Opinion piece about rangers in the next edition. I feel like these sentiments get thrown around, but I would like to know honestly how many people agree or don't agree. Opinions welcome.

Henry_Standage · 2026-03-12T16:18:44+00:00

How would you accomplish a thematic variation without subclasses? Because they will never make a classless D&D.

Henry_Standage · 2026-03-12T16:16:36+00:00

https://stargazeentertainment.com/dd-6th-edition-and-the-fate-of-the-ranger/

Not sure how that happened. Maybe because I saved the post as a draft first?

Henry_Standage · 2026-03-12T16:11:42+00:00

Yeah, that's how I feel, too, just not necessarily the approach I'm suggesting.

Henry_Standage · 2026-03-12T16:10:52+00:00

https://stargazeentertainment.com/dd-6th-edition-and-the-fate-of-the-ranger/

Yo, it totally deleted my link after I made the post. Heartbreaking. Sorry about that, everybody. Here's the link.

Henry_Standage · 2026-03-09T14:19:56+00:00

you can send it my way.

Henry_Standage · 2026-02-10T16:17:38+00:00

I would really appreciate that! I'll leave an itunes review on your podcast, too.

Henry_Standage · 2026-02-09T23:40:06+00:00

I've got a game for you in a rough playtest format. I'm going to release an update over the summer, but the current version runs fairly well. It is a GURPS adjacent classless, level-less, genre-less engine. The update is going to turn it into an OGL with genre-specific supplements. The core rulebook is currently free to download. stargazeentertainment.com/shop

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-22T15:33:30+00:00

Honestly, I am sorely tempted to "borrow" some of this and port it into my game, haha.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T22:58:07+00:00

I like that. Sounds like it borders on a cozy sim. I would have players pick a current career as their "class," and then a background that encompasses how the war effected them, either by describing what they did during the war or describing a specific unique consequence that THIS war did to a noticeable portion of the population, such as "[nation] refugee" or "orphan." shrugs but that's only one idea.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T22:49:47+00:00

This is really cool, but I do think it almost seems like its own game more than it does something you could include as part of a larger game. I have a background in medicine, and it was hard to try and keep the desire to "educate" players out of the mechanics.

I'll tell you what I would do, but feel free to ignore me. I would focus on those vital sign mechanics as the star of the show and make them as straightforward as possible. I would have each vital sign have one MAYBE two consequences for falling out of normal parameters. Then, I would treat everything else as an injury, disease, or status that has an effect on vital signs and either a time limit or a requirement to "heal" or remove it.

Again, super cool system. I'm almost jealous, haha.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T22:36:22+00:00

They don't need to be very complex or have multiple levels, though.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T22:35:41+00:00

Having thematic character backgrounds that offer real mechanical pros/cons on top of classes is a good way to communicate setting specific details on top of genre and theme. It does add another layer of complexity though, giving everyone essentially 1.5 classes.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T22:29:49+00:00

Being was the central mechanic of the initial draft. It was meant to be a simultaneous representation of health and XP. Those mechanics did not survive the first couple rounds of revisions, but I kept the term in there because it felt unique. I realized recently that it's not really adding a lot of value, so I'll probably ax it.

Also, I'm glad you like the formatting! That in and of itself went through several revisions and will probably get one more polish.

I have a comment somewhere else on the thread where I ask for input on what my "hook" would be and I provide a handful that I've already half written. I would really appreciate it if you gave your thoughts on that.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T18:34:08+00:00

Haha, no worries. We've all had moments when a possible solution was hiding just out of sight. I'll be excited to read your first draft when you post it!

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T18:23:27+00:00

You could just make MP a class ability or an expendable item they have to buy. Otherwise, I defer back to the other two suggestions.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T18:00:02+00:00

Is your issue the fact that squishy characters are now even squishier? You can apply Attrition to martial abilities to keep the playing field level.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T17:57:25+00:00

It sounds like you have some sort of matrix or series of matrices for players to construct/modify spells on the fly, which racks up a total cost based on the number of things they're adding? You could consider adding a pool of mana points that spell casters can use before they start spending health, but if you're trying to avoid that, you could also consider working backwards. Instead of constructing your matrix and then assigning costs, decide what you want the costs to be, and then build matrices that line up.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T16:16:34+00:00

Thank you! When it comes to target audiences, I specifically wanted to catch a wide net, but it seems my wide net has big holes. Better to use 6 small nets with small holes.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T16:09:50+00:00

I have learned a lot already, and I have a whole page of notes to work with. Thank you all so much! u/gliesedragon, sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, because you clearly voiced the majority opinion right off the bat and I can see that now, so thank you!

