5E Friday - What if You Owned the Rights to D&D?

Today, I'd like to ask the question...What would you do if you owned the rights to D&D?

For a lot of us, we immediately started thinking of how we would release (or re-release) the best edition of D&D. We would make sure it included all the things we feel are essential to what D&D is. It could be vancian magic, save or die, low starting hp, random character generation, or a myriad of other things that are all vastly important to the "real" D&D. We would then follow that up with additional books that included those little extra things we like so much, such as the bard class or gnome race or maybe even a critical hits table; all the things we believe would make the game even better.

And thus we would be putting out a product that has an audience of 1. Ourselves. It would be a selfish work. Sure some people would buy it simply because we put the official D&D label on it. And some would even like some of the things we like, though not everything we like.

WotC is not trying to put out a game for 1 person; they are trying to, and almost have to, appeal to a vast majority of gamers and game styles with 5E. That is their stated goal. They could simply put out another edition like 4E, made for an audience of one (the lead designer) but instead they are trying to reach a broader audience. Yes, it is so they can garner the most money, but they understand to do that they have to appeal to everyone.

It is very easy to create something for yourself; much harder to create for others.

WotC's goal is a hard one, most would say impossible, but it is still their goal. They are the ones who own the rights to the D&D name. Instead of just giving us what they want, they are trying to give us all what we each want. Even if they fail, I have to at least applaud their attempt.

What would you do if you owned the rights to D&D and your goal was to reach as many players as possible? What approach would you take? Or would you just say that everyone else can go stuff themselves and you'll only release what interests you?

Norway's Minister of International Development Plays D&D

I always like it when atypical people play D&D and RPGs. Here is an interview with the new Norwegian Minister of International Development wherein he discusses his RPG and LARP history.

Retro-clone Names

With the popularity of retro-clones of the various editions of D&D we are rapidly running out of alliterate naming conventions for the various retro-clones and the variations of the various retro-clones. For those designers stuck for a name for their own wonderful version of D&D here are a bunch of names they can choose from.

Antechambers & Animals

Bailiwicks & Beasts

Catacombs & Creations

Caverns & Creatures

Caves & Critters

Chambers & Challenges

Crypts & Creepies

Dens & Denizens

Domains & Danger

Doors & Demons

Fatalities & Fiends

Foyers & Fauna

Gates & Gargoyles

Halls & Horrors

Lairs & Lizards

Labyrinths & Louts

Mausoleums & Monstrosities

Talking & Tales

Tombs & Terrors

Paths & Peril

Passageways & Perytons

Rooms & Rumbles

Sepulchers & Scoundrels

Vaults & Villains

Ways & Wyverns

Ziggurats & Zombies 

And once you've decided the fantasy genre has been inundated with too many retro-clones here are some suggestions for some of the other alternate genres...

Western

Sagebrush & Six-guns

Trails & Trouble 

Sci-Fi

Stations & Sectors

Ships & Systems

Space & Stars 

Horror

Libraries & Leeches

Blood & Bones 

Superhero

Spandex & Supervillains

Powers & Prestige

5E Friday

-The more I see the reactions to 5E the more I realize that there is no single vision of D&D. I know this is not a new insight but it is relevant to 5E. Can they truly marry all the visions into one package? That seems to be what people are expecting, but this is not inherently what they have "promised".

People are taking various interpretations of what WotC is saying they will provide in a D&D system.

1) 5E will be able to accommodate every game table's visions of D&D.
2) 5E will be your vision of D&D.
3) 5E will allow you to create your vision of D&D.

I believe they have said, and their goal is to, provide the 3rd option. However, when people hear that 5E may include something that their vision does not include (save or die, clerics, vancian magic, xp is kill or loot, etc) they feel WotC has suddenly strayed from their initial promises of what 5E will provide. However, I think they are missing the point. 5E is not about providing the perfect system for all visions of D&D, but rather, 5E is a framework that individual groups can build their own vision of what D&D is.

-Going with the postulation that 5E is nothing but a framework for designing your own individualized version of D&D, is 5E even necessary? For instance if I want 5E to run like 4E then why don't I just get out my 4E books and use them. Or if I want 1E then I can get out those books as well and run D&D with my 1E books. And then I can add in all those house rules and tweaks we've been playing with for years.

Really, 5E is not needed for the old-time D&D players. We have our own way of doing things. However, 5E could become the common language that all D&D players speak, whether old grognard or new player. Will 5E become that common language? Who knows, it really depends on how well 5E is received.

However, this then leads to the question, is there a need for a common language of what D&D is or can be? Need? No. But for the growth of D&D and rpgs in general it can certainly benefit from the ability for everyone to be able to "speak" the same rpg language.

Bugbear Racial Paragon Path

One of the projects I was working on for 4E was a series of Racial Paragon Paths for monster races. The first one I finished was the Bugbear.

Adherent of Hruggek

“Anyone can be a brute, those with skill strike to kill in one blow.”

Prerequisite: Bugbear

The bugbear is the elite fighter of the goblin races. They serve as the brute force, tough bodyguards and sometimes as leaders of the lesser goblins. However, there are some that strive to reach a perfection in combat. Hruggek was one of their mightiest heroes. It is said he once killed three enemies at once, decapitating them with one swing. Ever since then the Bugbear have sought to emulate his martial prowess. Some take it to another level and work to hone their skills, focusing on the art of decapitation.

The techniques of the Adherents require their opponent being at their knees before the fatal swing. The obvious result is that the opponent is in a vulnerable position, but also it plays into the bugbear’s need to show their dominance. For some, this is more important than the actual kill. Many of their attacks are geared to putting their enemies on the ground and at their feet.

Adherent of Hruggek Path Features

Bully Action (11^th level): When you spend an action point your next attack that hits before the end of your next turn knocks the target prone.

Eye to Death (11^th level): Your Predatory Eye now does d8 instead of d6.

Double Fall (16^th level): When an attacker causes you to fall prone, the attacker falls prone also.

Adherent of Hruggek Powers

Here is a link to the Word file.