Post by Tam on Aug 10, 2024 11:27:00 GMT -5
One more day! Make sure you throw on a pledge if you were meaning to!
The latest update post seems to be an attempt to address some of the uncertainty surrounding the backend of the game/game-making process. It looks like at the current moment the game does snap pretty tightly onto a DnD 5e scaffold, maybe a little more tightly than I was even anticipating if the sample backgrounds are anything to go by. That could have… pros and cons here, I think? On the one hand, a reskinned DnD game (admittedly interestingly reskinned) with some rule adjustments and extra mechanics built on top (admittedly interesting mechanics!) goes a little beyond inspiration and isn’t really the fresh all-new TTRPG that a lot of people might have thought this was gearing up to be. On the other hand, making heavy use of 5e’s mechanics for things like dice rolls, proficiencies, background features, etc. does probably make the tight timeline and limited playtest period more feasible. We’re sort of starting from a base whose crunchier components have already been playtested and balanced (well, as balanced as 5e is), and then laying the new mechanics (neggs, crafting, character fluidity) down on top and testing to see how well they play together.
I think I’m going to resolve to give as much benefit of the doubt here as I can, because I do trust this team and I do believe they want to make the best game possible, but I also think the key word here is “possible”. I think the extra mechanics and lovingly rendered Neopian flavour are the parts that are going to be the most fun anyway, so I can live with the backend being pretty well-trodden DnD territory if it means the team spends more of their energy developing lore and running playtests that focus on, say, crafting—something that doesn’t come up in basic 5e. I know today’s update emphasized that nothing is set in stone and that a lot can/will still change with backer suggestions and feedback, but honestly I don’t know if I really want to see any massive overhauls of the core mechanics at this point. Probably makes more sense to spend the remaining time decorating the cake in a fun and memorable way and just trust that everything under the icing will hold together well enough to support it.
The latest update post seems to be an attempt to address some of the uncertainty surrounding the backend of the game/game-making process. It looks like at the current moment the game does snap pretty tightly onto a DnD 5e scaffold, maybe a little more tightly than I was even anticipating if the sample backgrounds are anything to go by. That could have… pros and cons here, I think? On the one hand, a reskinned DnD game (admittedly interestingly reskinned) with some rule adjustments and extra mechanics built on top (admittedly interesting mechanics!) goes a little beyond inspiration and isn’t really the fresh all-new TTRPG that a lot of people might have thought this was gearing up to be. On the other hand, making heavy use of 5e’s mechanics for things like dice rolls, proficiencies, background features, etc. does probably make the tight timeline and limited playtest period more feasible. We’re sort of starting from a base whose crunchier components have already been playtested and balanced (well, as balanced as 5e is), and then laying the new mechanics (neggs, crafting, character fluidity) down on top and testing to see how well they play together.
I think I’m going to resolve to give as much benefit of the doubt here as I can, because I do trust this team and I do believe they want to make the best game possible, but I also think the key word here is “possible”. I think the extra mechanics and lovingly rendered Neopian flavour are the parts that are going to be the most fun anyway, so I can live with the backend being pretty well-trodden DnD territory if it means the team spends more of their energy developing lore and running playtests that focus on, say, crafting—something that doesn’t come up in basic 5e. I know today’s update emphasized that nothing is set in stone and that a lot can/will still change with backer suggestions and feedback, but honestly I don’t know if I really want to see any massive overhauls of the core mechanics at this point. Probably makes more sense to spend the remaining time decorating the cake in a fun and memorable way and just trust that everything under the icing will hold together well enough to support it.