Dungeons & Dragons

[AnimeFan188]

Reviewed: Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition:

"No matter your edition or specific RPG of choice, today D&D continues
to be the measuring stick by which other pen-and-paper games are
judged, be it on sales, popularity, or even complexity. For many gamers
over the course of the game's existence, D&D has been the entry point
into role-playing which sparks a lifetime of storytelling and adventure.

So, with more than a year behind it, how does the newest edition of D&D
hold up for newbies and hardcore fans alike?"

See:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/0...s-5th-edition/

============================

So, is it worth spending money on this, or is the basic downloadable
free version good enough?

Or was one of the previous versions better?

[Kafriel]

5E is so-so, perhaps oversimplified for my taste. 4E is alright, you can get a lot of things done and the character builder allows a variety of characters to be inserted into any kind of story...but maybe 3.5E was better, iunno, the monsters in 4E feel rather cheap. It's better if you talk this over with your party, see which classes (and paragon paths/epic destinies) they would like to play, check with the DM in case he prefers a particular version and once you've decided, you can pick an edition to play in.

To answer the question, 5E is definitely the most newbie-friendly version of DnD, but old players will also have trouble adjusting to the new rules and core changes to the game's mechanics. In the end, it's still fun to play though.

[Sheba]

D&D5 is beginner friendly and also the closest thing to old school editions like AD&D2. So Grognards are happy. I am french, so we get fucked in the ass by Hasbro who dont want to localize the game in non-english countries. So I have to get by with the free basic edition. However, one french website have also put and translated some of the stuff in official books on their site. In that age where many get a tablet or a smartphone, it became easier for players and gamemasters to glance through the rules and find what they needed.

I started the first real D&D game as dungeon master since 1999 with my old highschool party ( -1, the missing one died last year). We struggled a bit a little (our last D&D together was AD&D2), but we found our comfort zone and my friends liked this edition. I have played the other editions, as player, but D&D3 eventually exploded with modifiers inflation and D&D4 didn't feel quite D&D, especially for someone like me who played the older edition.

[jdennis007]

Have you looked into alternatives to D&D, namely Pathfinder?
A lot of players prefer Pathfinder to D&D since it makes a bit more sense and has a better rule system.
You can find the rule system here http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/

[AnimeFan188]

Originally Posted by jdennis007

Have you looked into alternatives to D&D, namely Pathfinder?
A lot of players prefer Pathfinder to D&D since it makes a bit more sense and has a better rule system.
You can find the rule system here http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/

According to:

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG

Pathfinder is an evolution of the D&D 3.5 rules system. So both
Pathfinder and D&D-5E are branches of the same tree. I suppose it's a
matter of personal preference as to which branch is better.

[Sheba]

Pathfinder have been an alternative for those who were disappointed by D&D4. In reaction to D&D4 distancing itself from D&D and AD&D, lots of "retroclones" were created in an attempt to recapture the old D&D feel, games like Mazes & Minotaurs, Castles & Crusades or OSRIC come in mind. Think about it, the Grognards realized that while 3.5 crumbled under its modifiers inflation and power creep, from new mage and cleric spells in each new splatbooks, making melee classes even more useless, its system was not as bad if you streamlined it to its bare minimum. And while AD&D1 & 2 rules hardly made sense at time (THAC0 was counterintuitive, the 18/%% STR stat for Fighter only being stupid, the wonky grappling rules and there is too many subsystems, the prime example being Rogue and its percentile rolls), the fluff in AD&D1 and 2 is AWESOME. One can take a look at the magical items chapter of the Dungeon Master Guide of AD&D2 and compare to the one in D&D4 that felt soulless, compared to the former. The retroclones have been an attempt to capture the best of both.

D&D5 have been an attempt to get back those that WOTC alienated. So while you can say that 3.5 and Pathfinder are of the same branch of the tree. 5e have taken bits of 3.5 while streamlining it (+5 maximum modifier in basic edition) and adding its own twist (gaining advantage dice if you roleplayed your character according to its principles and backstory, rolling 2 D20 and taking the best or the worst if you are at an advantage or disadvantage). If 5e have taken one thing from 4e, its the second wind mechanics that is now exclusive to the Fighter.

[Yui Is My Wife]

Wow 5th Edition sounds streamline and modern WITHOUT turning into the fiasco that was World of Warcraft D20... Uh I mean 4th Edition

In any case, would 5th Ed cinematic/suitable enough to run a "Sword Art Online" inspired campaign, or should I use the Fantasy Age / Dragon Age system?

4th Edition is practically an Online Game anyways, so that definitely qualifies.

