Insert Fanboy Whining Here.

[featherynscale]

Soooo.... D&D 4th edition. triadruid asked me this morning, "So they said they'd make it simpler than 3.x. How much simpler could they possibly make it?". I couldn't let it rest, I had to find out.

As it turns out, in the Brave New World, apparently, one's choices of character class will be limited to four, with variants: a tank sort, a healing sort, a ranged weapons sort, and magic-using sort. Apparently, if you would like to know more, you could watch this video. (Disclaimer: I haven't done so yet, but will probably check it out later. I took the above assessment from the general feeling of the D&D board at wizards.com, which one has to subscribe to a service for now... when did that happen?)

Anyway. I don't imagine we'll convert any time soon. Aside from the general ...meh... factor, I own too many 3.x books.

And all of this doesn't answer the most burning D&D question currently on my mind: Why the hell do rangers even get spells? Where does their magic come from? (In most campaign settings, this probably wouldn't make a bit of difference, but in mine it will. Feh. Why can't we just build a medieval-fantasy-britain-world with wizards and dragons and nobody asks why anything exists in the way it does? You know, like everyone else does.)

Comments

[auraseer.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to keep an open mind about the new system. I'm still annoyed at being lied to about this for the past three years, as WOTC repeatedly assured us that they were not working on a 4th Edition.

There are definitely things that could be simplified. The d20 system lends itself very well to straightforward actions (like Attack), but anything slightly unusual involves a set of tacked-on rules and special modifiers. Grapple is the poster child for this, but it affects all the other interesting combat actions (Disarm, Trip, etc) as well. Some players in my group still aren't comfortable with all that stuff, and we've been playing weekly for about seven years now.

[liquidfun.livejournal.com]

Yep, about the time you've got a Druid in the party who can shift into wolf form, gaining a free trip attempt on any successful hit, at the same time as a monk is using "stunning fist" (which among other things makes people drop what they are holding), attempting to grapple each other over possession of a book ...

You're in for about an hour of "combat rules" just to decide who has the book in their hands.

Actually, that isn't a made-up example.

And it was more like three hours. I went for snacks and drinks.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

In theory, I know all the rules for that. In practice, that sort of thing tends to get resolved with a simple opposed check. :)

I will postpone judgment until I can hold a book in my hands, but damn it, I really *like* 3.x.

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

I've had to be dragged kicking and screaming into each new edition. It turns out people have been playing in the new edition's system *at least* a year before I try it. I don't think this time will be any different.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I think 3.x took off because
a) TSR was defunct, 2.x was long out of date, and people were hungry..
b) 3.0 really was simpler and more straightforward than 2.x in a lot of ways. I can't fathom how 4.0 will be an "improvement" that justifies buying all the new books, in that regard.
c) If they go to a Blizzard/Warcraft skills-based system like liquidfun mentioned, then they're abandoning one of the most successful things to come out of 3.x: d20 Open Gaming. There's lots of pure-skill systems that already exist, if people want to go that route...

I wonder if they haven't dominated themselves out of a market. But I'm probably wrong...

[auraseer.livejournal.com]

The Open Gaming license will reportedly continue. Other publishers will still be allowed to release sourcebooks and settings that use the 4E rules.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I guess what I meant is, with all the books and OGL stuff out there for 3.x/d20, 4.0 is going to have to be REALLY different or REALLY snazzy to catch the attention of the gaming market. I think.