Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition

OK, Reading - I've done a LOT of Reading of late (and not just the Historical Research of I've been doing recently either).

I was re-reading my AD&D books last night, looking to planning some new games and I've come to a conclusion - I really REALLY don't think I am ever actually going to "buy into" D&D Next.

Don't get me wrong, for the most part I've really enjoyed what I've seen . . . . .

BUT (there's always a big BUT in these sort of Blog Posts don't you think) I adore AD&D 1st Ed to an almost irrational degree, and as a consequence I am more than happy with the way it plays/runs/feels.

I am actually in love with running AD&D (call me sad if you want, tbh I don't give a crap) - and (naturally) my players are happy when I'm happy (well, happy when they don't screw up during a Dungeon LoL).

So - nope, I'm not going to change ever I don't think. I'll still run Castles & Crusades - its a brilliant game, perfect for newbies and those who prefer a "rules lite" RPG experience. But my Heart will ALWAYS belong to AD&D 1st Edition.

This isn't just borne out of growing suspicions over D&D next (HOWEVER after reading and re-reading it there's actually a lot of 4E "badness" in the document that has (unfortunately) simply been re-tooled and/or re-named, but if you read it again and pay close enough attention to the wording (I.E. the way these rules work) these "things" are still in there (a Bonus of 1,000 XP to those people who've spotted them too).

D&D Next Playtest

As I agreed to Wizards NDA I cannot give specifics regarding the most recent D&D Next playtest notes - but an NDA doesn't cover my "feelings" about what I've seen so far.

So, without "letting the Cat out of the Bag" here goes -

All in all, I've been left feeling quite optimistic.

So far I am pretty impressed with what I see. Everyone who knows me is aware I wasn't the biggest fan of 3.X in the world - and even though it's SIMILAR in places, but also a lot more in depth and less arbitrary that 3.X was.

I was also really quite impressed at how little of 4E is present within this playtest "sample" - and the whole feel of the way it's presented is very much like a "Classic" Fantasy Roleplaying Game.

There are advantages and disadvantages to everything I've read so far (including one would imagine character generation - though there are only pre-created character examples) but I've tried to focus on the best aspects of what I have read so far.

Although I am still not 100% convinced, it was quite a pleasant surprise!

It Doesn't Bode Well . . . . .

It's not looking good for D&D Next, Monte Cook has "jumped ship" for personal (and undisclosed) reasons - that he has "differences" with the Powers That Be over at Wizbro!

Last week I decided that I would leave my contract position with Wizards of the Coast. I am no longer working on Dungeons & Dragons, although I may provide occasional consultation in the future. My decision is one based on differences of opinion with the company. However, I want to take this time to stress that my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell. I enjoyed every moment of working with them over the past year. I have faith that they'll create a fun game. I'm rooting for them.

Due to my non-disclosure agreement, as well as a desire to keep things on a professional level, I have no intention of going into further detail at this time. (Mostly, I just hate drama, and would rather talk about more interesting things.)

As for what I'll be turning to next, I hope you'll stay tuned. I plan on having an interesting announcement in that regard in the near future.

My faith in D&D Next is waning by the minute at the moment . . . . . . 

I think I know whats Wrong . . . .

I think I've figured out whats been wrong with more modern Edition of D&D. D&D was created and written by (pretty much) two people Arneson and Gygax. With Gary doing most of the writing and the pushing forward of the product.

When it came down to the Moldav Red Box set, the most popular version of BD&D was pretty much down to the efforts of one man.

Lets jump forward to 3rd/3.5 - with 3.X edition D&D - we have more Cooks (sorry Monte, no pun intended) - Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Even so, it's pretty much just a couple of men at its core.

4th (arrgh) Edition and D&D Next have a design TEAM - a Committee designing/planning things. For me (and a lot of people) D&D 4th was a disaster - to wishy washy (nice looking, but style emphasized at the expense of substance), no real peril for the players (a lot of Hit-Points at first level, Healing Surges etc), Players only have the illusion of Freedom (its Carrot and Donkey Roleplaying at its worst IMHO).

I ran a LOT of Games, even Did library visits - I really REALLY tried to like it. But at the end of the Day it's more product than passion - and that just turns me off.

A Great Game - of all kinds, Miniatures, RPG, Boardgame, or whatever - needs a strong hand at the helm, and needs to be the vision of one or two people. Doing things by endless committee never works (just look at the British and US Governments) - when will they ever learn.

D&D Next

Game Design by Committee is never very successful, I have a feeling I'm not going to like this at all . . . .