Random musing of the week

[ghost-angel]

Re: Random musing of the week

 

I can get both PHB and DMG 3.5ed for $40 new at Amazon.com www.amazon.com/Dungeon-Masters-Guide-Rulebook-Dragons/dp/0786928891/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/102-7245922-1559352

Same site has the newest edition at $50 and a used copy of of 5th non-revised at $35.

 

Cheaper and includes a setting, talk semantics all you want those are the facts. And to clarify, I said ABOUT the same (I would consider a $10 difference about the same.

 

As far as the rest of the points, they don't stand. You CAN create new classes, feats, spells and skills and if you read the DMG it tells you how. Are the mechanics as elegant? Heck no, maybe that's why I prefer HERO to D20, but bad doesn't mean non-exsistent.

 

a) I said MSRP. which is 30$ each for PHB and DMG vs 50$ for 5ER. (I walk into an LGS and that's the price I pay in most cases. I can bargain hunt 5ER too I bet and get it for less than MSRP, that wasn't my point)

 

I was agreeing with everything else you said. (i.e. your point stands correct)

[Checkmate]

Re: Random musing of the week

 

a) I said MSRP. which is 30$ each for PHB and DMG vs 50$ for 5ER. (I walk into an LGS and that's the price I pay in most cases. I can bargain hunt 5ER too I bet and get it for less than MSRP, that wasn't my point)

 

I was agreeing with everything else you said. (i.e. your point stands correct)

Ah my apologies thought you meant Thai's points (and I did bargin hunt for 5ER and that's the cheapest I've found it non-used).

[ghost-angel]

Re: Random musing of the week

 

Ah my apologies thought you meant Thai's points (and I did bargin hunt for 5ER and that's the cheapest I've found it non-used).

 

FRP Games

 

Given the current Out Of Stock status it is difficult to find the hardcopy at this point in time. I regularly see it for 40$ from places that discount pretty much their entire stock.

 

(all I'm saying is at off the shelf price of MSRP the two core D20 books cost more, and looking for discounts often nets them at the same price, or at an average 20% discount the D20 books are still higher in price. It's cool that places like Amazon are able to give an even higher discount on the books however. because the D20 core books are, IMO, way the heck over priced. Their only worth 20$ each, not 30$.)

[tesuji]

Re: Random musing of the week

 

On 5e vs 4e...

 

I much prefer the 4e feel to the 5e feel.

 

For me 5e has had a basic underlying shift in philosophy that was inconsistently applied and then not supported with shall we say guidance as to how to use it.

 

Specifically, on balance and the role the rules play in it vs the role the gm plays.

 

HEro 5e has indeed clarified some rules, but in a number of areas and as a broader practice it has removed or dropped to GM judgement the balancing elements... without giving more advice on really how to make the decision.

 

One example is removing the "total points for forms less than total cp for character" limits on multiform and leaving that to "well if the gm says no".

 

Another would ne the oft stated reference to "use common sense, dramatic sense and sense of balance" to make a decision orto just decide to not use the rule or to allow the rule, which creeps into FAQ and rules questions fairly often.

 

At the same time, you get nigglingly small alterations on very minor traits here and there which serve as harder limits than we previously had.

 

Now don't get me wrong, I can go either way and actually if the rules had moved more from 4e to 5e in the direction of "simpler core rules set very clear" and added a lot of information and guidance on "managing your game and when to change the rules" going for a very strong "use common sense, dramatic sense and sense of fairness" approach consistently... i would have been thrilled, especially as that approach moves even more IMo towards campaign specific values being used rather than the more common "one size fits all".

 

but it seems to me that HERO 5e went in two directions at once... using "more rules and more precise rules" even when the details were small in significance and also falling back on "let the Gm decide" on even much bigger balance issues than those detailed, which seemed to show a lack of consistency of approach and design I found... offputting.

 

4e much more had a consistent view.. even if its not a view i wholly subscribe to. So when i ran it for those many years, i knew exactly what i had to work with.

[Checkmate]

Re: Random musing of the week

 

Tesuji,

Very well said. I must spread some rep around before giving you more, but that is EXACTLY what I find annoying about 5th.