D&D General On making 5E versions of other games

[Waller]

With all the flak the 5E Doctor Who is getting I thought this tweet was telling.


With all the people telling “there are better systems for it!” the answer is they know, but you won’t play that. People talk about how they don’t want to learn another game, and the fact that people aren’t even aware of the 10-year old and running existing non-5E game is kind of ironic.

 

[Shardstone]

It is possibly one of the most vindicating tweet threads I have ever read, because I've felt this way for years.

The TTRPG market rants and raves about 5E being top dog, but won't play anything but 5E. Seriously, C7 even announced they have a literal dozen projects in the works for the original Dr. Who game, and people still act like there's no content, game, or active line for the IP outside of 5E.

It is a lose-lose situation. No one buys the Dr. Who game, you make 5E version, now other writers and game designers and a huge amount of customers are treating you like trash because you need to make money and they won't buy your game.

What is C7 supposed to do? Keep getting smaller every year as people ignore them? Deal with a literal storm of hate on Twitter everytime they try to make a smart business decision? And keep in mind, they haven't even talked about their new game at all. We don't know what mechanics it does and does not have. But everyone, literally everyone, assumes that this book will be for people to play in as if it were the Forgotten Realms and uses this assumption to attack them.

Its insane, and it really highlights the absolute pitiful state the industry is in underneath the glamorous, D&D-glazed surface.

 

[Random Task]

This is the strange dichotomy I've noted before. All these indie games and non D&D games coming out must be making money and I presume people are playing them. But at a FLGS trying to pick up a game it's mostly D&D and maybe some Pathfinder. I feel like the rest of the RPG field was much closer to the mainstream during the AD&D 2e era than it is now.

 

[J.Quondam]

Its insane, and it really highlights the absolute pitiful state the industry is in underneath the glamorous, D&D-glazed surface.

That, and the, umm, dubious utility of social media.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

In the 3rd Ed age There were some companies creating a d20 version of their franchises, for example Monte Cook's World of Darkness, Fading Suns d20, Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea or Deadlands, and I don't remember any controversy. Why now when D&D is more popular than ever? It sounds as "I don't everybody like the same hobbys than me, because I want to feel being very special".

You can't blame other companies to use the d20 system, because they don't want only to make money, but also to survive in the industry for the higher number or years.

And I suspect this trouble is only a sign of other problem, and there are a lot of people who haven't learnt social skills. If you don't agree then be polite, don't talk as the sg Hartman in the movie "the metalic jacket". And the people who make a lot of noise don't mean their point of view represent the majority.

Other point is the fear if D&D becomes too popular, then the rest may fall in the oblivion, something like the capture effect in the FM radio signals.

For example I am willing to buy the future book of Legend of the Five Rings (when it was translated into my language), but no plan about to get anything with the other system.

 

[payn]

Its true, I have the OG cube7 game and cant find players for it. Of course, back when I first picked it up I was straight face to face gaming. Now that I'm getting into VTT maybe I'll take another look. Local communities are not clamoring for variety in TTRPGs in my experience. Which brings us back to D&D flavor everything like 20 years ago.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I don't fault someone who feels a need to use the engine of the world's most popular RPG to up their accessibility.

But the other side of that is, system matters. There's not much that can be described as "based on" 5e that I'd find particularly attractive, either.

I mean, yeah, we don't know what that'll mean, but you have to find at least some elements of the based game attractive for that to be a good thing. Those elements are pretty much either things I'm really luke warm about (D20 based resolution) on the whole, dislike (classes, levels, elevating hit points) or actively consider a design mistake (Advantage/Disadvantage).

That doesn't mean I think actively hating on the people doing it is appropriate, but I do kind of reserve the right to roll my eyes about it.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Maybe you are used to live in capital citys where shops can sell all the TTRPGs, but in many cities and towns the roleplayers are only "four miscounted cats"( = a very low number, almost nothing), and for these to find friends to play is not easy, and they have to agree about what game and system. I am used to d20(D&D/Pathfinder) and Storytelling(World of Darkness), and I don't want to learn more systems (I love the lore of Eclipse Phase, but I can't rembeber the list of abilities scores, and also I love my "vintage" Warhammer RPG 1st Ed but I didn't want to know anything about the next editions).

 

[GreyLord]

With all the flak the 5E Doctor Who is getting I thought this tweet was telling.


With all the people telling “there are better systems for it!” the answer is they know, but you won’t play that. People talk about how they don’t want to learn another game, and the fact that people aren’t even aware of the 10-year old and running existing non-5E game is kind of ironic.

Well, funny.

I really haven't bought the DW RPG they produced (I have bought the board game and even the dalek dice game though), and have no plans on buying the 5e based one either.

In that light, I'd say it's an even keel...I'm not buying either so...

I WILL say, that most likley, unless they do a bang up spectacular job, I'd be more likely to buy a NON-5e DW RPG than a 5e based one, but that's more a personal choice. Not that I have any plans to buy a DW RPG (because, face it, for me, playing a companion isn't all that great...and only ONE person probably can normally actually be the Doctor...if anyone is allowed to be the Doctor). I don't see the primary reasons for me not being attracted to a DW RPG (only one doctor so everyone has to play a sidekick instead) being fixed with a 5e system instead of another one.

If their focus groups say 5e will actually attract those gamers that want to play sidekicks...more power to them.

I'd rather they figure out a way to appeal to those who want to be the main star of the game though...as from my personal feelings on the game, would do more to attract those like me to it than any other measure.

 

[teitan]

if this were 2004 people would be going crazy in the opposite way. They'd be all pumped and excited and ready to play.