I made a conscious decision a while back to stop visiting and reading the Wizards of the Coast forums. It was really a pre-emptive move before my family physician tired to place me on blood pressure medication or I found myself randomly rage punching strangers in the throat. I don’t know what the tipping point was, it might have been when the 5th ongoing thread around Alignment pooped up on the “What’s a DM to Do” sub-forum with the ubiquitous arguments about how to punish those who don’t’ act their alignment to how 4th editions sucks because there is no real alignment system to force players to act appropriately to what alignment is Batman (FYI he’s Lawful Good). I have never been one to post a ton on the forums and if I do so it’s only to answer a question or offer requested help. I don’t like to argue, sorry I mean debate, with anyone unless there is the threat of potential physical violence to moderate people’s responses and civility. Instead I just started a blog to use as my personal bully pulpit so I can spew whatever inane, ill informed, half-cocked bull shit that comes into my juvenile mind.
In a similar vein I have been avoiding any participation with D&D Next whether that being the ongoing play test or the forum talk. The only exception has been that I read Mike Mearls’ weekly Legends and Lore column. It is just enough of a toe in the water that I can use as fodder for my inane, ill informed, and half-cocked rants. When I read the February 18th offering I audibly sighed and groaned at my desk, so much so that my office mates thought that something that actually mattered had occurred, like my wife was leaving me or someone had died. What irked me so was his statement that they were going back to the cleric as the default healer for the game on account it was the easiest solution to the divergent pleas emanating from the play test and a desire by the design team to keep the core rules of the game simple… and well gosh darn it people are just used to it being that way anyways…..well BLAH
I don’t know what irked me so much about this, other than I hated the default heal-bot approach of editions yore. It just seems so regressive or placating or defeatist, I don’t know. He then went on to point out that there can be lots of modular add-ons that can change the nature/amount of healing available in the game. Again my office mates looked over at my audible groan and sigh and I again had to sheepishly explain that yes this reaction was for nothing evenly remotely serious or important.
I am really starting to sour on this modularity thing that they seem to be using as a blanket answer to soothe any edition war hackles. I haven’t even seen what this vaunted modularity will look like but I already hate it with a white hot irrational anger. It smacks of cowardice, although maybe that’s a little harsh. I don’t want a million options or a need to cobble together levels of complexity to get a game that I want to play. I just want one set of rules that encompasses the whole game and if I like it I’ll play and if not I won’t. Trying to make everyone happy or maybe more accurately preventing them from being pissed off just seems like a recipe for a shit game. I don’t know what the answer is for them, but I guess this is the consequence of trying to continuously re-package and sell the same rules. Don’t get me wrong I am still going to buy the core rules cause really what else am I going to do with my money. I am just not looking forward to it.
The Playtest and Forums are really getting me down as well. I HAVE participated since pre-public release, DMing at PAX EAST. I am even running the current season of D&D ENCOUNTERS with the Next conversion. While I am enjoying Next. I really think it has just been bad for the community and bad for D&D. It really has justified the Anti-Fourth Ed voices. Dissed the Fourth supporters. And all in the age of KICKSTARTER where new games are coming out left and right diluting the table-top industry at large. I have gone to so many D&D blogs that were active, I mean really active for the last four years that through out 2012 have stopped posting. I think those who were faithful and recognized the “improvements” of 4E feel really dis-enfranchised, really dis-enfranchised. Thanks for voicing your feelings clearly for us and your co-workers to hear.
hey thanks for reading. I had a simialr thought, that while I hope that D&D Next is great, i am not sure how much i really care as there is just so much stuff out there now. I just got my Dungeon World stuff from kickstarter and I am waiting for my 13th age stuff to arrive not to mention the whole super-hero genre. I will always love the brand of D&D cause of it place in my childhood but I am gettign to the point were i dont need the game I play to be it.
That’s one of the reasons I never played 4E seriously, I just feel it’s a big money grab and WotC recognize the money is in the core rulebooks, so they want to change edition as quickly as possible.
