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D&D 5e Dream Team

RetroRoleplaying Posted on by

A thread on RPGnet asks who your “dream team” of designers for D&D 5e would be. Here’s mine.

Gary Gygax
David Arneson
David Hargrave
Bob Bledsaw
Paul Jaquays
Frank Mentzer
Aaron Allston
David (Zeb) Cook
Lenard Lakofka
Monte Cook
John Sapienza
Lewis Pulsipher

Unfortunately, this team is impossible as the first four people on it are dead. However, I think they could make a great set of D&D rules. There are at least two names here (John Sapienza and Lewis Pulsipher) who will make many of the RPGnet folks scratch their heads and go “Who?”

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Lewis Pulsipher

It's the easiest thing in the world to call someone a hack when you've not exposed yourself to the same opportunities for criticism. Yes I'm guessing here, Gene, that you're one of those people who likes to criticize because it makes him feel "powerful", putting me in my "place" (that's a laugh). Congratulations, I hope you enjoy your petty fiefdom. Funny how so many people STILL tell me they fondly remember what I wrote, and funny how the magazines kept printing it as long as I wrote it. But you obviously know better. So if I'm a "hack", what does that make you?

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Randall

Gene: I think Lew's introductory D&D articles in White Dwarf were some of the best I've seen. I have potential players in my M74 campaign read a couple of them so they have a better understanding of the style of game I'm running.

Lew is on my dream team because D&D has usually done a poor job of introducing itself to new players and to helping new GMs get started. I figured Lew would be a big help in that department as well as adding a somewhat different POV to design discussions.

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Gene

I've played your alternatives, too, Lew. That is what I based my opinion on, actual play-testing. I stand by my assessment: your work is useless and you're a hack.

And I've been playing a very long time, since before your first article appeared in White Dwarf. Since I already own the entire WD collection you are correct that I'm not interested in buying material a second time that I found useless the first go round.

In the future, you might wish to stick to the facts rather than flat-out guessing.

Head on back over if you want to be put in your place a second time.

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Lewis Pulsipher

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Randall.

When I read drivel like Gene's comment, I try to remind myself that the Internet and Internet forums bring out people who haven't done anything themselves but like to criticize those who do. I played those alternatives, Gene, and I know lots of people have have (and some still do), maybe they were just unplayable for *you*.

Gene won't be interested, but I'm putting together a couple books of (mostly) reprints of my magazine articles that should be available in 2012 in electronic formats and POD. I also have a new book about game design coming out in 2012 from McFarland.

Lew Pulsipher (pulsiphergames.com)

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Robert

Ah, but the positions are as important as the players. Five centers—even if they’re great individually—aren’t going to be as good as a center, two guards, and two forwards. So, what role would each of these people play on this team?

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Todd

If you are putting on dead people what about Jesus cause he's got a huge fan base? Maybe Shakespeare or Machiavelli. Man stick with the live people.

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Snowgen

I disagree, and I'll show you why.

Gygax: After D&D, Gygax did AD&D. If that wasn't bad enough, he then went on to give us Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventures. None of these is what I'd want 5E to look like.

Arneson: After D&D Arenson (along with Richard Snider of Powers & Perils fame) gave us Adventures in Fantasy. Again, not what I want 5E to look like.

If Judge's Guild's "Universal System" is a hint what he thought RPGs should be played like, well, we can do without him on the team, too.

On the other hand, J. Eric Holmes did a great job on the "original 2nd edition" of D&D. He seemed to grok it, and I would love to see what the game would have looked like if TSR wasn't trying to kill it off for AD&D at the time. J. Eric Holmes should be on the 5E dream team.

After D&D, the second ever published RPG was Tunnels & Trolls by Ken St. Andre. The game is still in print, all these years later, with only minor changes. Ken St. Andre should be on the 5E dream team.

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Hamel™

This team is impossible because of the ego of each member, maybe. 😉

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The Bane

Hmmm, I suspect that, though I like your list, it will be more like:

Arenanet
Bethesda Softworks
Bioware
Blizzard Entertainment
Lionhead Studios

and the like, if I don't miss my guess. =(

TB

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Gene

Pulsipher was a hack who wrote rambling and baseless critiques of D&D and AD&D, along with unplayable and overly complicated alternatives to same. Strike him from the list.

Gygax, Arneson, Hargrave, Jaquays, and Barker are a good start.

With the exception of Pulsipher, as noted above, the rest of the list might have an item or two to contribute … so long as the bulk of the work are contributed by the "good start" list.

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Secular Transhumanist

There are at least two names here (John Sapienza and Lewis Pulsipher) who will make many of the RPGnet folks scratch their heads and go "Who?"

More's the pity.

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