D&D 5th Edition

[DaveTheMagicWeasel]

So, in case anyone hasn't heard, WotC have announced they've started work on "D&D Next" (or 5e as it will no doubt be referred to by, well, everyone):

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20120109

http://www.enworld.org/index.php?page=dnd5e

Not likely to see release for a while - they're copying Paizo's open playtest so will be in development for a while yet.

Supposedly going to be a universal system to unify previous editions.  Not sure how that can work mechanically though, sounds a bit like a marketing line.

One thing I noticed is Rob Schwalb is listed on the development team - iirc he worked on some of the Midnight books?  Legends and Hand I believe?

Do we think this could have any impact on a future for Midnight?

In my wildest dreams they go back to a more open OGL style license, and then FFG decide to do an updated edition of Midnight.  Not gonna hold my breath on that one though.

[Nifelhein]

Unifying the editions is like having a single underlining mechanic in them all which was never exposed, which is not true at all. And you are totally right he was a writer in some of the Midnight books indeed, two of which you mentioned, not sure if he is on the credits list of any other.

I think Midnight-wise nothing changed, even more if you consider FFG's sucess with the rpg lines they currently have, which are licensed fo them from the owners.

Now a 5th edition.. time to get rid of some 4th edition books and even more, some 3rd edition ones!

[Kane]

Dave,

Rob worked on a number of the later Midnight books. He is more or less a full time writer doing a lot of work for Mongoose and also Green Ronin. Pretty impressive being able to do the necessary researching and be creative on a deadline. He was initially asked to participate on the Steel Hill project but had to back out.

On the new edition, I'm hoping for ease of play closer to original rules. 3E provided for a great deal of customization of characters but the power ramp up was insane. I never wanted to play or write for characters once they hit double digit levels. The game needs a new flagship that is easy to use and stimulates some growth in the hobby. The idea of box sets with great art, simple rules, and some great short start up modules would be a good beginning.

Kane

[Nifelhein]

I am right there with Kane.

They already started out wrong though, Eric Olson and Iain J. Brogan are not in the design team.

[Kane]

Thanks Nif, but you know I'm not a rules guy. Now if they asked me to work on the modules or the setting ... weel that's another story.

Kane

[Nifelhein]

You know that is exactly why I would love to see your name there, no more vanilla anything in D&D.

[DaveTheMagicWeasel]

From reading the columns Mike Mearls & Monte Cook have been doing on the WotC site (from which this announcement was not any kind of shock) it sounds as if they're leaning towards something more along the lines of old-school D&D.  By which I mean a slimmer base system, with a load of optional extra rules subsystems that the DM/Group can pick and choose from for their desired level of complexity.

Now, on the one hand it's not a bad idea - RPGs have been heavily houseruled since the beginning so may as well accept the fact and account for it.  Would be good if they went further and went back to a Basic/Advanced/etc division (a la 4e's tiers but done as a meaningul distinction) - just release the game as levels 1-10, then give that a couple of years stress-testing in actual use before doing levels 11-20 and it might help them produce something that actually worked at high level (would be a refreshing change!), and would help sustain sales of PHB2, PHB3, etc as each one expanded the levels up.

But, on the other hand - optional systems makes balancing things virtually impossible, since you're never sure what rules are actually going to be in play, and the interactions between different subsystems becomes unmanageable.  AD&D could get away with being a scattershot balance-wise, but whatever they do next has to be definitively better than 3e, 4e, & Pathfinder in order to persuade people to switch.

Sigh.

I foresee a further fracturing of the RPG playerbase, and I'm not convinced the hobby can sustain itself like that.  Absolutely the RPG industry needs a healthy D&D to serve as its flagship.  Sadly, I have little faith in WotC's ability to pull it off.

[Nifelhein]

The tabletop rpg hobby is a dying market, it is easier, quicker, less time consuming and easier to assure fun if you buya  game and play it instead of learning an rpg's rules, developing adventures, getting people together and so on.

Sadly.

[arnon]

Nothing to really on when I say this, but I do not believe "tabletop RPG is a dying market". From the very beginning of it, RPG drew to it people who wanted to sit down and learn the rules so they could play. Short attention span is not something that goes hand-in-hand with tabletop gaming I think.

[Gabboge]

I think after a while people will look back on WotC dropping the OGL as a good thing. It's caused people to have to break away from that D&D mold. Table top RPGs are relatively cheap to produce (Compared to say video games) so a fractured audience is a good thing because the power vacuum spurs new creations, sometimes that are even better. I personally love pathfinder for general fantasy role playing. If WotC chad created and OGL for 4.0 then pathfinder may have never taken off like it did.

WotC are over rated. They are like the Blizzard of tabletops. They used to produce amazing things but huge chunks of their team have moved on and recent productions are only pretty good. It's what being a big company does.

[roccojr]

Short attention span is not something that goes hand-in-hand with tabletop gaming I think.

As a person with ADD who has been playing RPG's since 1978, I'd have to disagree! Now please excuse me as I go chase something shiny...

BTW, call me a pessimist but I don't think we will ever see anything new for Midnight from FFG. If the license somehow opens up to allow things to be produced for 'old-version' products (which I do think would happen based on what I'm hearing about 5e supporting everything D&D), we might see some 3pp items. That wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

[Plissken]

Anybody that has some knowledge about the publishing business know what a license such as Midnight would cost to purchase? I'm interested in making Midnight game software much like Knights of the Chalice (http://www.heroicfantasygames.com/), and although I can use the OGL ruleset, I obviously need a license for the flavor content of Midnight.

[Nifelhein]

You would need to contact Fantasy Flight regarding that, I have no idea how much that might cost you.

[Doomed Hero]

Fro0m what I understand they're a pretty tenacious company about IP stuff. I'm pretty sure they're still trying to do something with the setting.

[Kane]

The CEO put out a lot of money to make the midnight movie and the setting was their first big rpg line. He's unlikely to let the setting go unless absolutely bowled over by an offer.

[Nifelhein]

They might not be so ahrd about licensing a product though, but those are suaully not cost effective.