D&D 4E Opinions on the 4E preview books...

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

In Tucson, we had to call around to various bookstores to even find a copy of W&M. It flew off the shelves as soon as it came in. We finally found two copies at a Barnes & Noble in one out of the way mall. My friend had to take an hour to drive out there and back just so we could get a copy. I would say it's doing well in this city.

I bought the books for the designer's notes and behind the scenes information. I've found them incredibly valuable, as well as inspiring (in a gaming sense). Each preview book has spurred a flurry of campaign creation for me. I can barely write fast enough to get all of my ideas down on paper. IMO my upcoming 4e campaign will be the best I've ever run (unless of course the 4e rules just suck). In part, I credit the preview books with increasing my creative energy.

The art is awesome.

$20.00 is only too much if you are unwilling to pay that much for it. As for me, I consider it money well spent.

That's overall really something I got of the 4E business. It got me thinking. It got me asking. It got me reading. it got me building.
I am inspired by a lot of things I read in the books, on the WotC site, and on EnWorld. I think I was never that actively engaged in discussions and thoughts about D&D or RPG in general before the 4E announcement.
I have never learned so much interesting tidbits about how to DM or design a game then the past few months. The preview books seem to be an icing on the cake.

 

[Darth Cyric]

They're nothing I would buy, but I enjoyed sitting on an armchair in the bookstore and browsing through them. They got me hyped for 4e, which I suppose is a goal of WOTC's as well.

 

[Ryngard]

I found both books to be incredibly interesting. The story fluff alone was worth the cost. I'm actually excited about 4e.

A friend of mine and I were revamping the system... before 4e's announcement... and we jokingly called it 3.75e. It was like 3.5 + Modern (which when we saw Saga we were amazed at how similar the ideas were). THEN 4e comes out and its what we wanted but better!

I am totally scrapping all of my old ideas and stuff and will just use the wonderful material they presented for me. I'm not a fanboi but... well maybe i will be a 4e fanboi if they keep it up. I am really excited for once!

The books are well worth the price in quality. Just because you (this isn't targeted toward anyone, just in general) don't want to pay for stuff doesn't mean WotC is cheating you. Don't buy it. Read it in the bookstore, whatever.

I'm glad I broke down and bought the books (thank you Amazon!). Thanks WotC!

 

[Rel]

From the start, I adopted a "wait and see" attituded about 4e. I didn't want to engage in a bunch of speculating about how the game would come together without seeing the finished product. I was firmly an (as somebody else put it) "4gnostic".j

When I heard about the preview books, I thought the concept was interesting but no way was I buying them. I try to guide my purchases by one simple rule: Will I use this book. No need to get a preview of something that I'll be able to see in a few months anyway and that I won't be using in the meantime anyway (we're playing a 3.5 Eberron game that will likely last until the release).

Then a terrible thing happened: I got R&C for Christmas from my best friend. I read through it and found that I liked most of the design philosophy. I lost my neutrality. I still withold judgement until I see the finished product but I'm guardedly optimistic that 4e will be a game that I like.

I still don't plan to by the other preview book but I'd sure as hell read it if I had access to it for free.

 

[catsclaw227]

Now, I liked both books, but in a side-by-side comparison, I find W&M better than R&C for a few reasons.

1. The art was superior. The landscape pieces are wonderfuly evocative of the kind of visual setting I like. It provided a nice frame of reference for the descriptions planes and other areas new to 4e. The dragon art was strong as well.

2. The designers notes on reasons why or why not things were done in 4e seemed to make more sense to me than in R&C. I am not as concerned about the mechanical (or fluff) aspects as to why this/that class or race is now core. I want to know how/why the elemental chaos (or astral sea, shadowfell, feywild) is the way it is and where it can fit in my world.

The articles seemed to be more along the same kind of thinking I have had about D&D worlds for a long time, so I might have some bias.

 

[Mouseferatu]

The more I read through W&M, the more inspiration I get for future campaigns. It's got some really interesting flavor and plot hooks, something that R&C--and for that matter, many of the actual 3E books--lacked, IMO.

I thought R&C was decent, mostly as a "behind the scenes" look. W&M, though? While it's got the behind the scenes stuff, too, I think it's a solid DM's book beyond its value as either a preview or an insider look.

 

[catsclaw227]

The more I read through W&M, the more inspiration I get for future campaigns. It's got some really interesting flavor and plot hooks, something that R&C--and for that matter, many of the actual 3E books--lacked, IMO.

I thought R&C was decent, mostly as a "behind the scenes" look. W&M, though? While it's got the behind the scenes stuff, too, I think it's a solid DM's book beyond its value as either a preview or an insider look.

Exactly. It got my homebrewing gears running, and that's been rare lately. In the past 5 years most of my DMing has come from APs or other published adventure campaigns. I may want to take time to brew my own this time around. If I don't have the time, then I am PRAYING that someone does a good 4e campaign setting or AP.

Whether it's FR, Freeport, a Pathfinder AP, or something, I hope it evokes the same feeling I get from W&M.

 

[Leugren]

I purchased both books on the first day that they came out, and devoured both from cover-to-cover within two days from the date of purchase. I found more value and creative inspiration within these two books than in 85% of the 3E books sitting on my shelves collecting dust. I agree with those who contend that most of the 3E publications were disappointing in terms of flavor.

 

[Incenjucar]

Pretty much what Leugren said.

Especially W&M. Oh god that scenery. <3

 

[Mouseferatu]

Especially W&M. Oh god that scenery. <3

Hell, yeah. If WotC ever decides to make any of those available as posters--especially the two-page spreads--I'd buy damn near all of them.