Legacy System

If you didn't catch Mike Mearls's latest article on the D&D site, check it out.

As you know, I'm not a big fan of the latest iteration of the D&D Next playtest rules. However, I was very encouraged by what I read in this article, especially about the so-called "legacy system." Here's the key quote:

We want a game where you can continue looting dungeons to level 20 if that's what you want. If you want the game to change, you can implement options we're calling the legacy system. Under this system, a rogue can found a thieves' guild, a cleric can establish a temple, a fighter can gain a stronghold and followers, and a wizard can research new spells.

Right on! This was one of my favorite aspects of old-school TSR 2e D&D. I'd love to see something like this show up in Next. With the new-and-improved backgrounds giving PCs a defined place in the game world right from the get-go, the legacy system will allow them to leave their mark on the world when they reach the higher levels of play. I can't wait to see this stuff in the playtest!