I find the idea of the 'escalation die' intriguing, if not the implementation.  As it stands, it is little more than a timer for encounter powers.  Perhaps using a larger die (d8, d10 or even a d12) and triggering effects if a character fails to 'save', ie roll equal or higher than the current number.  Fatigue or penalties to hit would be reasonable, but perhaps some exhaustion fuelled haymakers or other bonuses could be implemented as well.  Nothing as certain as the pseudo-encounter powers here, of course, or the players would just stretch things out until the later rounds to get additional bonuses.

Quote from: John Morrow;548380That's the Forge Kool Aid that sank 4e.  I'm not convinced he's learned his lesson and still expect this for D&D Next:



...though this time, it will be OSR flavored Forge Kool Aid.

From Ryan Dancey's comments on the Pyramid message boards concerning the design goals for 3e in 2000:



Maybe they need to put Ryan Dancey back on the payroll at WotC because clearly the people that are left forgot (or maybe never understood) what made 3e successful.  I imagine Dancey's job, if he were re-hired, as being something like this:

Ryan's on record - here, at the RPGsite - as saying that Dogs in the Vinyard is better than D&D.

So.

No, never.

Ryan Dancey drank the Forge Kool Aid afterwards. See "Dogs of Greyhawk" on this forum.

Btw, avoid using the batslap. It's against the Pundit's policy, technically, though your usage to me is not spam. We've just .. abused that meme in the past to the point Pundit decided to ban the pic outright.

Quote from: Benoist;548387Ryan Dancey drank the Forge Kool Aid afterwards. See "Dogs of Greyhawk" on this forum.

Btw, avoid using the batslap. It's against the Pundit's policy, technically, though your usage to me is not spam. We've just .. abused that meme in the past to the point Pundit decided to ban the pic outright.

I'm to blame for that but good god that was a funny thread for a day or so.

Quote from: Benoist;548387Ryan Dancey drank the Forge Kool Aid afterwards. See "Dogs of Greyhawk" on this forum.

Sadly, that may be true.

Quote from: Benoist;548387Btw, avoid using the batslap. It's against the Pundit's policy, technically, though your usage to me is not spam. We've just .. abused that meme in the past to the point Pundit decided to ban the pic outright.

I've seen it used since the thread that got out of hand, and it seems to get a pass here so long as it's appropriate, which I think it was here.  Nothing quite captures the sort of supervision that I think the D&D design team needs with respect to Forge theory quite like that picture.  I'm not trying to start a trend.

Yeah it's cool with me, I actually miss using the batslap myself to be completely honest about it but well, I got to remind everyone about Pundit's ruling on that score in any case.

Quote from: Benoist;548393Yeah it's cool with me, I actually miss using the batslap myself to be completely honest about it but well, I got to remind everyone about Pundit's ruling on that score in any case.

Oh I understand completely.  I mean, we've had some pretty silly thread derails but that's all that thread was at the "pundit-put-his-foot-down" point.

Quote from: Benoist;548393Yeah it's cool with me, I actually miss using the batslap myself to be completely honest about it but well, I got to remind everyone about Pundit's ruling on that score in any case.

I won't make a habit of it and will pull it if he really wants it pulled.

Quote from: Benoist;548387Ryan Dancey drank the Forge Kool Aid afterwards. See "Dogs of Greyhawk" on this forum.

Btw, avoid using the batslap. It's against the Pundit's policy, technically, though your usage to me is not spam. We've just .. abused that meme in the past to the point Pundit decided to ban the pic outright.

So that's the infamous "batslap" previously mentioned. Had no idea what the heck you were talking about before, have to admit it's hilarious though.

Quote from: Ladybird;548297It looks like someone glued some FATE sprinkles onto a D&D. It doesn't look as terrible as some people here are making out, but it doesn't look like something I want.

Fair enough. Except for the annoying fanbase, that's what this game is. It is antithetical to what I like in my D&D, and I prefer an entirely different brand of heroism, so I would not enjoy playing it, but obviously, there is a market niche that will. Plus Pelgrane's Dying Earth RPG is pretty cool, and I wish them well.

RuneQuest is still better

Also, I can't understand any outrage about a guy who creates a game that someone doesn't like.

Looks like 4e D&D + Fate as someone already noted. And it also looks like nothing I am interested in playing. May they have their success and their fans flock to that to leave us alone with our older D&D.

About that "fall forward" idea, where failures really mean delays instead, that really doesn't sound like something for me. I don't want to feel like I'm being hurtled along to watch a story. I want to live the life of a character, warts and all. Failure is sorta liberating; I either use ingenuity to think around it, or accept and walk away from it. Being able to choose where I go is more fun to me than skipping (or fumbling) towards the end of a storied path.

Quote from: StormBringer;548385I find the idea of the 'escalation die' intriguing, if not the implementation.  As it stands, it is little more than a timer for encounter powers.

And a big fat bonus for the characters in combat - it does make a difference between hitting and missing more often than you'd think.

I believe the ultimate plan is to have creature powers that activate when the Escalation Die gets to certain levels - as you suggest, there are also other things you could do with the mechanic too.  It seemed initially to be a neither-here-no-there rule at first, but having played the game, I can see its uses.

Quote from: The Good Assyrian;548290Out of curiosity, what did you like about it?
-TGA

Icons and Backgrounds - gave the game more scope than 5e's Themes and Skills hodgepodge. Yes it demands that your character is unique from the start rather than a gongfarmer - but there are other games for that (DCC, High Quality Roleplaying). The indie stuff - 'fail forward' in particular made it a qualitively different play experience than when I've played TSR D&D - which is cool, because I've already got Moldvay and AD&D 1e.

Stripped-down faster 4e combat - after playing ACKS, Crypt & Things and DCC over the last year it was different, but not as horrific as I thought it'd be. The Escalation Die you get for pressing the attack is a neat innovation that I'll nick for a duelling game.

My gaming group thought 13th age was cool, fun, not flawless, but decided to stay with LotFP as our go-to game for one-shots, with Age of Heroes as our campaign mainstay.

Quote from: game.monkey;548414And a big fat bonus for the characters in combat - it does make a difference between hitting and missing more often than you'd think.

Definitely would not be using it as a straight bonus for the players.

QuoteI believe the ultimate plan is to have creature powers that activate when the Escalation Die gets to certain levels - as you suggest, there are also other things you could do with the mechanic too.  It seemed initially to be a neither-here-no-there rule at first, but having played the game, I can see its uses.

I'm not terribly thrilled with it as a power trigger, monsters or character.  I would be more likely to tack on fatigue penalties or something of the like.  Bonuses would be quite rare.