Speaking as a huge fan of WFRP 2:ed but also as a big fan of Descent AND D&D 4:ed...

I have learned to live with the dice system in Descent... mainly because its a BOARD GAME and that these dice actually contain more information than a regular D6. After all, Descent is a role playing simulation.

The dice we've seen in this preview looks REALLY tacky!

I've played childish dungeon hacks like Heroquest and D&D the board game... and the mere thought that these type of dice would the the driving engine of my once favorite role playing game would cost me sanity points. (OK I'm still in denial here)

And still what scares me most is the advance scheme seen on the Troll-slayer card... it does NOT look like an interesting and flexible game system. I got a sinking feeling that this is the type of game that tells "sure its a role playing game, you can play whatever you want... as long you play one of these 3 characters we made for you".

Gnutten said:

I think the career cards don't look much different from the careers in WFRP 2. If you look close enough you will see that the troll slayer has the same number of skills as in 2nd edition and the skills seem broader. If you don't believe me then see page 58 in the 2nd edition core rulebook. As for the dice it seems like a pretty good machanic. It's simple and effective.

Well I just don't see where the "unparalleled story-telling option" is coming from these dice....

I'll go and talk to the inn keeper! Roll the social interaction die!

1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6:

Bugger, I rolled the ... guess I wont get a discount this time...

Well I'll teach him a lesson! Give me the bar fighting die! Hmm.... I rolled the two dots... does that mean I kicked him in the nuts?

Looks to me like the game is some form of dice-pool, success-based system. Two hammers (successes) does this, three does this. Nothing that can't easily be replicated using typical dice. 7s and 8s could be hammers on a regular old d8 for example.

However, as for the look of the dice, yes they're pretty plane. They could certainly have spiced them up a bit.

Gnutten thats hilarious

TookyG said:

I like plain opaque dice, but I do think these look plain. Mostly it's the choice of colors, which might not be how they look in the finished product.

Heh, it would be funny to see if FFG will license Chessex to reproduce these dice...

As far as the dice are concerned, issues of piracy apart, I'd say that the one thing that the rpg community really needs is to look even more like a wierdo hermetic sect.

Chernobyl said:

Assuming Chessex or anyone else would need a license to make dice usable with the system. If they want to knock them off in identical form, that might be an issue (though maybe not), but if they wanted to make dice with other icons on them that would be just as useful with the game, they wouldn't need a license to do it.

Aldred Fellblade said:

Easily my favorite comment so far. : )

On the other hand, I remember being fascinated by the platonic menagerie of D&D dice when I was a little kid. The weird hermeticism appealed to me then, even though it doesn't now. Being as they're trying to attract new players, maybe they're on the right track. Who knows? The hobby always needs new blood.

Our generation of RPG's grew out of the language of tabletop strategy games. Perhaps this next generation will need its own language of RPG's, perhaps formed from the idioms of MMORPG's, ironically. I think their redsesign is built to appeal to the WoW generation, who are daunted by things like percentage dice and record-keeping.

The changes may. ultimately, prove to be merely cosmetic. Maybe it will be good for business.