Okay, so the 5e starter will be pregens + a way to go online and get more stuff, like, 15% of the Players Handbook (48 pages, I think someone said).
That's cool. I think they should've put that in the starter set, so they could put it on the shelves at Toys R Us, more bookstores, etc., but whatever. Alia aca est.
What I'd like to know, and maybe Pundit or someone can answer...
What about guidance for new DMs to generate their own adventures? What about folks who might not want to play Tyrrany of Whatever? But go forth and build their own stuff?
Is there stuff like that in the starter set? Treasure lists, advice for stocking dungeons, etc.?
That's important, if you ask me.
YMMV, but back when we were the target audience with the Red Box we hardly used the advice for DMing. We just grabbed cool monsters off the list and whatnot. Wasn't much nuance required four our fun back then.
I don't know about the starter set, but in a recent Q&A the D&D developers mentioned there are loads of random tables in the game (they didn't say which books). So that's a good sign.
Honestly I have no idea. My impression is that the DM book has "all the information you need to run the game", but I don't know if that specifically talks about things that were in the playtest docs, like large scale overland movement, encounters, etc. I'd like to hope so.
This thread is a good question.
Also, I presume the player book, since it does not have char gen has the following: combat rules, some spells, and a maybe an item list of mundane/magical items.
I'm thinking the DM book to get the game started is just a large module with rule notes throughout. For it to be a decent module, I'm not sure how much campaign building they can include.
Seems to me most of the campaign building advice would have to be inferred.
Of course I'm talking out my blow hole like most people that haven't seen it.
My other question is, since this seems to be just a large module from lvl1-5. Does it come close to "best starter adventure ever"? Those are the reviews I'm waiting for now.
To be honest I'm really keen to get one. Plus, you know, the PDF I need to download and print...$20 + printing cost for the PDF is too tempting to pass up.
(Plus if it sucks I can say I played it and I know how much it sucks and then fall back to my hardened EW bunker and fire up the automated perimeter guns again! :D )
$12.97 from Amazon at the moment. Hard to feel cheated for thirteen bucks no matter what's in it.
Quote from: Scott Anderson;752059$12.97 from Amazon at the moment. Hard to feel cheated for thirteen bucks no matter what's in it.
Trvth
Bill you should probably change that quote in your sig, just change 4 to 5.
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;752075Bill you should probably change that quote in your sig, just change 4 to 5.
I'll decide after July!
Quote from: Kyle Aaron;752075Bill you should probably change that quote in your sig, just change 4 to 5.
Won't happen 5e is more like a souped up RC/2e then 4e.
Quote from: Scott Anderson;752059$12.97 from Amazon at the moment. Hard to feel cheated for thirteen bucks no matter what's in it.
My wife got conned out of $10 by a teenage parking-lot begger this week, so I was going to drive down there to find the little bastard just so I could light my cigar with a ten spot right in front of him.
Instead, I pre-ordered the starter set, so I'm really only down $2.97 on the whole deal.
Quote from: Saplatt;752105My wife got conned out of $10 by a teenage parking-lot begger this week, so I was going to drive down there to find the little bastard just so I could light my cigar with a ten spot right in front of him.
Instead, I pre-ordered the starter set, so I'm really only down $2.97 on the whole deal.
Girls..... only 2.97? You got a deal.:)
Though deal with it that Pey Pey is done and Wilson(too short) is going to erase him from relavence.;)
Quote from: Marleycat;752112...Though deal with it that Pey Pey is done and Wilson(too short) is going to erase him from relavence.;)
You may have the Seahawks, but we've got South Park.
Deal with it.
Quote from: thedungeondelver;751998Okay, so the 5e starter will be pregens + a way to go online and get more stuff, like, 15% of the Players Handbook (48 pages, I think someone said).
That's cool. I think they should've put that in the starter set, so they could put it on the shelves at Toys R Us, more bookstores, etc., but whatever. Alia aca est.
What I'd like to know, and maybe Pundit or someone can answer...
What about guidance for new DMs to generate their own adventures? What about folks who might not want to play Tyrrany of Whatever? But go forth and build their own stuff?
Is there stuff like that in the starter set? Treasure lists, advice for stocking dungeons, etc.?
That's important, if you ask me.
I agree. In a lot of ways, I suspect it might actually be more important. Video games like Dragon Age mean that a lot of young gamers will have a pretty solid understanding of characters. And people enjoy Halo despite the "pre-gen".
But figuring out how to take best advantage of the tabletop is important and not always obvious. The hobby can always use more good dungeon masters!
It occurred to me today that having online support is great, having digital downloads and PDFs is amazing. You provide access to all these things for free and it's touted as being very noble and consumer-centric....
Unless you are WoTC releasing something for D&D. Then you're a bad man.
>inb4 muh character generation in box set
>WeDontKnowItsFinalFormYet.jpg
Quote from: thedungeondelver;751998What I'd like to know, and maybe Pundit or someone can answer...
What about guidance for new DMs to generate their own adventures? What about folks who might not want to play Tyrrany of Whatever? But go forth and build their own stuff?
Is there stuff like that in the starter set? Treasure lists, advice for stocking dungeons, etc.?
That's important, if you ask me.
Well there is a 64 page adventure and personal guess is it is Keep on the Borderlands or Keep trimmed down to Caves of Chaos. That has alot of GM tips in it and really acts as a continuation of the DM section in previous versions.
This is a great point.
I suspect for ease of use the sample adventure will be a kind of souped up choose your own adventure. Whilst we may not think that it's the way to go it does mean newbies can get started straight away and not require the DM player to read through a 50 page book and work out how to run it.
Now if that is the case, and its all speculation obviously, then they have to have some good DM advice and some decent adventure guidelines.
To me this might be where they really stumble as its easy to move from good advice on hooks and engaging players to railroady DM prescripted plots. Its a thin line between the two.
From what I have been shown, it seems likely that in the process of the campaign (because the starter set doesn't have just one adventure in it), there will be a lot of opportunity for understanding at least a couple of different ways of framing adventures.
At least some of which will be quite old-school.