Wizards of the Coast Announces One D&D

[Old Man]

Except that we actually care about the RPG community.

[Cygnia]

[Ragitsu]

Those may be "flaws" to you if you're accustomed to and appreciative of the mechanics of a point-buy system, but they're "strengths" to many other people.

[Christopher R Taylor]

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"Roll 1d20; high rolls succeed" is not all that different from "roll 3d6; low rolls succeed".

 

The "single die" aspect is the part you left out though.  No bell curve.  Every result is equally possible,  This is a weakness.  Honestly if you cannot work out the differences between AC and defenses, and Hit points and STN/BOD/END I dunno what to say.  Generally Hero players see the superiority of the system over D&D ancient and weak mechanics.

[Steve]

6 minutes ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 

The "single die" aspect is the part you left out though.  No bell curve.  Every result is equally possible,  This is a weakness.  Honestly if you cannot work out the differences between AC and defenses, and Hit points and STN/BOD/END I dunno what to say.  Generally Hero players see the superiority of the system over D&D ancient and weak mechanics.

Even Traveller has better mechanics, using 2d6 for combat and skill resolution and varying amounts of d6s for damage. If I wasn’t playing Hero, I’d prefer Traveller’s system over d20 mechanics.

[Ninja-Bear]

1 minute ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 

The "single die" aspect is the part you left out though.  No bell curve.  Every result is equally possible,  This is a weakness.  Honestly if you cannot work out the differences between AC and defenses, and Hit points and STN/BOD/END I dunno what to say.  Generally Hero players see the superiority of the system over D&D ancient and weak mechanics.

How is the it weakness? Unless (like my friend) bank on the Bell Curve. If you’re on the right side of the Bell curve then its good but if you’re on the wrong side? Its like saying the exploding dice mechanic of Savage Worlds is wrong. It gives a different different experience. Even the fans of SW will tell you that its whiff, whiff, and either death spiral or bam you’re dead. The thing is if you like that sort of approach then the mechanic is fine. If you don’t  then its not fine for you. That doesn’t mean the mechanic is broken unless you want a different experience.

[Ninja-Bear]

20 minutes ago, Steve said:

Even Traveller has better mechanics, using 2d6 for combat and skill resolution and varying amounts of d6s for damage. If I wasn’t playing Hero, I’d prefer Traveller’s system over d20 mechanics.

And why is it better to you? What specially does 2D6 do that you like besides, well not really a curve, but a peak?  

[Steve]

1 hour ago, Ninja-Bear said:

And why is it better to you? What specially does 2D6 do that you like besides, well not really a curve, but a peak?  

The bell curve follows my understanding of real world statistics of probability whereas a d20 does not. So 3d6 and 2d6 yields a certain measure of predictability that a d20 does not, and I prefer 3d6 for this reason. As a GM, this helps me in tailoring campaigns and requires far more bad die rolls than a d20 setup does.

 

It’s rarer to see a TPK of heroes using 3d6 than I’ve ever seen using d20 resolution mechanics. This is not to say I’ve never seen them, but they seem to happen far more frequently with a d20 resolution mechanic in my experience, especially when dealing with the lower levels of power.

 

I just don’t find d20 to be statistically reasonable in its outcomes.

[Duke Bushido]

22 hours ago, Scott Ruggels said:

.  Current D&D is turning into a YA novel in tone. 

 

 

From most of the fan fiction, webtoons, etc, and rhe jokes and re-caps the kids are making when they come home from their game, I rhink you have misspelled "yaoi," Sir.

 

With furries.  I mean, half-thisea and half-thats.

 

If that"s your thing, go for it.  It's not mine, but I dont play.  It just seems to be a big part of the half-a-million sentient species live on this planet 5e experience.

[Opal]

I do like yaoi and don't see any of it in D&D. 

Pretty heteronormative, really with the hot girl demons/devils/fey/etc typically having the charm powers and boobs on half the art means we're not sexist.

 

5e has been getting a bit furry, tho

[Opal]

6 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

Like it or not, the D&D mechanics have stood the test of time. We can crow about the huge marketing budget today, but the early editions had no such budget, and D&D somehow rose to the top of the industry and stayed there.

It's tempting for a serious RPGer to want to look to the content of games for explanations of success.

 

But, D&D had a unique arc, it made a splash among wargamers initially, because it was quite different, but it became a fad when people started hearing about it in the mainstream.

 

Not because fledgling TSR had an advertising budget, but because of suicide, steam tunnels, and Satanism.  Yes, any free publicity is good publicity.

 

And, to this day, D&D remains the only TTRPG with mainstream name recognition.

[Old Man]

3 hours ago, Steve said:

The bell curve follows my understanding of real world statistics of probability whereas a d20 does not. So 3d6 and 2d6 yields a certain measure of predictability that a d20 does not, and I prefer 3d6 for this reason. As a GM, this helps me in tailoring campaigns and requires far more bad die rolls than a d20 setup does.

 

It’s rarer to see a TPK of heroes using 3d6 than I’ve ever seen using d20 resolution mechanics. This is not to say I’ve never seen them, but they seem to happen far more frequently with a d20 resolution mechanic in my experience, especially when dealing with the lower levels of power.

 

I just don’t find d20 to be statistically reasonable in its outcomes.

 

You could make a statistically reasonable system using d20s, but you'd have to build the bell curve in somewhere else, exactly like how D&D doesn't.  D&D only sort of works in a sense because it's so abstracted.

[Christopher R Taylor]

A single die roll means you have an equal chance of failing or succeeding no matter how good you are unless you get bonuses so high that they exceed +19.  Its awful mechanics, which really ought to be self evident.

