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Post by Dhark on Nov 30, 2014 18:07:45 GMT -5
I heard from a friend who runs a gaming store that there's an early release program where some stores are dropping the DMG tomorrow (the 28th). I wonder if I might be able to get my hands on one early.. ~TWF Any luck? I've not heard or seen anything beyond that early release rumor being repeated...
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Post by takewithfood on Nov 30, 2014 23:36:48 GMT -5
I at least got a quick look at my friend's, but he isn't one of the early release stores so they're locked up until the 9th. It was sad to see a whole box of them just sitting there..
From what I saw, though, the DMG is pretty great. I wasn't too impressed with the beta/test material, but the finished product exceeded my (albeit low) expectations. It really does remind me of the better qualities of AD&D and stuff like that. I've been playing 3e/3.5e/Pathfinder for so long that I'd actually forgotten how refreshing it is to play a simple, more narrative-focused game.
Anyway, the DMG has a huge section for magic items, and a lot of stuff about world building and cosmology and stuff, and tables everywhere. There are optional tables for everything. lol There are guidelines for making new monsters, magic items, and spells, but they're nice and free-form, not rules-heavy. Some optional rules that are at least nice to have around, some of which support different genres of play (horror, survival, etc).
I think my favourite thing about 5e so far is the decreased reliance on magic items. Magic items tend to be more about enabling characters and giving them more options than they are about outright making you better at what you already do, and you honestly don't need any to compete. Perhaps my biggest beef with 3.5e/Pathfinder is that at mid-to-high levels your character starts to feel more like a collection of equipment than anything.
My least favourite thing has to be the encounter/XP system. It's needlessly convoluted and counter-intuitive and is begging for some house rules. That's okay, though, as I think I'll just switch to a narrative XP system where the PCs level up when it feels like they ought to, only using the XP charts as a guideline.
I'm still a little worried about replay value (there are only so many race/class/archetype/background combinations that are truly distinct) but I'm sure they will release more backgrounds and archetypes in the future, and there are already a lot of homebrew material online. I'd also like to see some optional rules for deeper customization (like the trait system from previous editions) but again, that can be houseruled. In the meantime, I'm planning on running my game pretty basic with only very minor house rules (like the above mentioned narrative XP, disallowing Dragonborn as they don't fit my setting, and maybe buffing an archetype or two - yes, I'm looking at you, Beast Master).
I'm on the lookout for a PDF to d/l in the meantime, but no luck so far, strangely. I would have thought that 4chan or Reddit or something would have a scan up later that same day! Oh well. Just a little over a week to go. I will need a longer look at the DMG to finish preparing the game (mostly for setting up treasure and stuff), but it should be ready for recruitment like later the same day I get my hands on one.
~TWF
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Post by Dhark on Dec 1, 2014 0:50:25 GMT -5
I feel like scans have been slower to hit the internet these days, cleaning takes longer maybe? If you find one, PM me ;-)
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Post by takewithfood on Dec 1, 2014 8:46:49 GMT -5
I think part of the reason is that Wizards (or Hasbro, or whoever is in charge of the publishing side) are trying to crack down on scan/pdf sharing. The 5e books aren't being published in digital format as an effort to combat sharing, which I think is idiotic after they released all their test materials in pdf form. A lot of players are complaining that they're now accustomed to running their games digitally because that's how they tested the game for two years, and they were looking forward to having nice, crisp, official PDFs instead of waiting for a book in the mail. they're losing customers that way, some of whom are just going back to Pathfinder because it's all on the web. Meanwhile, people who download PDFs were probably never going to buy the books anyway. I tend to look at the product in detail and try it out before I decide to buy, and I'd much rather have a digital copy than a physical copy that can be damaged, stolen, or "borrowed" indefinitely by a friend. And I find that when my gaming group picks up a new game we just pool our money and buy one physical copy of each book; however, if they're available in PDF we tend to each buy a copy because it's easier that way. We wind up spending a lot more money when digital copies are available. This is part of why Pathfinder has been doing so well for so long, and I don't know why other companies aren't following their business model and adapting to modern times. Oh well. Anyway, if I see scans are out there I'll let you know. I may wind up trying to borrow one, since I only need the book for a like a day or two tops, and if I really like the system I may wind up buying everything. ~TWF
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Post by Dhark on Dec 1, 2014 11:46:20 GMT -5
The ONLY reason I purchased the PHB, was because I was able to get a PDF of it first and see that it was something worth investing in...
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Post by takewithfood on Dec 1, 2014 13:01:25 GMT -5
The ONLY reason I purchased the PHB, was because I was able to get a PDF of it first and see that it was something worth investing in... This is so often the case these days, it seems. I don't mind shelling out some money for a good product, but I prefer a PDF. I can load them on my phone and browse them for game ideas while I'm sitting around somewhere. ~TWF
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Post by Dhark on Dec 1, 2014 13:19:12 GMT -5
Absolutely- especially OCR searchable scans. My favorite purchases to date have been kickstarters that allow you to buy a bundled combo (paper AND pdf)
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Post by WildKnight on Dec 2, 2014 8:54:26 GMT -5
The ONLY reason I purchased the PHB, was because I was able to get a PDF of it first and see that it was something worth investing in... This is so often the case these days, it seems. I don't mind shelling out some money for a good product, but I prefer a PDF. I can load them on my phone and browse them for game ideas while I'm sitting around somewhere. ~TWF I do the same thing with my tablet. Its loaded with gaming books. I'd be fine with the whole "we won't sell PDFs" thing (after all, they've got a right to protect their product) IF I thought it actually worked, but from experience I know that it doesn't, so they'd be better off to let me pay them for the privilege.
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Post by takewithfood on Dec 2, 2014 16:55:13 GMT -5
Instead of clogging up this thread I went ahead and created a D&D Next / 5e thread for us. Wee! ~TWF
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Post by shenron on Dec 28, 2014 23:23:44 GMT -5
After reading lone wolf and cub and yosagi I would love to play in a feudal Japan style game
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Post by Ricochet on Jan 11, 2015 12:18:40 GMT -5
I had the weirdest dream last night. Some organization was hunting me and some other people down because they had given us superpowers through experimentation. Now I want to play a character like that...
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Post by JuggerPool on Jan 11, 2015 14:00:15 GMT -5
Agreed
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Post by AzinDine on Apr 17, 2015 23:11:59 GMT -5
Well.. I'm new, and lurking, and looking for a game. Ricochet (I'll figure out how to tag people soon enough) That almost goes in mind with an idea that made me hunt out my marvel stuff.. I'll try to keep people posted as that thought progresses. Edit: Hey.. the @ mark worked.. heh. Technology is great.
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Post by Dhark on Apr 17, 2015 23:21:39 GMT -5
Well.. I'm new, and lurking, and looking for a game. Ricochet (I'll figure out how to tag people soon enough) That almost goes in mind with an idea that made me hunt out my marvel stuff.. I'll try to keep people posted as that thought progresses. Edit: Hey.. the @ mark worked.. heh. Technology is great. The @ symbol does work, however you need their original handles. If they changed names, you have to rely on the button for it (underneath the S button) which will autopopulate a list of names as you type and resolve it for you.
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Post by AzinDine on Apr 17, 2015 23:23:44 GMT -5
That is very good to know, thank for the info.
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