D&D 4E How do you feel about 4E right *now*? (week of 1/21/08)

[Ruin Explorer]

I think a lot of people are unrealistically skeptical about 4E. I don't think there's any doubt that what WotC will release will be a ultra-high-quality FRPG trying out new concepts/ways of doing things (at least new to mainstream FRPGs). So saying "oh it might suck!" seems silly to me. Saying "It might not feel like D&D" feels a lot more realistic, though, because that definately seems a possibility.

For me, though, solid thumbs up at this stage. I'm liking most of what I'm hearing, and that's good, because all the times I liked everything I heard? I turned out that I was disappointed by some elements. I really really like the re-doing of the planes, the promotion of Tieflings to a primary race, the sound of the Warlord class, and I think I like what they're doing with magic, though time will tell.

A lot of other stuff sounds good, but could potentially be only "decent". I'll say one thing - if it's objectively "worse" than 3E in any rule-related way, I'll be extremely surprised, and in the end, it's the rules I'm too lazy/lacking in time to make up. Worlds/fluff I can do all day.

 

[HeinorNY]

 

[Masquerade]

I'm still waiting to hear anything that would make me turn the thumb downward. If it doesn't happen soon, I may have to buy three new books. T_T

 

[Mirtek]

Undecided.

I really like 95% of the crunch cange, however I really dislike 80% of the fluff change

 

[Voss]

I think a lot of people are unrealistically skeptical about 4E. I don't think there's any doubt that what WotC will release will be a ultra-high-quality FRPG trying out new concepts/ways of doing things (at least new to mainstream FRPGs). So saying "oh it might suck!" seems silly to me.

I'm rather curious about this. What basis is there to claim that there isn't any reason to be skeptical? What amazing product has WotC put out that screams, 'We are masters of mechanical rules making', so there is no reason to be concerned in any way? Personally, I haven't seen them ever produce something that I'd call 'really good' quality, let alone ultra-high. Fair to good seems to be their normal limit, and they often don't even achieve that with the slew of splatbooks.

On the fluff side of things, they've got a few concepts I like, quite a few I don't and implementation that I find really lacking in a lot of places. I can work around it, but it doesn't give me a lot of hope.

So, where is the 'unreasonable' skeptiscism?

 

[Deset Gled]

Since enough people have posted now, I'll give my answer (I didn't want to taint the poll by puting this in the first post).

I'm a weak thumbs down. I like almost all of the mechanical changes we've heard about. I don't mind about the flavor changes, although some of the names are annoying. What I really don't like is the business end of things we've seen so far. I'm not particularly happy with how the OGL is being handled. I think they're pushing the product out too early, with not enough testing or time for revisions. I don't like the way they've done previews (at first we had a lot of good stuff, but now it's turned into pointless videos and things I have to pay for). Combine this with the complaints I have about 3e errata, and the fact that I think some of WotC's complaints about 3e's problems were self manufactured (e.g, "christmas tree" players and the MIC), and I have an overall view that tends to the negative side.

And to everyone who complains about the options being too limited, please realize that simplicity is the point of the poll, not an oversight.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I also just want to add, as for the specifically DDO I am a semi thumbs-down. However if they gave say a free month-subscription to try out everything and see if we like it then I would be thumbs up for it.

 

[WayneLigon]

Still thumbs up, but at this point I want to see lots of hard, set-in-stone crunch before I make a final decision. I could actually say 'any decision' since the actual crunch of the game is virtually the only thing I care about in terms of the 'do I buy this game system or not' decision. The fluff and stuff we've seen so far is nice but that's stuff I'll add in or subtract regardless of game system.

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

I'm tentatively giving 4th Edition a thumbs up. So far the mechanical changes sound great, and the stated goals of the developers are exactly what I want to change about the game. I'm even enjoying the core fluff, and the way that they are fitting all of the monsters into the world.

My only reservation is that the game is moving much too far away from the rules as they were established in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Third edition did this to an extent, but managed to keep the game recognizably D&D. 4e doesn't sound like this will be the case, but it does sound like it will be a damn good system regardless.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I still dont want 4e. Nothing they have shown me has been worth a new edition. They could have fixed it with another revision or alternate rules book.