Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
Originally Posted by GM4Him
Yes. Larian can do whatever they want. Of course they CAN.
I just wanted to see you say it. :3

It honestly quite surprise me that you dont understand them ...
I mean you are writing fanfiction, dont you?
You could easily just copy whole passages from other stories and save lot of work ... instead you are creating your own plots and solutions (im guessing here, didnt read a single line honestly) ... why would you do that when you dont have to?

Maaaaaybe bcs you wanted to create your own story?
Maaaaaaybe bcs you wanted to have your own mark on it?
Maaaaaaaybe those things fits better your vision for the story?

Why is that so hard to imagine they simply feel the same about the game THEY are making? laugh

I have to raise my voice up at this point. Larian isn't making fanfiction. Fanfiction is by its nature a self-indulgent exercise. It's being put out for free and even if the writer is writing it for other people to look at, the fact that it's free creates a very different expectation. Larian is creating this game with the approval of WotC, creating a sequel to a beloved game franchise that's foundational to an entire genre. Of course they can and should put their own spin on it, especially since the prior game is decades old at this point. But just because they can do something doesn't mean that what they choose to do is the right move for the game. You're describing a lot of puzzle-like combat that these weapons allow players to opt-into. To that I ask; "is combat in this game meant to be a puzzle? Is that a good approach to designing combat in this game? Is the fact that they're prioritizing that approach at this point a sign they're going in the right direction?"

I'm always wary of people who talk about respecting an IP and/or its fans, but respecting and disrespecting are things that can happen. There's a line between "wanting to put your own spin on D&D" and "assuming your approach to the IP is superior to the traditional approach." And the latter attitude is almost certainly disrespectful. Is that the approach Larian is actually taking? I don't know for sure, but I can certainly see why people would feel that way. Focusing on the magic items example, Larian introducing this whole slew of homebrew magic items and neglecting to include more of the classic, familiar ones does feel like them dismissing those items. Maybe that's not their intent, but their intent doesn't entirely matter. It's another instance of them opting to start with trying to make their own approach work rather than trying to build off of what D&D 5e already provides.