Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition : First Impressions

So, its finally here. Having had a few nights to flick through the new Players Handbook and digest what I've come across (as well as make up a few characters, some new, some rewrites of old favourites), here are my first impressions...

After the unmitigated catastrophe that was D&D 4th Edition (in my not so humble opinion anyway) I can safely say that expectations were... low. Now, don't get me wrong, 4th Edition had some good ideas, but it also had a lot of bad ones too, and it just didn't FEEL like D&D. It felt (and played) more like a boardgame, or a tabletop version of World of Warcraft than an actual RPG. Needless to say a large number of players, myself included, either stuck with D&D 3.5 or moved on to Pathfinder rather than switch to what they saw as the "kiddy" version of their game.

Can 5th Edition win me back? Well, the answer to that question is a resounding... maybe! Here we go...

The Fluff :

I don't have much to say about the background at the moment, mostly because there isn't much of it in the book. Which you'd expect really, it's a rulebook, not a campaign setting. That said I've got to say that it feels good to get back to The Forgotten Realms, to Greyhawk, to Dragonlance, even to the relative newcomer of the group Eberron. I've a lot of fondness for these worlds (the first three mainly, but I do quite like Eberron) and it pleases me that all three of them are mentioned in the players handbook, along with lists of deities and short extracts from published novels set in Toril, Krynn etc.

Having all the settings unified by a single set of rules right from the start is a great way to not only unify the settings and establish a core set of rules across the board but also to titillate geeks like me who love crossovers and the like. Come on Wizards, you KNOW you want to start republishing Spelljammer...

Seriously, do it. I will buy and play the SHIT out of it if you do.

That said I do have one or two little niggles, the main one being the art. Some of the art in the book is absolutely wonderful, some of it is absolute garbage. For example compare the illustration of the Sorcerer on page 99, which is excellent, to the race art for the Halfling on page 26, which is terrible. Wizards of the Coast really have no excuse for bad art considering some of the talent they have access to.

My other main niggle is entirely a personal one. Some of the characters depicted in the book are famous ones from novels and settings, for example the Character Creation example character is Bruenor Battlehammer of Dragonlance fame. The race art for the Elf? Drizzt Do Fucking Urden. Is it just me or should a sample character be representative of their race as a whole? Or at least the most common conceptions thereof? Bruenor is an archetypal dwarf, surly, proud, and fiercely loyal to his friends. Drizzt on the other hand is an anomaly, an aberration, a renegade and most definitely NOT a typical Drow, or even a typical Elf! Its not as if there weren't plenty of other Elves they could have used instead, Laurana Kanan for example?

Yes, this is an entirely personal and irrational quibble. I'm not going to apologise for it.

The Crunch :

Moving on... overall the rules of the game are considerably simplified, and strangely remind me strongly of 1st and 2nd edition D&D as much as they do the more recent editions. The main change to the core mechanics is that almost everything is based around Ability Score tests instead of Skill Checks, Saving Throws and BAB based Attack Rolls. For example, when caught by a Fireball instead of making a Reflex Saving Throw a character will instead make a Dexterity Saving Throw.

The other major change is to how exactly characters get better at these checks and tests. Instead of each class having a Base Attack Bonus, Saving Throws and Skill Points that increase at variable rates they instead have a list of Proficiencies and a Proficiency Bonus. These proficiencies can be Armour, Weapons, Skills, Saves or Tools, whilst the bonus increases at a set rate dependant on the characters overall level. These bonuses can either apply to checks or can be used to set the Difficulty Class for checks made by others.

Example 1 : When making an attack roll with a melee weapon a player rolls a good old D20, adds their characters Strength Bonus, and if said character is proficient with whatever weapon they're using, their Proficiency Bonus. If they aren't proficient, they simply roll 1D20 and add their strength bonus. A level 8 Fighter with a Strength Score of 18 would roll 1d20+7 (+3 Proficiency Bonus, +4 Strength Bonus).
Example 2 :  When casting a spell that allows a saving throw the Save DC is 8 plus the spellcasters Proficiency Bonus, plus the appropriate Ability Score Modifier. A level 15 Wizard with an Intelligence Score of 20 would have a Save DC of 18 (8 base, +5 Proficiency Bonus, +5 Intelligence Bonus).

I like this, its reminiscent of other Attribute based systems such as the various 40k Roleplay games. Its a robust and versatile way of dealing with the challenges thrown at a party, and lends itself to adaptation in the hands of a clever DM or players. There are numerous other changes to the rules of course, here are some of the main changes that have caught my eye...