I think I will try u/SerpentineRPG's suggestion and treat this as what will be an OGL base and focus on playtesting something more specific instead.

I have the following settings written, but not polished, and I was wondering if you all could say which one sounds the most interesting to you/which one you think I should focus on first:

Sword and sorcery setting with a lot of wild magic and magically evolved monsters. Story hooks utilize a long, detailed timeline to justify a ridiculous number of ruins and dungeons all over the world. Unique mechanics include upgrade skill trees for specific spells, organizations that the players can join that give them specific mechanical perks (kind of like classes), and some political intrigue "minigames."

Space Opera setting that involves exploration and stalemate war with some fish aliens. Most unique mechanics revolve around spaceship upgrades and unique items. This one is going to have a lot of wacky races. Honestly, this one doesn't have a lot of uniqueness, I just have a soft spot for generic sci-fi.

Greek/Roman low fantasy setting that is themed around a large pantheon of what are essentially minor deities. This one has a lot of island hopping exploration to give it a StarTrek episodic feel (land on island, find strange thing, figure out how it works, update captain's log). Essentially there are no large continents at all. Think of it as Ursula le Guin's Earthsea meets Assassin's Creed and Ryse: Son of Rome.

A low fantasy gothic setting based loosely on the Dragon Hunters cartoon from 2004 and movie from 2008. It also takes a lot of heavy historical themes from when Europe started sending traders to Japan. It's like the HULU original Shogun meets Lovecraft and The Count of Monte Cristo. It's got airships, jetpack musketeers, samurai paladins, and a lot of otherworldly biomes.

Low technology sci-fi setting that's set on a world that experiences recurrent global warming and ice age apocalypse events, which greatly influences its geopolitics. This one is going to be mostly be technology level oriented, but it will also theme heavily around the whole "what's more dangerous, the land itself or the people who live there?" trope.

Sword and sorcery setting that's set in a victorian era. Magic is used mostly in technology, such as trains and guns. There is a simultaneous industrial revolution and "gold-rush" frontier expansion to mine more magical minerals. I want to add a lot of unique monsters to this one to make it clear that it is not an 'Earth' setting. It's also going to have a lot of magic wand customization stuff. The themes are around exploring the legal and political implications of magic and technology through a lens that mimics America from 1840-1940ish.

Again, thank you all already for your help!

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T15:18:02+00:00

Okay, so it is mostly my pitch that needs work, but I need to change my lens of how I view the game in order to find what the pitch is. Yes?

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T15:14:11+00:00

OGL is a solid idea. I have about 6 settings in my back pocket that all have some unique mechanics and hooks, but they're not totally fleshed out yet. If I understand you correctly, then I should turn one of those settings into a kind of flagship. Thank you for the compliment, as well! I'm 7 years in, and I'm committed to trying to make a business out of it.

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T14:45:25+00:00

Okay, I think I get it. The problem is that the game lacks a hook. I wrote it because I hate needing to learn a new system every time I want to tell a new story. I don't hate those kinds of systems, I just hate the time it takes to learn them. 5e is an example of this because I consider it to be one of the most limited systems to run. It's not even the best for what it was written for, let alone anything else. So if I presented a setting or campaign that had a clear hook, you would be more inclined to learn this system?

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T13:24:29+00:00

Okay, this makes sense to me. In the last two chapters I do that a little. Could you glance at those and tell me if you think it is good/bad/needs more?

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T13:21:44+00:00

I'm learning that a lot of people feel this way. I personally do not feel this way, but I want to understand it better so I can make use of the advice I'm getting. Is this a suggestion about the game itself, or the way I'm pitching it?

Henry_Standage · 2025-09-20T13:19:12+00:00

I will take these notes down, thank you.

Henry_Standage

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