adembroski
First Post
I'm WAY behind the times here.
Apparently the 4th edition announcement was made in August, and here I am in December just learning about it. Partially due to the fact, I suppose, that I spend a tiny fraction of the time online as I did then, partially due to the fact that in that time I have no had a game going (the longest such period since 3rd edition was released).
So I've spent most of the day pouring over the info available (surprisingly little, actually). I was around for the past four editions (AD&D 2nd Edition, AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Option, D&D 3rd Edition, and D&D 3.5) and in each case I can say I was genuinely excited. The only one that failed to live up to my expectations was Player's Option, which was more a matter of balance (the min/maxer's dream) than presentation or quality.
I have no issue with there being a new edition. A company must make money, otherwise there's no point to its existence.
But for the first time I find myself extremely apprehensive.
I get the impression that this edition is inspired not by a long standing role playing tradition nor a century of fantasy literature, as previous versions were. This seems to be the pen and paper son of Everquest, Utima Online, and World of Warcraft.
The core game continues to drift further and further from its Tolkienesque roots; the beautifully simple and recognizable foundation upon which world's can be molded from the DM's mind. In the place of that elegance is an almost forced mythology, with Tieflings... which should always be a DMs option... presented from the outset as a base race.
Further, we have roles which seem to mirror the common class roles in our pure-combat/no-role-play online RPGs. Might as well have cut to the chase and renamed the Fighter class "Tank".
There have been references to "Trees" rather than free form feats. The abominable power tree system from WoW does not free the player, it shackles him.
Dexterity now apparently counts full even when fully armored. One of the most logical and game-balancing changes of the 3rd edition has been scrapped for the sake of character power.
Also from our friends in the MMORPG business, fighters and paladins can now apparently will their opponents to attack them. Will we have a "threat" score as well?
Ah, the Warlord class... how wonderful, a class that can do pretty much the same thing any other class can do with the right skill combination. A warlord is not a class, it's a role.
Power Progression... gone are the days when a world can be defined by its prestige classes, another of the brilliant additions of 3rd edition. Now we are stuck on this destined path where we must reach a given level no matter what organization or devotion we wish to join with. There always were level issues, but they were adjustable... emphasizing the prestige of those with high requirements.
Dragonborn... once again, what should be a DM's discression race available at the outset, force the DM to be the bad guy if the race does not fit his world.
Multiclassing... FYI, sometimes restrictions are good things. To simply allow a character to willy-nilly grab whatever class/race combo they want generally does not make for a great game.
Wizardly implements... again, forcing the mythology of a campaign on us where it will may not fit.
Combat... listen, guys, there comes a point when speeding up combat takes too much complexity from an already simplified system. 3rd edition sped up combat to an astonishing degree. It seems like it's a bit too much of an emphasis at this point considering how well 3rd edition handled it.
4th edition skills focus on encounters... no use rope, no tailor... in other words, you're a video game character now. Stop your role playing, damn it!
Anyways, I'll stop now, I just wanted to get some weight behind my feelings. Maybe some of you can ease my fears, I'm sure I'll get a flame or two. Maybe I'm just overreacting... but I've never been hesitant about a new edition before... those issues just jumped out at me.
Apparently the 4th edition announcement was made in August, and here I am in December just learning about it. Partially due to the fact, I suppose, that I spend a tiny fraction of the time online as I did then, partially due to the fact that in that time I have no had a game going (the longest such period since 3rd edition was released).
So I've spent most of the day pouring over the info available (surprisingly little, actually). I was around for the past four editions (AD&D 2nd Edition, AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Option, D&D 3rd Edition, and D&D 3.5) and in each case I can say I was genuinely excited. The only one that failed to live up to my expectations was Player's Option, which was more a matter of balance (the min/maxer's dream) than presentation or quality.
I have no issue with there being a new edition. A company must make money, otherwise there's no point to its existence.
But for the first time I find myself extremely apprehensive.
I get the impression that this edition is inspired not by a long standing role playing tradition nor a century of fantasy literature, as previous versions were. This seems to be the pen and paper son of Everquest, Utima Online, and World of Warcraft.
The core game continues to drift further and further from its Tolkienesque roots; the beautifully simple and recognizable foundation upon which world's can be molded from the DM's mind. In the place of that elegance is an almost forced mythology, with Tieflings... which should always be a DMs option... presented from the outset as a base race.
Further, we have roles which seem to mirror the common class roles in our pure-combat/no-role-play online RPGs. Might as well have cut to the chase and renamed the Fighter class "Tank".
There have been references to "Trees" rather than free form feats. The abominable power tree system from WoW does not free the player, it shackles him.
Dexterity now apparently counts full even when fully armored. One of the most logical and game-balancing changes of the 3rd edition has been scrapped for the sake of character power.
Also from our friends in the MMORPG business, fighters and paladins can now apparently will their opponents to attack them. Will we have a "threat" score as well?
Ah, the Warlord class... how wonderful, a class that can do pretty much the same thing any other class can do with the right skill combination. A warlord is not a class, it's a role.
Power Progression... gone are the days when a world can be defined by its prestige classes, another of the brilliant additions of 3rd edition. Now we are stuck on this destined path where we must reach a given level no matter what organization or devotion we wish to join with. There always were level issues, but they were adjustable... emphasizing the prestige of those with high requirements.
Dragonborn... once again, what should be a DM's discression race available at the outset, force the DM to be the bad guy if the race does not fit his world.
Multiclassing... FYI, sometimes restrictions are good things. To simply allow a character to willy-nilly grab whatever class/race combo they want generally does not make for a great game.
Wizardly implements... again, forcing the mythology of a campaign on us where it will may not fit.
Combat... listen, guys, there comes a point when speeding up combat takes too much complexity from an already simplified system. 3rd edition sped up combat to an astonishing degree. It seems like it's a bit too much of an emphasis at this point considering how well 3rd edition handled it.
4th edition skills focus on encounters... no use rope, no tailor... in other words, you're a video game character now. Stop your role playing, damn it!
Anyways, I'll stop now, I just wanted to get some weight behind my feelings. Maybe some of you can ease my fears, I'm sure I'll get a flame or two. Maybe I'm just overreacting... but I've never been hesitant about a new edition before... those issues just jumped out at me.