• Advantages / Disadvantages : Instead of granting bonuses to checks or ability scores most spells and effects instead grant an Advantage or Disadvantage. Mechanically this allows a character to roll the D20 for a test twice, and take the highest result. For example the Enhance Ability spell (which replaces Bears Endurance, Bulls Strength etc.) grants an Advantage to checks based on one ability score for the duration of the spell.
  
• Ability Scores : Ability scores work the same way they do in 3.5/Pathfinder, with the interesting caveat they they're capped at 20 for player characters. Additionally all characters gain a +2 bonus to an ability score of their choice (or a +1 bonus to two different ability scores) every 4 levels, meaning that a character will cap out their most important ability scores pretty quickly.
• Class Archetypes : Each class has two or more Archetypes, chosen within the first few levels. In addition to Wizard Schools, Sorcerer Bloodlines and Cleric Domains Barbarians choose a Primal Path, Bards a College, Monks a Monastic Tradition and so on and so forth. This is a nice idea, and includes some very interesting options. For example a Fighter can choose from Champion (simply becoming a better combatant), Battlemaster (gaining access to special combat manoeuvres), or Eldritch Knight (augmenting their combat abilities with  limited spellcasting).
• Feats : Feats are both optional and highly limited. Instead of taking an Ability Score improvement a character may choose a feat instead, which though less numerous are also considerably more powerful, in some cases granting an Ability Score bonus in addition to the feats benefits. For example the Great Weapon Fighter feat essentially combines Power Attack and Cleave, allowing a character with it to make an extra attack after dropping a foe, and giving them the option to take a -5 penalty to an Attack Roll in exchange for a +10 bonus to their damage.
• Skills : Skills have been massively stripped out and simplified. Skill checks are simply based around a D20 roll plus the characters Ability Score and Proficiency bonuses. Rather than having an extensive section for each skill with its uses, bonuses and penalties each instead has a brief overview of what can be done with it. This is one of the things I'm worried about as it strips a lot of depth from the different skills. On a related note Craft skills no longer exist, instead characters can be proficient with a particular set of Tools, allowing them to craft items using them. Whilst I'm on the subject Characters do not have to increase in level to gain proficiency with a particular type of tool (or to learn a new language, instead they can simply spend some time and gold learning to use that particular set of tools or to speak that language. I really like this, and wish more systems allowed for advancement / proficiency independent of character level. 
• Resting :  4th Edition introduced the idea of using Long and Short rests to allow characters to recover their Hit Points and ability uses. 5th Edition continues this tradition with characters able to take a Short Rest (lasting an hour) or a Long Rest (lasting 8 hours) to regain hit points and regain their Spell Slots and ability uses, though the exact benefits of resting vary somewhat from class to class.
• Spellcasting : Spellcasting has changed dramatically. Each primary spellcasting classes spells per day have been greatly reduced, with characters no longer gaining additional spells per day based on high ability scores and even the mightiest magic users only having a single 9th level spell slot per day. To make up for this spells are generally more powerful, with Cantrips having been massively buffed and spells no longer having a caster level, instead if a character wants their spell to be more effective they use a higher level slot to cast it. For example the spell Firebolt is a 0 level cantrip that deals 1d10 damage on a successful Magic Attack Roll, increasing to 4d10 by 17th level. Meanwhile Fireball is a 3rd level spell that deals 8d6 fire damage, 9d6 if cast using a 4th level spell slot, 10d6 if cast using a 5th level spell slot and so on. Overall it seems that spellcasters will use their "per day" slots less often, with their cantrips allowing them to consistently contribute to the adventure even when their spell slots have been expended. I was also pleased to discover than no character class has to prepare their spells in advance any more. With even Clerics and Wizards instead selecting a number of Spells Known per day equal to their Character Level + their Spellcasting Ability Score and then using their spell slots in the same manner as a 3rd edition Sorcerer.

I could go on for some time outlining every single change to the rules, but I don't have the time or inclination. If what I've said so far interests you then I'd advise you to pick up the Players Handbook and give it a look for yourself, if nothing else its an interesting read.

Conclusion :

Overall the game has been simplified considerably, whilst still remaining a sufficient level of complexity to keep it interesting. The mechanics seem to have been streamlined with the intention of speeding gameplay, something I can wholeheartedly support considering how long combat can take in Pathfinder and the like, especially with newer or casual players who don't have the encyclopaedic rules knowledge of long time veterans. Versatility also seems to be the order of the day, with DM's and Players alike encouraged to play around with the rules a little more in interesting ways. Finally there also seems to be an overall drop in power overall for player characters, with there being far less disparity in ability between high and low level characters.

Overall its an interesting update to a 40 year old game, and one that's piqued my curiousity enough to get me to give it a whirl. I will however be withholding judgement until I've actually had a chance to play. Needless to say I'll be sharing my thoughts once I've done so.

