Wil Wheaton plays and reviews 4th.

[Mallus]

But you've proven my point. Dark Knight is not your traditional batman film, as it's marketed as a crime thriller and was toted as a movie that is a "realistic" comic book.

The Dark Knight isn't your traditional, read, conventional, Hollywood crime drama, either. It's a $180,000,000 trip into extreme paranoia and not-quite-graphic sadism. It's the first comic-book film about existential terror, with a principle character --ie, The Joker-- that isn't just a terrorist, he's an embodiment of terrorism itself --heh, he should have been named The Synecdoche.

It's hard for me to see The Dark Knight as a conventional mainstream blockbuster. It's something of a puzzlement.

Batman has not been nerd for some time.

Nerdery has been becoming mainstream for some time.

Cloverfield, not nerd...

Kaiju is always nerd (even when of the shaky-cam variety).

REst assured, nerd is still not bankable.

Sure it is, because the line between nerd and mainstream is blurring, as has been for a long time.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I would've figured by now you would have done a stellar re-write including the stuff you like, expanding what is still light (like the craft skill re-write), and adding in new stuff to make things a bit grittier to suit. But when you do, you won't forget to send a copy of the result to your old buddy, right?

I'm still in playtest.

 

[dmccoy1693]

I wonder what vin diesel would think of 4e ?
I wonder if Wil and Vin have ever gamed togather?

I'm wondering about Colbert. I'd love to sit at a table with Steve, Vin and Will even more then Rouse, Noonan, and Williams (granted, I would love to sit at that table too).

 

[Darkwolf71]

I'm wondering about Colbert. I'd love to sit at a table with Steve, Vin and Will even more then Rouse, Noonan, and Williams (granted, I would love to sit at that table too).

If D&D is the topic of conversation, I'd rather have a sit down with the later group. The people who are actually involved with the game.

Sure, I'd love to hang out with Vin, chat with Colbert or... well I honestly don't care either way for Wil Weaton, but these are guys who used to play the game or at best dabble with it a bit in what little spare time they have. They have zero to do with game design and really have no more authority on the subject than I or any number of geeks I can talk to at my FLGS. Hell, I could list a lot of ENWorld posters that I'd rather meet and discuss RPGs with than these guys.

We, as a culture, give far too much weight to 'celebrities' opinions simply because they are famous.


...
Erm.

[/rant], sorry about that.

 

[darjr]

I'm wondering about Colbert. I'd love to sit at a table with Steve, Vin and Will even more then Rouse, Noonan, and Williams (granted, I would love to sit at that table too).

Six players and a DM? Game with all of them. What the heck.

 

[Dire Bare]

Sure, I'd love to hang out with Vin, chat with Colbert or... well I honestly don't care either way for Wil Weaton, but these are guys who used to play the game or at best dabble with it a bit in what little spare time they have. They have zero to do with game design and really have no more authority on the subject than I or any number of geeks I can talk to at my FLGS. Hell, I could list a lot of ENWorld posters that I'd rather meet and discuss RPGs with than these guys.

I don't think anybody here is claiming that Wheaton, Colbert, or Diesel have any unique game design perspectives to share. They might, they might not, but that's not the point. Any one of them, or better yet all three of them, would be a blast to play D&D with. Because they are cool, creative, interesting people in their own rights who happen to be gamer geeks.

I give more weight to Wheaton's impressions of the game because I am familiar with his writing (both blog and books) and I know he is me. A more articulate and talented person than I, but with many shared life experiences and geeky pasttimes. I know Wil's a smart guy, a bonafide geek, an excellent writer, and that I would probably enjoy a lot of the things that he does. It's not simply because he is a celebrity (a very minor one, at that), but because he is a writer whose work is out there for me to discover and identify with.

And Colbert . . . I'd sell my mother to sit on on a gaming session with Colbert. That man is comic insane genius and gaming with him would be an experience, that's for sure.

Eh, not so much Vin Diesel. I'm sure he's a cool guy and all, but . . . eh, the idea doesn't get me excited.

 

[dragonlordofpoondari]

Whether you like 3.5 or 4e, you too should still be happy at 4es popularlity. I run a jazz club. My club is for the hardcore jazz enthusiast. There aren't a lot of social clubs like ours out there because of our criteria for loving jazz in its purist form. There are about 6 pop-jazz clubs in our area.

That's so cool. I had no idea about this, DonTadow! Hey it broke my heart when Rusty sold her club in Maumee/Toledo about 5 years ago. I spent as much time there as I did playing D&D. THAT was an amazing little jazz club, especially if you were a regular. What's the name of your club? Do any of the old retinue show up or play at your club?

How I miss Bobby Few, Larry Fuller, Eric Dickey, Ramona Collins, Mark Kieswetter, Bill Meyer, Leon and Damon Cook, and of course Bobby's house band.

I live in San Diego now, but I still have some family in the area who are jazz lovers. Man, those were the days. /derail

 

[Festivus]

Thank you for posting. I would have missed Wil's aritcle totally had you not done so. Very enjoyable article, pretty much summed up my feelings on 4E before it came out as well... a game I have really come to enjoy from the DM side of the table way more than 3.5. As a player of both, I find them equally enjoyable, but then I was never one for every 3.5 splat book and multiclass known to mankind.

 

[Darkwolf71]

I don't think anybody here is claiming that Wheaton, Colbert, or Diesel have any unique game design perspectives to share. They might, they might not, but that's not the point. Any one of them, or better yet all three of them, would be a blast to play D&D with. Because they are cool, creative, interesting people in their own rights who happen to be gamer geeks.

Well, seeing as how this thread is about Weaton's review, I figured we were talking about a discussion rather than game time. Sure, I'd enjoy playing with the guys, but then I'd play with just about anyone.

And having read the article now, he did a good job. I still have issue with some of his implications about '4e haters', but whatever. (I also find it amusing that he thinks '4d6 drop the lowest' is old school. )

 

[jonrog1]

Same here. I love most of 4e's design concepts. I just want them without all the unsavory parts of 4e.

See, here's the interesting bit -- and frustrating bit about the new GSL. Even as a playtester and occasional contributor, I think the framework/design under 4E is better and more useful than 4E wound up being overall. It's a filthily smooth, beautiful little engine under there.

Not hacking on 4e -- I just built four variants on a character to try them out, all inside five minutes each, and it DM's like a dream. But the clarified conditions, cover/concealment, skills, feats, static defenses ... staple in a bit of the better ides from SAGA (which is bloody amazing) and it's damn close to the perfect omni-system in my book.

Now just to convince them to get rid of hit points ...