When Will and When Should WotC Release 4th Edition?

William Ronald · Jul 27, 2003

With the release of D&D 3.5, there is a question about when WotC may release a 4.0 game. A few people whom I respect highly, including some EN World members, have said that they may not move into a 4th edition. So, I am going to ask when will WotC do a 4th Edition?

So, here is a poll.

Option 1) WotC will release 4th Edition in two years and should not do so.

Option 2) WotC will release 4th Edition in two years and should do so.

Option 3) WotC will release 4th Edition in three years and should not do so.

Option 4) WotC will release 4th Edition in three years and should do so.

Option 5) WotC will release 4th Edition in four years and should not do so.

Option 6) WotC will release 4th Edition in four years and should do so.

Option 7) WotC will release 4th Edition in five or more years and should not do so.

Option 8) WotC will release 4th Edition in five or more years and should do so.

Option 9) WotC should never release a 4th Edition?

Option 10) Other

Please explain your feelings, and try to justify any opinions with facts.

Darkness · Jul 27, 2003

Write-in for "White Wolf buys D&D (or even the entire WotC) in 3-4 years and immediately releases 4e."

Seriously, I think they'll release 4e in 3-4 years. 4 would be fine by me, but I'm not so sure about 3.

William Ronald · Jul 27, 2003

I am still trying to make up my mind on this one. I need to first get the 3.5 books, take a good look at them, and test them out.

Monte Cook's review did raise several concerns about how 3.5 came to be, and I think that WotC can perhaps try to dispel some of these concerns. Do I believe WotC should pursue a business strategy that makes economic sense. Yes! However, some people whom I respect are very skeptical about the release of D&D 3.5 and wonder if they will purchase future editions of the game.

William Ronald · Jul 27, 2003

After taking a little time, I voted for 4 years and they should. I expect some business pressure for a new edition. Also, I can see the possibility of enough feedback from 3.5 players to encourage a new edition. I do not have a problem with buying additional books four years from now. Three years would be too soon, but I think perhaps working on it a few years before it is released (with a lot of input from us, the customers) would be something I think I could accept.

However, I think 4.0 would best be created with a LOT of feedback from players and DMs, along with a great deal of playtesting. I think that perhaps the most valuable thing a company has is the goodwill of its customers. With this, a company can survive hard times. Without this, it may not survive in good times against sharp competitors who have loyal customers.

Darkness, I would put the WW option under other along with such things as:

"Peter Adkison, Monte Cook, Sean Reynolds and Gary Gygax buy the D&D license."

"Bill Gates takes over WotC."

"Magic starts working, and we finally KNOW how those spells ought to work."

I would like to hear what some people in the gaming industry think. I like to think that D&D 's great strength as a brand is the fact that people are still playing the game after several decades. (I have been playing since 1980, myself.)

William Ronald · Jul 27, 2003

Darkness, can you edit my poll to correct a spelling error. Here is what I wrote:

"WotC will release it in 5 or mor years and should do so."

For those who have played 3.5, any thoughts on what you would like to see changed?

Agamon · Jul 27, 2003

I also said "4 years, and they should" not so much because a new game will be needed in 4 years, but by then 3E will have run it's course, new-book-wise (if it hasn't already), and of course, WotC needs to make money from the game to keep it viable.

Anyhoo, I think 4E should have some more broader, sweeping changes than 3.5. A lot of "sacred cows" need to be put out to pasture. Classes need to be more in line with how they do it in d20 Modern (ie, less specific). The way spells are done (both gained and cast) needs to be revamped, as mutliclassed spellcasters just doesn't work right in 3E. AC needs retooling (armor should make you harder to hurt, not hit) and maybe see if HPs cane be done away with (though of all these changes, I think HPs are the one I'd keep if I had to...it works alright with a 'heroic' game like D&D).

Just some random thoughts.

Darkness · Jul 27, 2003

Agamon said:
Anyhoo, I think 4E should have some more broader, sweeping changes than 3.5. A lot of "sacred cows" need to be put out to pasture. Classes need to be more in line with how they do it in d20 Modern (ie, less specific). The way spells are done (both gained and cast) needs to be revamped, as mutliclassed spellcasters just doesn't work right in 3E. AC needs retooling (armor should make you harder to hurt, not hit) and maybe see if HPs cane be done away with (though of all these changes, I think HPs are the one I'd keep if I had to...it works alright with a 'heroic' game like D&D).

Amen, brother, amen!!!

In fact, if they aren't going to include an optional system for classless play, I'm not likely to buy 4e - or at least not from my current POV. (I'm not asking them to make classless the default, even though I'd prefer that; but I do insist that they make it possible. Either in the core rules, or shortly thereafter.)

Wombat · Jul 27, 2003

Games survive due to supplements and new editions.

If you do not put out a lot of new supplements, it falls away from the public eye.

The problem is that supplements confuse the game a lot -- Rifts is the worst example (playing one of the base classes versus the up-powered ones in the lastest supplement leave you in the dust). In consistencies creep in in larger and larger numbers. Contradictions, mismatched powers, mechanics that are fine on their own, but work horribly with another rule in another supplement.

Therefore new editions are a chance to clear out the deadwood and start afresh.

Thus D&D3e.

D&D3.5 jumped out way too fast. While many of the changes are decent, some are less well thought out. More importantly, nothing really important was changed, most of the 3.0 stuff is still there and viable, thuse the game itself will become a confused morass of interpretations, house rules, and the like.

Instead of waiting until D&D4e was ready, Hasbro put together this half-way job to build up extra sales.

Well, I think they've gotten their sales. Conversely, I'm not sure they have really done anything overwhelmingly positive for the game.

In a lot of ways 3.5 sounds like a detailed set of house rules rather than a "necessary" new edition.

Personal opinions only

William Ronald · Jul 28, 2003

Any additional thoughts?

The classless PC might be handled in a fashion similar to what was in the Skills and Options books in 2nd edition. I seem to recall some rules on creating character classes in 2nd edition. This seems to be happening in several D20 books, so official rules in a 4th edition Players Handbook or DMG might be helpful.

From looking at the poll, it seems that most people who prefer a 4th Edition would prefer it to be released no sooner than 4 years from now. Can some of the people who voted elaborate on their choices?

Agamon · Jul 29, 2003

Building your class with "points", ala Skills & Powers, could be do-able. It would fix the multiclass problem once and for all.

Balance might be a problem there though. How much is the abiltity to turn undead versus having a favored enemy versus casting arcane spells? It would take a whole lot of playtesting, and (not unlike 3E) it probably would be done right until v4.5

I like MnM's Damage Save idea instead of HPs. Think it would work well with D&D?