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael

Deadzone : Review

So recently I've been playing Deadzone from Mantic Games. Though I picked up my copy of the special edition way back in...ohh...march I think, Ive only actually started playing it in the last two weeks, and overall Im slightly annoyed that I didn't give it a go earlier as its quite a lot of fun.

Overview :

Deadzone is a miniature skirmish game originally funded through Kickstarter and published by Mantic Games, known for their lines of affordable fantasy and science fiction models as well as the science fiction sports game Dreadball and board games such as Dwarf Kings Hold and Project Pandora. The game is notable for its use of a small (2ft by 2ft) half rubberised gaming mat alongside customisable clip together plastic buildings meant to represent prefabricated colony structures and the like. There's still a LOT to be released for this game, looking at the Kickstarter unlocks, but I've only had experience of the “Wave 1” releases so far. Lets crack on shall we?

The Fluff :

Deadzone shares the same science fiction setting as Mantics games Warpath, Dreadball and Project Pandora. This being a dystopian future where humanity is united under the rule of the monolithic Corporation and its overseeing Council of Seven, with alien races and colony worlds subjugated for their resources and technology by the Corporations overwhelming millitary and technological advantages. Alongside humanity a number of alien races are present, some of whom owe a fair chunk of their inspiration to existing franchises (namely the Forgefathers and Orx to Warhammer 40k's Squats and Orks, and The Plague to Halo's Flood and Dead Space's Necromorphs), though admittedly with their own interesting twists, whilst others are pretty darn original (such as the newly released Asterians and the various races allied with the Rebs).

More specifically the game is set in one of the eponymous “Deadzones”, planets or solar systems that the Corporation has temporarily (or permanently) taken off the grid and blockaded for whatever reason, be it an uprising, viral outbreak, alien incursion, whatever. Such Deadzones are enforced by the Enforcers, fanatically loyal elite infantry equipped with the best weapons and armour available to the Corporation's armed forces as well as their own starships, supply chains and so on and so forth. Other factions commonly found in the Deadzones are...

• The Orx Marauders, a race of Space Orcs who in contrast to their usual depictions in fiction are highly disciplined and well equipped mercenaries and opportunists, with more in common with Spelljammers Scro than Warhamer 40k's Orks. They're commonly employed to fight for the Corporation but also operate in independent forces when it suits them to do so.
• The Rebs, a ragtag alliance of human and alien rebels (in case the name didn't tip you off) against the rule of the Corporation and the Council of Seven.
• The Plague, a common cause for the creation of Deadzones. These dangerous and violent lifeforms are created by a multi stage infection caused by mysterious alien artifacts. Think Necromorphs, save that the weakest variants are still capable of using technology, like guns.... and spaceships... yeah...
• The Forgefathers, the Space Dwarf counterpart to the Marauders Space Orcs. A highly technologically advanced race who are one of the few nonhuman species not under the thumb of the Corporation, due both to their technology and their strong millitary forces.
• The Asterians, a mysterious race who's Deadzone forces are composed of cyborgs and remotely controlled robots. They are the glass cannon to the Forgefathers mighty glacier and according to the Kickstarter posts they are the only existing race who understand the origins of the Plague.

Whilst the setting has some interesting ideas and factions it's not especially detailed as of yet, something that Im very much hoping that Mantic rectify as the years go by. I for one think that theres a lot of room for them to expand and elaborate on what they've started, as well as there being the potential for numerous additional games set in the same universe. A ship combat game featuring Enforcer and Corporation warships enforcing Deadzone Blockades in the face of infected and ramshackle Plague vessels for example?

The Crunch :

The Deadzone boxed set comes with models for two of the above factions, the Enforcers and the Plague, both of whom I have now played. I'm planning to pick up some of the other factions in the future and will possibly do a faction by faction overview at some point, time permitting. Now, I'm not going to go into a detailed rundown of how the game works, if you're that interested then check out the Mantic website or see if any game shops nearby are running demo's. Instead I'll run through the mechanics that distinguish the game from its competitors and my thoughts thereupon.

The Deadzone battlefield is split into an eight by eight grid of cubes (the rulebook is careful to note that these are CUBES, not squares). These are used for determining the limits and effects of terrain as well as for all in game measurement, movement, shooting, area of effect weapons, etc. Each cube can contain a set number of models, with larger models taking up a greater number of model "slots" in each cube. This is an interesting mechanic, as well as making measurement much simpler (and eliminating pedantry over whether that model is within the requisite quarter of an inch or not) it also speeds gameplay considerably and ensures that the extent of all buildings, effects and so on are very clearly defined.

