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 Orlanth wrote:
Slaad can reproduce very easily in 5th and require 9th level spell slots to block.

I actually used this as a main plot back in 3.5 I think it was. Nothing like coming up on a village and finding everyone stuck to walls with their chests exploded from the inside.

Good times. Good times.

Heh heh heh. Have to admit that I had roughly the same thought when I read what Orlanth posted "Oooh, high level campaign adventure seed!"

The main criticism I have seen about the MM is that WotC missed the chance to reinvent the format. Not only is that a tall order but I think it misses the point of 5E, which is IMO to capture D&D in an iconic and accessible form. So the MM remains a list of monsters, which admittedly is not exciting to veteran players. But for new players, it has all the charm necessary to whisk the reader off into a fantastical ecology.

Huh? That's an odd expectation. I think it does what it's supposed to do very well- it is a fantasy bestiary.

Though, I am as noted right in the target market for fantasy bestiaries, since I enjoy reading them as an activity in itself.

Agreed with you on that front, for sure.

The DM's guide is going to take me a longer time to review but I am thinking about it. I think it needs to be reviewed from two perspectives because it's going to differ pretty massively depending on your level of experience as a GM.

It makes more sense once you consider that the criticism came from the "veteran" perspective. I think a lot of vets really got carried away by the PHB. As an OSR guy, I was really struck by the number of Basic fans who were ready to give up the Rules Cyclopedia for 5E. (Maybe I am just contrarian but my early reaction to this was skepticism. And I still think the bones of 5E are from 3.X and 4E.) From that position, there was a huge expectation for something just as fresh and exciting from the MM. But then it turned out to be just another MM. I have been in turn criticized for defending it as serviceable for everyone and especially attractive to new players.

 Da Boss wrote:
Heh heh heh. Have to admit that I had roughly the same thought when I read what Orlanth posted "Oooh, high level campaign adventure seed!"

Trouble is you get ONE 9th level spell slot, which cures one person. However slaad can assimilater someone with every attack. Admittedly this is a delayed effect, but if one slaad infests a village a high level party can do nothing about it, as each top level spellcaster can cure one person each per day. The resources just don't add up.

Essentially Slaad are now Carpenter's The Thing, and equally as unstoppable once they reach any population base.

Manchu: That does make sense, I mean, that OSR guys would react like that. There's a pile of awesome creativity and good ideas in the OSR, but also quite an unpleasant undercurrent of "Cater to my preferences! Play it the RIGHT way!" to it all sometimes as well.

At the end of the day, the basic monster manual does what it is supposed to and does it well. I would be disappointed in a radical departure from the formula because I kinda love the formula. It's as much part of dungeons and dragons as any other pillar.

Orlanth: Yeah, I have to admit I'm fascinated by the idea of the moral choice that entails. Because at that point, a high level party is actually better at obliterating the population centre than healing the infection.

I think I like this and am stealing it!

 Manchu wrote:

 Da Boss wrote:
Or to make the PDFs of their games available for purchase.

This one is simple. They want to sell print books. Like I mentioned to you in the other thread, Hasbro's strategy with 5E seems to be token market presence.

I've had a right-old time trying to find a shop in my area that has copies of the PHB.
The scrum that is Birmingham has a shop that might stock it (without an online store to say so). I avoid going there unless I have to.
All other stores near me are wargames only now, or only have piles of DMGs, no PHBs.

So, online versions are helping to kill off the BnM stores, which lead to the demand for more PDF types :(

The thing that made 4e so easy to play was the Insider character creator.
When is the official online stuff going to happen? Morningstar died messily, and I've not seen anything to replace it yet.
The fan-made char-gens have been shut down.

The game itself though, is pretty good.
We're avoiding multiclassing, with pure characters, and we've finished 2 campaigns, about to start the elemental one.
Releasing the PHB add-ons online is a great move. We all get a PHB, and download the pack for the campaign we are on.

Heh, I hear you on the availability of the books. I managed to get the PHB in Dublin in April, then last month I managed to find an english copy of the DMG in the local comic shop.

Took me til last week to finally track down an english monster manual, and I had to go to my fiancee's place 300Km away and then get another train to a town practically in France!

Running an intro game for the kids in my school is going really very well. We get 80 minutes to play on a Tuesday between a boardgames period and lunch break, and we've managed to cover a fair bit of ground- the lads are level 3 already and absolutely loving it. When the Rogue and the Fighter found out they could also get spellcasting they were ecstatic, and the Ranger is super excited at the prospect of a wolf-pet. I'm sure the Wizard and Cleric are going to be happy with level 2 spells.

Really impressed with the kids though- piles of creativity and non-linear thinking coming every time without much prompting from me, and once they realised they can avoid fights they always try to negotiate or trick enemies. They fast-talked round a dopey hill giant today, and then the rogue snuck back when he was asleep and stole his bag and the goodies inside. They were chuffed.

Plot wise it's pretty simple so far, and I'm using minis (but no grid) to make it a bit more tactile for them, though I've explained that they're by no means needed for the game. I do not think this game would have run nearly as smoothly in any of the other editions I've played, unfortunately.

 Da Boss wrote:
but also quite an unpleasant undercurrent of "Cater to my preferences! Play it the RIGHT way!" to it all sometimes as well

That's certainly true; although the severity of OSR fanaticism is in direct proportion to 3.X entrenchment.

 Skinnereal wrote:
The scrum that is Birmingham has a shop that might stock it (without an online store to say so). I avoid going there unless I have to.

Here in the States, finding a copy of the PHB at national chain book store is a sure thing. Same goes for the Pathfinder core rules.

The Hackmaster 5E MM has an interesting format and style for veteran players to peruse. Of course it also has flying tarantulas which is a big nope.

Nope nope nope.

Yes, it's a proper bestiary. I have had the opportunity to peruse a friend's copy.