D&D 6e

I've written about this before, but I was reading an interview with Monte Cook that not only brought it to mind again but also confirmed some of my worst suspicions about editions of D&D under WoTC. The article was lamenting the early and in their opinion unnecessary release of 3.5.

What Monte says is that 3.5 was released way too early. He says 3.5 was scheduled to be released in 2005. And that is when it hit me. 2005?! That was only 5 years after D&D 3e! And they were already planning on releasing a new edition. The interview also says that the basic model follows a thought that once they release all of the core books and available splat books, it's time for a new edition. They didn't follow this model with 3e and they assume, it is because they didn't want to revise everything in the planned 3.5 release.

Now I know that some of this interview can be ascribed to bitterness on the part of Monte, that his edition wasn't given a fair shake. That the new edition was released too soon. But even so the official plans were a max run of 5 years! Which means right from the start there was a five year business model for producing D&D editions.

So check it out:

2000: D&D 3e
2003: D&D 3.5
2005: scheduled release of 3.5
2007: D&D 4e is announced
2008: D&D 4e (Note that this is 5 years after 3.5)
2010: D&D Essentials is released
2012: D&D Next is announced
2013: D&D Next due at at GenCon (5 years after 4e)

Which means that D&D 6e is due out in 2018. and if I want to be really prophetic I would say that some major modification to 5e is due out about 2015/2016.

Yeah, you know I really don't care what they are saying about this will be the edition to unite all editions either. When asked directly if this would spell an end to edition making Mike Mearls really refused to answer directly. 6e will be out by 2018. You can bet money on it. And if you are gonna play D&D you will be paying that money directly to WoTC.

You may ask why I'm choosing to bring this up. I mean I've written similar rants before and this is pretty much common knowledge. Well, let me tell you. 5e is just a little bit alluring to me. It looks, well, somewhat interesting. And I'm just gullible enough to buy some of the rhetoric involved in this new edition. But even if it is a decent new game, and it will be a new game regardless of the rhetoric, I don't relish the idea of buying into a game that is only planning on being supported for a max of five years. Sorry Wizards of the Coast, that business model just lost me.

Advanced Hackmaster Players Handbook

I finally laid down the greenbacks for this puppy. And man, even the PDF is a work of art. I can't wait to get my hardcopy. But reading this has even made my reperusals of the AD&D books take a back seat for awhile. I will take the time to do a play by play occasionally--I'm not really a very good review writer, but I'll do my best.

What I want to say right now is WOW! Holy freakin', wet my pants WOW!! This is the best rpg book I've read in I don't know when. No, this is the best freakin' BOOK I've read in I don't know when. Why don't I play this game again? What is wrong with me?

I've gotten through the race section and into classes and am realizing why I love Hackmaster so much, every time I read it. It reads almost exactly like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons but more fun to read, and more detailed than the 1e books were. It has the old school flavor of my gaming style down pat, and that familiar feel I am so much in love with.

Just a few highlights, beyond those I've mentioned in the past, which are well preserved here (the ethos, the tone, the zero to hero scope, etc):

I love the racial descriptions. The Grel stood out to me in particular as I was least familiar with them. I hadn't recalled them standing out so much for me in HM 4. But their description as a sort of warmongering-psycho-wild elf type was absolutely engrossing in the new book. The Grel purpose due to their background and history in relation to the other elven races truly came to life for me. I would love to game with this race in my world. If I have a player brave enough that is. I also love the HM take on Drow, which is much more apropos (imo) of the role they played in the elf wars. And if you think about it much more serial killer in mentality. The tortured, reclusive, misunderstood types that turn to the shadows, and torturing small animals to feel good about themselves. Much more drowlike in my opinion.

And I'm thrilled to see that Gnome Titans and Pixies made it into the core book (though pixies are in the appendix). These were two HM staples I didn't want to see left out. just strange enough, just over the top enough to suit my gaming style and carry that HM tone home.

I also love the idea of having Knights and Paladins specialized classes that can only be taken by higher level fighters after proving themselves worthy. This concept (I wonder) was borrowed from the 1e UA Cavalier types that had to stat at up to negative third level before they hit first. This made so much more sense to me--even though in the UA it was mainly tied to social class--than just giving a first level PC all that power. And it keeps these classes special. So few will get to these heights, that when and if they do it will really mean something. I mean by the time a PC is a Pally, he is some butt kicking kind of awesome. Though he might be a bit of a pain with all that massive honor, prestige, and strict code of conduct strapped on tighter than his armor. But this, I say was a brilliant move.

Lastly, and more generally, I have to say how much I truly feel at home with this book. I mean it has become very much its own game, Hackmaster. It did that really in the the original game, and in large part due to the flavor it took on through the pages of KODT. There always being an interchange of rules, inspiration and game development back and forth between the game and the magazine. And as pointed out in the history of the game, Advanced Hackmaster came about not only due to the expiry of the license, but also because the game had grown to need it's own expression of rules. The AD&D framework was just a bit unwieldy for what HM had become.