[AnimeFan188]

Revisit the Very 1980s Moral Panic Over
Dungeons & Dragons; Twenty-sided dice are
corrupting our children:

"Today, it's franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty that have
parents, evangelical groups, and the media claiming that gory games
lead to real-world acts of violence. But, as a new Retro Report video from
the New York Times reminds us, things weren't much different in the
1970s and 80s. Back then it was the pen-and-paper role-playing game
Dungeons & Dragons that had moralists bemoaning the corruption of
young minds. Somehow, the fantasy game played with dice and figurines
set off a moral panic after religious groups and members of the media
accused the game of inspiring violent crimes."

See:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cult...geons-dragons/

[Chosen_Hero]

Thought you might like this:

These guys never fail to make me laugh.

[AnimeFan188]

A fascinating graphic novel about the origins
of Dungeons & Dragons:

"Almost 10 years ago, journalist David Kushner had a chance to interview Gary Gygax
and Dave Arneson, the two creators of Dungeons & Dragons, before they died. Kushner's
reporting became a story for Wired, and now he's expanded the scope of his tale into a
graphic novel. Rise of the Dungeon Master (Amazon UK / Amazon US), beautifully
illustrated by Koren Shadmi, is both a moving portrait of two creative outsiders and a
chronicle of how a new kind of storytelling changed pop culture forever."

See:

https://arstechnica.com/the-multiver...geons-dragons/

[AnimeFan188]

Until I read this, I didn't know you could make money at DM'ing.

It’s a Living: Meet One of New York’s Best Professional D&D
Dungeon Masters:

"But while Woods is one of several DMs-for-hire out there, this isn’t his hobby or a side
gig; it’s a living, and a pretty good one at that, with Woods charging anywhere from
$250 to $350 for a one-off three-hour session (though he works on a sliding scale). For
that price, Woods will not only research and plan out your game but also, if you become
a regular, answer your occasional random text queries about wizard spells. “He’s worth
the money,” says Kevin Papa, a New York City educator (and occasional DM) who’s been
part of this Friday-night game for more than a year. “Being a DM requires a lot of
brainshare. I don’t know how Timm absorbs it all.”"

See:

https://www.wired.com/story/its-a-li...ngeon-masters/

[Cosmic Eagle]

Seeing how important a good DM is, it's not surprising

[AnimeFan188]

The Former Flash Directors Make a Saving Throw for
the Dungeons & Dragons Movie:

"The D&D movie rolls for initiative once more, but this time a new Dungeon Master is
in charge. Well, Dungeon Masters.

Variety reports that hot off of their creative-differences-based exit from Warner Bros.’
long in the works, seemingly cursed Flash standalone DC movie, Jonathan Goldstein
and John Francis Daley will replace now-outgoing director Chris McKay on Paramount’s
attempt to bring the legendary tabletop RPG series, Dungeons & Dragons, to the big
screen once more. McKay has left the D&D movie to work on his upcoming sci-fi
mystery project Ghost Draft, starring Yvonne Strahovski and Chris Pratt.

There have been various iterations of a D&D movie in the works for a while now—
Warner Bros. has been trying to get one off the ground since it acquired the rights to
the game series and its beloved Forgotten Realms setting in 2015, with several
directors, including Rob Letterman, coming and going from the project.

This latest attempt with Goldstein and Daley (a partnership that saw them previously
pen Spider-Man: Homecoming together) will mark the latest and first under the
auspices of Hasbro’s AllSpark Productions, the merchandise-maker and Wizards of the
Coast owner’s new attempt to leverage its popular toy brands like Magic: The
Gathering, D&D, and Transformers into a Marvel-esque cinematic empire."

See:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-former-f...the-1836831327

[Sheba]

The madman did it, Mike Mearls made a monk subclass that allow players to roleplay as Stand Users from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

[AnimeFan188]

Wizards of the Coast Is Releasing Free Dungeons & Dragons Resources
to Get You Through the Quarantine:

"Games are a powerful escape and coping tool for many of us amidst the ongoing
pandemic. With digital tools allowing people to play tabletop and board games online,
it’s become a great way to spend time indoors with those you love, whether you’re
together or not. Now, Wizards of the Coast is making that play a little bit easier.

Starting this past week, Wizards is releasing free Dungeons and Dragons resources
and materials on a daily basis on its website. According to the page, content will be
aided on a daily Monday through Friday schedule, particularly for the purpose of
helping parents who are sharing Dungeons and Dragons with their kids. With schools
canceled pretty much everywhere, caregivers are needing to find new ways to engage
and entertain their charges. Wizards seems to hope that, with some freebies,
Dungeons and Dragons can be one of those methods.

It’s some solid material, too. There are ongoing campaign modules, standalone
adventures, and start materials. Fortunately, not all of what’s available is aimed at
kids, so the adult tabletop nerd can find something to love here, too. But if you do
have kids around, the inclusion of D&D-themed coloring pages is pretty wonderful."

See:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/wizards-of-t...ago-1842809739

[AnimeFan188]

With D&D's Next Rulebook, Character Creation Will Never
Be the Same:

"Although Dungeons & Dragons’ fifth edition has added as many classes, races,
and rules as it has since it first began, for the most part, the way players create
characters has stayed the same. You pick a race, that race defines certain things
about you, and so on. But the game’s next sourcebook is giving players the
opportunity to change that forever.

Today, Wizards of the Coast lifted the lid on Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the
next major Dungeons & Dragons sourcebook. Cut from the same cloth as Volo’s
Guide to Monsters, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and Mordenkainen’s Tome of
Foes, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is a cohesive book filled with new spells and
abilities, new creatures, “new” subclasses (more on that later!), new magical
items and the aforementioned ways to roleplay your mighty adventuring hero—
and additional tools for Dungeon Masters to expand the way they tell stories in
the lands of the Forgotten Realms and beyond."


"Tasha also serves as the inspiration for one of the most important additions in
Cauldron of Everything. The sourcebook includes a new section that fundamentally
re-writes character creation as D&D players currently know it, giving them more
freedom than ever officially supported. “Just as Tasha had this amazingly magical
origin, many D&D characters have special origins—their players come up with
backstories that helps set one character apart from another,” Crawford said. “And
so we wanted to make sure that in this book, players felt like they had the tools in
the game to create the truly unique character they wanted to create.”"

See:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/with-d-ds-ne...ver-1844807934

[AnimeFan188]

Twenty years later, Dungeons & Dragons gets another
movie adaptation:

"The next Dungeons & Dragons film appears to still be alive—and has rolled a crit on
its first major casting decision ahead of plans to finally start filming early next year.

According to Deadline, the combined powers at Paramount Pictures and D&D owner
Hasbro have landed Chris Pine (Wonder Woman, Star Trek) for the film's lead role.
This follows reports from 2019 that a solid writer-director duo was attached to the
project: Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who co-directed the surprisingly
solid dark comedy Game Night (which revolves around Hasbro board games, but in a
far-from-family-friendly way) and co-wrote the Ars-approved film Spider-Man:
Homecoming."

See:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/...ng-chris-pine/

[AnimeFan188]

The Dungeons and Dragons Film Has Wrapped Production

"The Dungeons & Dragons movie has wrapped production!

Director John Francis Daley announced on social media that the shooting has wrapped
on the film.

From its looks, the new D&D film is going all out to bring the best adaptation of the
tabletop role-playing game (RPG) to life. The cast features A-list actor Chris Pine
(Wonder Woman 1984), Michelle Rodriguez (Fast and Furious franchise), Justice Smith
(Detective Pikachu), and Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton)."

See:

https://gizmodo.com/the-dungeons-and...ion-1847535005

[AnimeFan188]

Dragonlance's Creators Are Creating a New RPG World With D&D's Rules

"Ravenloft and Dragonlance, two of D&D’s most iconic classic settings, wouldn’t exist
without the work of husband-and-wife team Tracy and Laura Hickman. Now, the
Hickmans are setting their sights on a new world for a tabletop roleplaying setting—and
while it’s not explicitly part of D&D, it’s leveraging the latest system’s mechanical
underpinnings.

Polygon reports that the Hickmans have lifted the lid on Skyraiders of Abarax, a new
fantasy setting of dragons and flying airships that the duo teases will be brought to life
by “magical books... with our unique ‘Living Tome System’.” Skyraiders will base its rules
on Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition open-source System
Reference Document, a toolset that lets RPGs use the basic systems of the current
iteration of D&D for custom settings and campaigns, underpinning everything from
Kickstarter smash hit Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent (from former Blizzard executive
Chris Metzen’s Warchief Gaming), to the recently revealed Critical Role Tal’dorei Reborn
sourcebook (itself separate from the previous, D&D-sanctioned Explorer’s Guide to
Wildemount)."

See:

https://gizmodo.com/dragonlances-cre...ith-1847655494

[AnimeFan188]

Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina Succeeds A Performance
Check in Strong Amazon Debut

"Critical Role is a popular livestream where voice actors play Dungeons &
Dragons, led by Matthew Mercer of Overwatch fame. The show gained quick fame
once it began airing weekly episodes in 2015. Now in its third campaign, its success has
birthed a franchise unto itself, with multiple graphic novels published by Dark Horse, a
novel, and a passionate fanbase. That fanbase gave the cast, and perhaps D&D as a
whole, the greatest fantasy fulfillment of all: A crowdfunded animated adaptation of their
first campaign, Vox Machina, eventually picked up as a two-season series for Prime
Video."

See:

https://gizmodo.com/critical-role-vo...zon-1848389619

YouTube

https://youtu.be/3eRRwcTdhtE

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