Some videos on One D&D lament that the backward compatibility is only for adventures and not character-build options. It doesn't surprise me, and this is the same level of "backward compatibility" that 5E clones have, like Level Up Advanced 5E.
Any revision to the base 5E rules is going to break "character build compatibility" unless these are really minor tweaks. One of the problems with the 5E design is it is not a modular design, but everything is so tightly integrated it has a "Swiss watch" level of mechanical interlocking rules and interactions.
The current playtest bard is horribly broken, allowing the party to "chain together" short rests and heal as much as they want with bardic inspiration heals. No need to spend hit dice to heal, just short rest a few times in a row and chain heal.
I am having a few serious doubts about the current design team of Wizards and some of the changes they are making, and a lot of the flavor and theming of classes are being removed to streamline the game and make it fast-playing but bland. I doubt the current Wizards team has the design credentials and experience to make anything other than fixes and optimizations, as the original 5E team was the best across the industry, with many diverse views and experiences brought in to create the ultimate edition of the game.
And some of the design choices and mistakes have me scratching my head. A ranger that can do 6d6 damage a turn at level one? Who are the designers? What are their credentials? I seriously want to know because the 5E team was made up of all-stars, and some of what I saw in the One D&D playtest docs is really amateur and sloppy work. Some of that stuff should have never made it to a playtest it is so broken.
Yes, fixing and streamlining is good, but every change risks losing the magic that made the game great.
And they risk throwing in a new bunch of exploits and problem builds.
And what is with replacing many class features with spells? Is the digital division telling the design team, "We only want spells! Otherwise, it is too hard for us to program this!"
I Prefer Level Up 5E
I still like Level Up 5E better; honestly, they put some real thought and care into that 5E version. And the EN World games class teams knew how to make a class and building characters fun. My LU 5E fighter puts my 5E fighter to shame. All my LU 5E characters are fantastic. All my stock 5E characters feel plain.
The Level Up classes are fun, and they have lots of cool class features I get excited about using. The designers had a lot to prove, so they did a great job making every class interesting and useful. I look at the One D&D ranger, and it is replacing class features with spells everywhere - it feels like a magic-heavy D&D 4E class with minimal innate fighting power and poor spellcasting. I do not like this concept of "spells off the prepared spell list" - it feels really copy & paste between classes and getting rid of class features for "everybody has them" spells removes flavor from classes.
I dislike the One D&D overuse of spells and feel this is done to simplify the costs of developing a digital tabletop.
The Level Up ranger feels like a true no-compromises killer that, at higher levels, specializes in beast-master, warden, or a magic-using wild-born. Magic is not the core of the class; specialization, wilderness survival, and fighting come first. In fact, the class excels in the exploration pillar of Level Up 5E, which standard 5E ignores. There are powers and class features used during exploration, and they are excellent roleplaying and mission-critical abilities.
Every class in Level Up is like that. I miss my fighter, who specializes in fighting alongside others. The discovery in these classes, along with the Pathfinder 2-like combos, is a remarkable thing, not to be dismissed or ignored because everyone is playing something else. I designed the same characters in base 5E and Level Up, and I miss my Level Up characters the most. They had the cool factor, along with being tightly tied to a setting - while still having fantastic exploration abilities.
Level Up 5E is the ultimate "wouldn't it be cool if" version of 5E out there.
May the Best Backwards Compatible Win
So One D&D will have the same level of backward compatibility as Level Up Advanced 5E and even Low Fantasy Gaming. I am not surprised.
The best backward compatibility will be OGL 5E.
After that, pick a version of 5E you love and play that. It could be One D&D, but don't ever feel forced or pressured to play something you honestly don't like or disagree with. This applies to 5E, One D&D, OSR, fantasy, sci-fi, or any game out there.
Please Don't Fail, Keep Options Open
One D&D has a lot to prove and to live up to. And I do not want a "new version" just to have a "new version" - just look at most of the AAA games released in the last 3 years and tell me how many of those lived up to expectations. Really, I don't want all the significant momentum and love of 5E to be hurt by a weak or horrid release. Overwatch 2, Saints Row, Anthem, and many other games hyped up to the moon and landed with a thud come to mind.
There is too much risk to the game and the players today who love 5E how it is.
This is why I like to promote OGL 5E games. If One D&D falls short, the OSR will pick up the slack and be the home of disaffected 5E players. I would rather One D&D never be released than have a lousy release ruin the game for everyone. But I keep my hopes up, but a lot I see I don't like.
Keep options open. Don't trash other games just to be on a hype train. With so many AAA games recently, that train may not take you anywhere but disappointment. And also, don't trash One D&D; give it a chance, but be honest if there is something you don't want to feel forced to support. But they are making rookie mistakes now in those playtest releases.
But it could work out; we will see.
Until then, so many other cool games are here for us to enjoy and support.
And a lot of them are indie 5E games worth checking out.
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