When I first read this, I'll admit to feeling a bit disappointed. I mean one of the reasons KODT and HM were always so awesome, was because they were based on AD&D. But even AD&D didn't quite capture the essence that was the HM world. HM had begun to symbolize and embody a certain style of play, certain assumptions about what was right and wrong with gaming, what was good and bad in the RPG world. And it made a bold stand and statement based on a view of old school principles. Hard hitting, no holds barred real life or death gaming. Balls to the wall, riding the edge, and laughing maniacally all the while. That was gaming in the HM multiverse. Now, admittedly it was not the only way to game. And AD&D could certainly be played in lots of other ways. And some might argue that AD&D wasn't the perfect tool for this expression anymore. Hence the rewrite of HM.

But you know what, HM feels like home to me. Feels like home almost more than AD&D does. HM has always captured a certain feel of gaming that I was always very much at home with. It was the way I gamed. So even though HM has broken some new ground in rule development, especially with their fast paced, gritty and realistic combat system (the biggest stumbling block for some people) it suits that style of gaming better than anything has yet done. And yet, it still is very true to its old AD&D roots, with the assumptions of the game built into the spirit of that game by the founders themselves.

It's just a damn good book. And it looks like a damn good game.

I've been bemoaning my fate lately of not having players to play with. And with a recent promotion possible at work it looks like I may not even have my school club anymore. It was time to take action. My gaming possibilities were slipping away from me. So just yesterday I started to gather some guys together outside of my school club to start playing a long term game in our neighborhood again. Some are teenagers, but two are adults (father and uncle of some of the teens). I'm very interested in playtesting HM, to get our feet wet, and see how the combat system really runs. It's the one thing that is newest about the game and so requires some getting used to.

Yeah, we could play AD&D or Castles and Crusades or even give 5e a whirl. But for how long now have I been ogling Hackmaster. Every time I read a HM book new or old, read my KODT issues, or get on the KCo site I'm wanting to play HM so bad I can taste it. So that is where we'll start.

I'm a D&D Bum

You ever heard of a surf bum? You know, the guys who will hang around the beach, or travel from beach to beach just to get the chance to surf? Yeah, well that's me, only I hang around whoever owns or plays D&D just to get a little fix of anything related to D&D. I may not like the waves, I may complain about the weather or the bad fish tacos, but I'll be where the waves are.




And who'm I really kidding? I'm a D&D Bum. I've bought as many game systems as just about anybody I know. I really like some of them too. Consider switching to them. But when it comes right down to it--I play D&D. In any guise, in any flavor. I tried staying away from the WoTC D&D boards, which lasted all of about a half a day. I don't always like what I see there, but I gotta get my D&D fix. I've complained from time to time about WoTC flashy new glossy art style, but who'm I kidding? I grew up on Vallejo and Rowena--and their about as glossy as it gets in fantasy art. I love seeing the Drow art that the Wizards site is sporting right now. In fact I really love the Forgotten Realms storyline that they are running  right now for D&D Encounters. And for Salvatore's new book line I might add.

I recently went to Deseret Industries (That's like Goodwill in Utah) and scored over 100 TSR and Wizard's fantasy novels for a 1.50 a piece! I bought them ALL! And I mean ALL!. Our FLGS here in town rarely carries RPG gaming stuff, they're mostly boardgames, models and Magic Cards, but anytime they get old D&D stuff I don't yet have, I snatch it up. What can I say, I'm a D&D bum, a D&D whore if you will. I'll take it anyway I can get it.

Yeah, I get torqued that this edition doesn't do this as well as that edition did, and that WoTC changed this, or dropped that, or aren't bringing this back. But who'm I kidding? I'll take whatever they give me. It's just, well ... cool. It's what I do, it's a part of who I am, and nothing else seems to quite match up. I'm rereading my AD&D books right? Well, I happened to pul out me 2e books to make some rule comparisons between it and 1e and I'm reading along in the 2e PHB, and thinking, hey this is really cool. I like how they did this, and maybe I should recommend that they do this in 5e, and *URP!* What? I can't like this!! It's 2e!

Whom' I kidding? I'm a D&D bum.

I love horror--it's a vice of mine--especially Lovecraftian stuff, but horror of any flavor will do in a pinch. And so I'm reading my 3e book on D&D Horror, and it rocks! I mean absolutely Rocks!! Yeah, I like horror, and it's an easy sell for me, but really has there been any book that was better than this in the D&D canon? Maybe as good--but it's quickly becoming one of my D&D faves. And why?! It's 3e!! I can't like that!

Who'm I kidding? I'm a D&D Bum.

Sell it to me in any flavor, and I'll probably play it. I've played 1e, 2e, 3.5, 4e and am probably going to end up playing 5e too. Nothing else has ever stuck with me. I'm a D&D Bum. And hey, have you ever seen the life of a surf bum? Not a bad gig really. Sit around the beach all day sipping Mai Tai's, soaking up the rays, cool ocean breeze, waiting for a good wave, chicks in bikinis everywhere. Yeah, I could dig that. (As long as my wife is there ; - )) --obligatory spousal admission--

D&D--same thing.

Dungeons & Dragons Rawks. Pass the Mai Tai, uh I mean the dice ...