From 3E to 3.5 was fast, but OK since 3E was a significant upgrade and they were only rule fixes. From 3.5 to 4E was too fast, too drastic, and I reject that change. And of course the switch from 4E to Next is too fast as well.
That’s why I’m really glad I stuck with Pathfinder, which might not have the D&D brand name, but it’s the game we know and love.
I don’t have the time to learn rules for a new game, I need editions to be out at least 10-15 years before changing. WotC seems to want to change editions every 3-5 years, so I’m just not sure why so many people are still faithful to them as a company. Their model for making money at cards just doesn’t work in the RPG community, at least not long term.
Edition wars fracture the community base and the customer base, which the RPG industry just doesn’t need right now. The hobby is small enough already.
/rant
I definitely have to avoid forums too, they’re a huge time waster. Time I don’t have!
I know man, I have so much more time in the morning and during the day…to what with idk but i have the time
I’ve been in a self-imposed exile from Gaming Forums for about three years now. The few times I’ve made the mistake of going back I’ve found my decision to stay away justified. Not only is it a waster of time (to find a good, useful thread usually requires way too much sifting) but the quality of courtesy simply doesn’t exist at the majority of forums.
I’m also in the same place as you concerning D&D Next. It might be a great game. It might be cool. But after 3/3.5, 4, and now Next (not to mention Pathfinder), I can’t find it within me to actually care at all about Next. I have about twenty games on my shelves right now that I’ll never, ever get to play… and I’m actively playing in a PF game… so where am I going to fit Next into my life anyway?
It might be unrealistic for editions to exist for 10-15 years these days – maybe – but you know, Hero, BRP, GURPS, and some others have been kicking the same can for a long time with their “editions” really being more about refinement than redefinition and it works for them.
It’s just, 4th ed, love it or hate it, has now become a “dark time” in the history of D&D and Next seems to be making things worse instead of better, in just this gamer’s observation and opinion.
On a brighter note – can you tell us about Dungeon World? I’d love to see you post about it. I’ve been deciding whether to take the plunge or not and I’d appreciate your opinion.
I am currently working my way through the rule book. i have had the kickstarter pdf forever but wanted to wait until I got the actually book to read it. I think you might like it, it is realitively rules light with an emphasis on collaborative story telling. they have an interesting resolution mechanic for graduated succus or failure that adds complications for partial successes.
I haven’t played a game yet but one of my players in my online game is a rabid devotee of the game and has been pushing to get me in on a game. he has offered to run a game for the both of us if you are interested, although I am aware of your dislike of online gaming.
You echo a lot of the feelings I have – I stopped reading the forums a long time ago… But, I’d encourage you to rethink your plan to just buy Next anyway. WotC thrives on charging people for their nostalgia (I probably shouldn’t say “thrives” because the company is clearly struggling). Their business model continues to be branding and repackaging our childhood memories and selling them back to us. If people keep flocking to buy reprinted PDFs of the old editions (I can’t believe people are doing this) and all the other reconstituted crap, there’s absolutely no financial feedback for them to focus on producing something innovative and new. At this point, it’s like Stockholm Syndrom with D&D customers and WotC – or maybe a mutually abusive relationship. Like any cycle of abuse, the only way to break it is *someone* needs to walk away. WotC will keep producing garbage if people keep paying them for it. There are so many good game systems out there – it’s a golden age for independent RPGs – there’s absolutely no reason to give WotC your money just because they bought the D&D license. Your childhood isn’t a brand.
That said, for some reason I keep my $7 / mo. insider subscription active… so… you know… I’m in a glass house here…. But, I have no intention of ever buying a printed product from them again. I’m tempted to scan all of my old 1st and 2nd edition books (*sigh* yes I still have them…) and release them for free online. They’re only WotCs through a tangled web of copyright law that needs to be overhauled anyway….
Oh, and we’re gearing up for our second Dungeon World session. It’s a lot of fun, but definitely more story-telling than tactical combat…