D&D Next

Well, I just spent the last two weeks moving into a new apartment. I still have to run around places and update my new address (hooray for cell phones meaning I don't have to change my number!), and the place will be quite a mess until things are unpacked and organised.

Oh, and we're going to get two adorable savannah kittens that are only 4 months old next week. Savannah cats have a high propensity to be non-allergenic (by using slightly different proteins) and to like water. One of the kittens already loves to hop in the shower, and we'll make sure the other one also likes water, so we can regularly bath them to further cut down on allergens left everywhere. As people might wonder, I am allergic to cats (luckily not severely, but still), as is one of my mates, so that is part of what directed us to look for this breed in particular.

What does all of the above have to do with D&D Next? Absolutely nothing! But I figured I'd throw in a status update anyways.

I just recently (like two days ago) signed up for the Dungeons & Dragons Next playtest. I found I wanted to know more about the next edition, and my poking around the intarwebs led me to conclude that the best way to find out was to join the open playtesting for it.

Now, I can't reveal any mechanics or whatnot because of the non-disclosure agreement I accepted in order to get a hold of the stuff, but I can still put forth my opinion on what I think of it in general terms. So far I have been liking what I see, to the point that I want to run some adventures in it to get a good feel of the mechanics in action. I never got that with 4th edition, as it read almost like a tabletop rip-off of World of Warcraft. 

I also find that the blending of all previous editions they're doing is actually working out really well, which is of great relief as I was pretty sure it would be a total flop and be overly bulky and easily exploitable. Oh how glad I am to be proven wrong on that. I've noticed elements that bring me back to when I started with AD&D 2nd edition, familiarity and customisability from 3.0/3.5, and even some elements from 4th that, while I feel like it throws in more power-gaming, actually seems to work fine worked into the flavour and style of previous editions.

From what I have seen there also seems to be a better balance in some of the abilities in contrast to level, which makes it a more comprehensible world for me. There's also more balance between the classes at similar levels, so gone are the days when physical fighters rule at low levels while casters become demigods later on.

There's also a more open ended feel to it, and encouragement to let the story take precedence over the rules scattered throughout. I love this as it helps to discourage rules lawyering, and makes it so that you don't have to listen to the dice gods when they are in opposition of what makes sense.

The only criticism I currently have about it is this: I want more! I want more options, more material, more stuff to work from to build my own fleshed out adventures and campaigns with the rules. I suppose I'll just have to settle with what is available right now, and ensure that I give feedback to help the process along (even if only a really, teeny tiny bit).