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Post by lowkeyoh on Aug 16, 2017 8:00:21 GMT -8
The question I ask myself whenever Stu brings up the "I'm no mere Hedge Wizard" story is...did you roll for surprise round? It sounded like the wizard was already prepping and flinging a fireball so why wasn't there a roll for surprise to react? I'm rusty on 5e, but isn't that a part of initiative? It wasn't an ambush. There was a conversion between the party and a group of mercenaries? Bandits? Hired muscle? I can't remember exactly. Threats were made, thus leading to the famous line. Surprise only kicks in when you are unaware of the enemy.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2017 15:04:10 GMT -8
Stu Venable 's comments about D&D 5e not being as thoroughly supported aren't quite accurate. Since launch we've gotten the following. Eighteen new races, 21 backgrounds, two full classes, two Barbarian subclasses, three for Bard, six Cleric domains, one Druid circle, eight Fighter subclasses, four Monk subclasses, four Paladin vows, a full Ranger rework with a new conclave, three Rogue archetypes, five Sorcerer Origins, four Warlock Patrons and a BOATLOAD of new invocations, three new Wizard traditions, new spells, and new feats. And that's just the content added to the OrcPub, not even the complete list of content. These have come though setting books and Unearthed Arcana, instead of being monetized as splat books. The amount of content that has come out free in Unearthed Arcana is huge. While that material isn't approved for Organized Play it's still considered official WOTC material. --- I think of all the stuff you pointed out, how much of it is free when previously it would have been scattered between Complete Completist books or world settings. I think this go around, they looked at building the community more so than getting as much cash out of it as they can.
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shinigamitwo
Initiate Douchebag
Posts: 45
Preferred Game Systems: oWoD, Deadlands, D&D
Currently Playing: Deadlands HOE Classic - The Doctor Rides Agin!
Currently Running: Vampire 20th Anniversary
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Post by shinigamitwo on Aug 18, 2017 14:10:29 GMT -8
These have come though setting books and Unearthed Arcana, instead of being monetized as splat books. The amount of content that has come out free in Unearthed Arcana is huge. While that material isn't approved for Organized Play it's still considered official WOTC material. That is a fair point, though I would point to the Unearthed Arcana being not Organized Play friendly and think that maybe they are trying to lengthen the time before the OP suffers from bloatdeath. By the by, thanks Lowkeyoh for mentioning that fact. I have a player who, despite me saying I don't want to run DND, keeps asking for DND so he can run some creation from UA. He must keep pushing because he can't play it elsewhere. It's been driving me nuts because it's been going on for like 6-7 months.
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Post by chronovore on Aug 21, 2017 15:30:34 GMT -8
The question I ask myself whenever Stu brings up the "I'm no mere Hedge Wizard" story is...did you roll for surprise round? It sounded like the wizard was already prepping and flinging a fireball so why wasn't there a roll for surprise to react? I'm rusty on 5e, but isn't that a part of initiative? Pretty sure the "no mere hedge wizard" moment was in a GURPS game… To me, though, it doesn't matter if a session went like I'd thought, but rather if it was memorable for the group. The hedge mage session is clearly memorable for everyone. My only instance of that as a GURPS GM was a single night session where I had prepared a group of redcaps to fight on route to the main story, forgetting how long GURPS combat can take. The group's mage stepped forward before the redcaps could close the distance and cast a Tornado spell, blowing all of the redcaps into oblivion. At first, I was got it. The mage had completely derailed the first encounter! Then the player pointed out to me that the fight would have otherwise taken the entire one night session. In the end, I thanked him.
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Post by Stu Venable on Aug 23, 2017 20:03:41 GMT -8
The question I ask myself whenever Stu brings up the "I'm no mere Hedge Wizard" story is...did you roll for surprise round? It sounded like the wizard was already prepping and flinging a fireball so why wasn't there a roll for surprise to react? I'm rusty on 5e, but isn't that a part of initiative? He wasn't prepping a spell. He was just trying to intimidate them. Had I not rolled absolute SHIT for his initiative, things might have gone differently. He was the first mage they faced with fireball. As it happened, it's an epic story, and the players still laugh about it today, so it was a great combat in my book. And it WAS DnD5e.
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Post by Stu Venable on Aug 23, 2017 20:10:46 GMT -8
Interesting note: I didn't see a WotC presence at Gencon. There was a Hasbro booth, but no where near as big as I would have expected. Now, we never got to Lucas Oil stadium or a couple of the hotels, but on the dealer floor, didn't see much in the way of DnD. So I really wonder what kind of marketing budget Hasbro has given WotC for DnD -- I'm guessing it's not much. I'm sure there was DnD organize play somewhere, I think I saw a bunch of games in the program, but I never found it, while Pathfinder had a HUGE ballroom for their Pathfinder Society games.
