD&D.

Okay. Now, got to be honest, just invested in some books for the DCC RPG last year, and I will surely be playing that one for a while longer.
That said, good to know - if the game is similar, maybe some of the new modules will be worth a look for me.

With a few minor tweeks and updated monsters from 5e Monster manual your OLD mods would work. I know I played Secrets of the Slave Lords without a hiccup in D&D next.

Good to know. Now, my own gaming ventures don't seem to call for a system switch, all too soon, but that is, generally, a good observation.

True enough, when you play with AD&D rules adventures of 1978, you won't encounter hick-ups.

I want to ask you though: How you deal with that huge number of monsters in such adventures?

Not sure if I understand you well there. I am not one of the classic AD&D "Dungeon DMs", at all, so I can't really tell. The last really big dungeon I ran was Castle Blackmoor, quite some time ago, and there, the pacing didn't seem forced, or surreal. Now, "Gygaxian Rooms", and the like, not at all my thing. I think the most "TSR" dungeon I ran was the Gauntlet Saga AP (UK 6 and UK 7, IIRC), and that went about pretty smoothly. - As to 5e, in general, I have no prejudices, or whatever, but - my game works as it is. So, I'll wait around, and see how the early publishing run goes. If 5e really brings stuff that I think might benefit me directly at my gaming table, like new RL books, or new Greyhawk books, or, a Monster Manual that isn't, what 80 pages long , then I will gladly buy the new edition.

That said, I'll be happy to hear from the experiences you guys make, especially with regards to Ravenloft.

Look, unless you read an adventure that says "These 4 rooms are all blah blah blah... Room 16. 22 bugbears. Room 17. 15 bugbears. Room 18. 16 bugbears. Room 19. 89 bugbears" then we haven't been checking the same adventures.

You don't have to BUY 5th edition, you can check the basic that WotC gives out for free. Although what you do seems to work for you, so... I don't see what you will gain. If you're curious about 5e, just check the basic that they will give out.

Le Noir Faineant wrote:So, I'll wait around, and see how the early publishing run goes. If 5e really brings stuff that I think might benefit me directly at my gaming table, like new RL books, or new Greyhawk books, or, a Monster Manual that isn't, what 80 pages long , then I will gladly buy the new edition.

The Monster Manual will be 320-pages long. Same as the PHB and the DMG.

And, like the other PHB, the essential bits of the MM and DMG will be added to the free D&D Basic PDF. These will be added in August when the PHB launches So you'll be able to download and play for free.

Mwaha. That's what I meant with "Gygaxian Rooms"! Good adventures, overall, but often unplayable, by today's standards. I AM an oldschooler, in that I resent the splatbook culture, and like low-fantasy over the very exalted style of many new systems; however, that doesn't mean I am a D&D archaeologist.


I look very much forward to if 5e saves the D&D brand, after all. The whole project certainly looks very promising. 4e was a no-go for me, but this one might be an option, on the long run. Not my business, really, but it seems Wizbro has returned to listen to the demands of their fans, rather than continuing with that strange course down towards brand suicide. Now, if they hire back the Kargatane, you will have me a happy camper.

As far as Gygaxian rooms go:
Fireballs & squads (grouping them in groups of 4, treating them as 1 monster with about the same difficulty)