[Opal]

4 hours ago, Old Man said:

 

You could make a statistically reasonable system using d20s, but you'd have to build the bell curve in somewhere else, exactly like how D&D doesn't.  

D&D does require rather a lot of rolls to get through a combat. Individual turns vary - 1 attack, 1d20, damage if you hit; 1 fireball 5+ d6s, multiple saves.

 

Not so much out of combat.

Spoiler

(Except for 4e group checks & skill challenges).

 

Maybe that's why D&D is still "a combat game"?

[Ninja-Bear]

16 hours ago, Steve said:

The bell curve follows my understanding of real world statistics of probability whereas a d20 does not. So 3d6 and 2d6 yields a certain measure of predictability that a d20 does not, and I prefer 3d6 for this reason. As a GM, this helps me in tailoring campaigns and requires far more bad die rolls than a d20 setup does.

 

It’s rarer to see a TPK of heroes using 3d6 than I’ve ever seen using d20 resolution mechanics. This is not to say I’ve never seen them, but they seem to happen far more frequently with a d20 resolution mechanic in my experience, especially when dealing with the lower levels of power.

 

I just don’t find d20 to be statistically reasonable in its outcomes.

That is what I’m looking for to base decisions on mechanics with. 
 

Now I just played Art of Wuxia that uses the Bare Bones system. Thar uses 2D10 for percentages. The quirk of the system is that its roll under and if you roll over and get doubles, its a Critical Failure. If you roll under and its double then its a Critical Success.  And quite frankly it has given me the best over the top Kung Fu gaming experience to date. So my point as always been is if the mechanics support the type of game then its “good”. If not then its “bad”.  I wouldn’t recommend this game if that not you like. My long time friend says “I like my Bell Curve”. He had a run of bad rolls. However whenever we play Hero he brags at times that he never misses, my brother and his brother took delight and gave him some ribbing (good naturally). 
 

[Ninja-Bear]

12 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

A single die roll means you have an equal chance of failing or succeeding no matter how good you are unless you get bonuses so high that they exceed +19.  Its awful mechanics, which really ought to be self evident.

Ugh, look at statistics. A single die roll doesn’t mean you have equal chance. To roll any specific number on a D20 is 5%. If you’re attacking (and using Ascending AC) then to hit AC 11 is 50%. To hit AC 16 is 25%. Since 20’s hit then even a lowly level 1 has a 1 in 20 chance to hit. In Hero? That’s a 1 in 216 chance. That could be a bug or a feature depending on how you look at it. 

[Ninja-Bear]

8 hours ago, Opal said:

D&D does require rather a lot of rolls to get through a combat. Individual turns vary - 1 attack, 1d20, damage if you hit; 1 fireball 5+ d6s, multiple saves.

 

Not so much out of combat.

  Hide contents

(Except for 4e group checks & skill challenges).

 

Maybe that's why D&D is still "a combat game"?

Ironically OSR groups say that making a roll like that takes away from roleplaying. Usually though they are referring to finding traps. (Now this is a quirk of old style that does bother me. You don’t need to describe how to fight ir cast magic BUT a thief who I’d presume would know more that the average beginning  player has to describe what he is doing? Really? I allow description to gains bonus to the roll.) Again having skills on the sheet or nit  skills on the sheet don’t determine if roleplaying happens. Players and GM make it happen. 

[Cygnia]

[Christopher R Taylor]

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A single die roll doesn’t mean you have equal chance. To roll any specific number on a D20 is 5%

 

 

Pick one.  You have the same odds to roll any single number on the die, a 5% chance.  An equal chance to roll any number.

[Duke Bushido]

18 hours ago, Opal said:

the charm powers and boobs on half the art means we're not sexist.

 

 

 

I particularly like the buxom lizard and dragon people.

 

I mean, I don't, just like I dont like reed-thin bricks "bwcause they are girls," but as a source of amusement and reason to avoid playing, it's pretty high up there.

 

 

[Old Man]

41 minutes ago, Duke Bushido said:

I particularly like the buxom lizard and dragon people.

 

I mean, I don't, just like I dont like reed-thin bricks "bwcause they are girls," but as a source of amusement and reason to avoid playing, it's pretty high up there.

 

I personally am not that interested in playing buxom dragon people (historically I have rarely played anything other than human males) but I don't care if other people play them as long as they're not OP.  And I have to point out that, as usual, Hero is better able to support Mos Eisley-type settings than most.

[Christopher R Taylor]

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I mean, I don't, just like I don't like reed-thin bricks "because they are girls," but as a source of amusement and reason to avoid playing, it's pretty high up there.

 

Yeah it is baffling.  I saw a webcomic where the artist proposed that's where the she-lizards store their eggs, in a satchel around their chest, so it looks like breasts.  But its silly.

[Duke Bushido]

1 hour ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 

.  I saw a webcomic where the artist proposed that's where the women store their eggs, in a satchel around their chest, so it looks like breasts.  But its silly.

 

 

If I can find it again, I will try to link you to it-  the last break I stumbled across a web comic where some,buxom lizard woman thief was using her curves to lure  men into the alley where she robbed them.  Then another lizard woman (equally buxom) come along, and they stare at each other for a panel, then one asks "so what's in yours?"

"Snacks!"  As she pulls out a handful of candies and breads.

"Me, too!" As the other one pulls out a turkey leg.

 

 

_that_, I can get behind.!

 

 

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

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some buxom lizard woman thief was using her curves to lure  men into the alley where she robbed them.

 

Probably the same cartoonist, he did a whole series showing what on earth those bulges were on lizard girls

[Cygnia]