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Post by akavidar on Aug 24, 2017 4:02:24 GMT -8
WotC won 2 Ennies and some Harry Potter looking guy accepted them. But no big Entourage like John Wick Presents, or Chaosium had.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2017 9:29:06 GMT -8
Interesting note: I didn't see a WotC presence at Gencon. There was a Hasbro booth, but no where near as big as I would have expected. Now, we never got to Lucas Oil stadium or a couple of the hotels, but on the dealer floor, didn't see much in the way of DnD. So I really wonder what kind of marketing budget Hasbro has given WotC for DnD -- I'm guessing it's not much. I'm sure there was DnD organize play somewhere, I think I saw a bunch of games in the program, but I never found it, while Pathfinder had a HUGE ballroom for their Pathfinder Society games. My understanding is the bulk of the Wizards stuff is going to Hasbro's con. Which is a shame - the old TSR/WotC castles used to be phenomenal.
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Post by ayslyn on Aug 24, 2017 11:46:10 GMT -8
Baldman Games handles the OP side of the con for WotC, while the individual publishers got to pimp their own products. So there was stuff at the Gale Force 9 booth, Green Ronin, etc. The official line is that WotC is trying to give the retailer the spotlight and business rather than taking it away from them.
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Post by chronovore on Aug 24, 2017 15:12:23 GMT -8
Interesting note: I didn't see a WotC presence at Gencon. There was a Hasbro booth, but no where near as big as I would have expected. Now, we never got to Lucas Oil stadium or a couple of the hotels, but on the dealer floor, didn't see much in the way of DnD. So I really wonder what kind of marketing budget Hasbro has given WotC for DnD -- I'm guessing it's not much. I'm sure there was DnD organize play somewhere, I think I saw a bunch of games in the program, but I never found it, while Pathfinder had a HUGE ballroom for their Pathfinder Society games. My understanding is the bulk of the Wizards stuff is going to Hasbro's con. Which is a shame - the old TSR/WotC castles used to be phenomenal. "HASCON: The premiere Hasbro FANmily event"? (That marketing tag is an incitement to violence.)Looks like D&D is the literal last thing on their mind:
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2017 15:21:27 GMT -8
I'd say that's probably accurate that D&D is the last thing on their mind. ... until they find a way to successfully get a D&D cinematic universe going, that hopefully will not be all Drizzt, Elminster and/or Dragonlance. Not sure if you've seen it but I think a great D&D movie could be made out of the D&D comics IDW put out (I think it was IDW - they also did the gritty GI JOE comics). A dwarf paladin of a love goddess, a token snotty elf, a human fighter that's been every type of soldier, and a halfling thief who complains about using first aid on others because it's literally doing it upside down and backwards then.
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mrmanowar
Apprentice Douchebag
Posts: 74
Preferred Game Systems: Ones that I own.
Currently Playing: AS&SoH, AD&D various editions and Manowar CD's
Currently Running: D&D 5E, AS&SoH (Started!)
Favorite Species of Monkey: The ones that rhyme with donkey
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Post by mrmanowar on Aug 24, 2017 19:19:03 GMT -8
Interesting note: I didn't see a WotC presence at Gencon. There was a Hasbro booth, but no where near as big as I would have expected. Now, we never got to Lucas Oil stadium or a couple of the hotels, but on the dealer floor, didn't see much in the way of DnD. So I really wonder what kind of marketing budget Hasbro has given WotC for DnD -- I'm guessing it's not much. I'm sure there was DnD organize play somewhere, I think I saw a bunch of games in the program, but I never found it, while Pathfinder had a HUGE ballroom for their Pathfinder Society games. After getting a chance to talk to Mike Mearls, Chris Perkins, Jeremy Crawford, etc. According to them the D&D line is doing quite well. Also, they are focusing on smaller cons, Pax West, East, etc. and fortunately for me Gary Con and Gamehole Con. The latter two being Wisconsin cons that grow exponentially in attendance each year it is always great to catch up with them and I'm looking forward to getting the new book at Gamehole. I am unsure why they pulled out of Gen Con but it's still great to see the team twice a year and catch up with them.
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tomes
Supporter
Hello madness
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Currently Running: Dungeon World, hippie games, Fallout Shelter RPG hack
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Post by tomes on Aug 25, 2017 10:13:53 GMT -8
My understanding is the bulk of the Wizards stuff is going to Hasbro's con. Which is a shame - the old TSR/WotC castles used to be phenomenal. Wow. Every once in a while I think, "Oh, D&D is coming back. 5E is doing gangbusters, and pathfinder will be falling soon." And then things like this happen, and I remember that companies can be stupid.
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Post by ayslyn on Aug 25, 2017 11:06:30 GMT -8
My understanding is the bulk of the Wizards stuff is going to Hasbro's con. Which is a shame - the old TSR/WotC castles used to be phenomenal. Wow. Every once in a while I think, "Oh, D&D is coming back. 5E is doing gangbusters, and pathfinder will be falling soon." And then things like this happen, and I remember that companies can be stupid. 5e is the most played game on Roll20 by a large margin. 5e is doing just fine.
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Post by Monkeyfun Dave on Aug 25, 2017 15:58:12 GMT -8
It says a lot that the logo of Dungeons and Dragons rests *below* Mr. Potato Head.
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