Dice rolls are resolved using a pool of three dice rolled against a target number, with each die that rolls that number or higher producing a success in a similar fashion to OWoD. Each models Shoot, Fight and Survive statistics determine the required target number, with lower being better, with special equipment, cover, injuries and the like adding additional dice to or removing dice from the pool. This is the first time I've seen this system used in a wargame and it works well, especially considering that the rulebook sections for each Action that requires dice to be rolled includes all the appropriate modifiers for that test in a single location. I cannot overstate how useful that is.

Now this is an interesting mechanic. Models have an "Aggression" state, ranging from Enraged to Suppressed, with them taking bonuses and penalties depending on which state they're in. Enraged models have their shooting penalised but their melee attacks augmented, Suppressed models benefit more from cover but suffer badly in melee, that kind of thing. Models Aggression states most commonly change due to being hit by a Blaze Away action (suppressive fire) which if successful causes them to drop towards Suppressed, or due to taking the Get Mean action which raises their aggression towards Enraged.

Deadzone uses an incredibly simple damage system. Models are unharmed, injured, or dead, thats all. There's no tracking of Wounds / Hit Points / Hull Points, no locational damage, nothing. Actually inflicting damage on a model can be surprisingly difficult at times, most models in the game seem pretty durable with concentrated fire being needed to ensure the target drops.

The game uses a slightly modified "Alternate Activation" system for turn progression, similar to Malifaux. However instead of players alternating models they may instead activate a set number of models at a time. The number of models activated being determined by their force leaders Command statistic, making these models especially important as if they are eliminated then the model with the next highest Command statistic takes over, to the almost certain detriment of your strike force.

Finally the game comes with a deck of Battle Cards, serving two purposes in game. Firstly each of the cards in the deck has two possible effects printed on it, such as granting additional movement actions, giving bonuses to dice rolls, or preventing an opponents model from activating for a round. Secondly the deck serves as a turn counter of sorts, with the game ending once one of the players battle decks has been exhausted. Importantly the number of cards each player draws per turn is determined by the Command statistic of their strike force leader, once again these models are particularly important... and equally valuable targets.

All of the above mechanics seem designed to ensure that the game moves quickly, that the rules and boundaries are clearly defined, and that the mechanics are easy to understand but retain sufficient complexity to keep the game sufficiently interesting to more experienced gamers. All very laudable in a skirmish game. Interesting mechanics aside however I've a few minor issues with the games manual and model stat cards. Namely that certain cards have rules on them that are not in the rulebook, notably the Enforcer Defender's Defender Shield. I understand that what's available so far is only the first wave, but still it wouldn't have taken any appreciable effort to make sure that all the rules for what's in your starter box are actually in the rulebook. Likewise some of the models who's stat cards are in the box aren't even available to purchase, such as the aforementioned Enforcer Defender as well as the Enforcer Medic. This is just... strange.

The Miniatures :

As already mentioned the Deadzone box comes with a pile of models for both the Enforcers and the Plague. As is the standard for Mantic these models, whilst not the highest quality available, are perfectly serviceable and with a bit of care look pretty darn good. The Enforcers have some excellent, dynamic poses as opposed to the standard “holding rifle across chest” stance far too common to firearm equipped models, whilst the Plage 1A and 2A models look suitably monstrous and dangerous, though the 3A's are rather...oddly proportioned with enormous chests and shoulders. The only real issues I have with the models are that they're not especially easy to assemble, requiring some filing to make sure the parts fit properly. Likewise they're made of plastic resin that doesnt take superglue as well as either normal model plastic or resin for some strange reason.

The clip together terrain is crisp, durable, looks good when properly assembled.... and is anything but clip together. Despite being touted as a modular terrain system that you can take apart and rebuild whenever you want the lack of sufficient connector parts as well as the slight inconsistencies in slot size make this impractical. I will instead be deciding on a specific set of terrain builds and gluing them together. That way I can paint them properly without worrying about inconstistencies when reassembled, as well as not having to concern myself with my buildings falling apart during a battle, as happened during my second game. I laud the idea, the execution however is sadly somewhat lacking.

Conclusion :

Overall Deadzone is a fun little skirmish game that you can play in an hour or less, the small mat and the clip together terrain make both game setup and packing away quick and easy, and its not so complicated as to be overwelming whilst simultaneously having enough depth to be interesting. If you've some cash spare and fancy trying out a new skirmish wargame then I heartily recommend it despite the handful of quality issues that I've mentioned over the course of this review. Issues that I hope Mantic will deal with in the future. Theres some good ideas here, fluffwise, crunchwise and modelwise.

Now, what colour scheme should I use for Enforcer Strike Force Thanatos 72/14/Omega, aka The Deadboys...

Until Next Time
Happy Gaming
Michael