D&D 4E 4E: Manufactured Excitement

[two]

Is it just me, or is anyone else out there a little perplexed by the wild excitement of the MerricB's on this board?

WOTC wants to make more money. That's their job; they make money. As a company, that's is their goal. Fine. To do this, they have decided to release 4E.

As gamers, and consumers, we know why they are doing this: again, to make money. It's not because our 3.5 games suddenly became unplayable. It's not because we were clamoring for 4E (the majority of gamers in most polls on this site didn't desire 4E for a number of years yet, if at all). It's not because WOTC really wants to make the game more fun for us; if their new release manages this, that's a bonus.

The bottom line is money; they know they can make a huge profit out of 4E, and that's why it is being created and released. If it's a great game, that is icing on the cake.

{I'm sure many WOTC people are working hard to make it a great game. But 4E is going to be release when the business people say, not when it is honed into "greatness." }

So, honestly, why is everyone getting so excited/crazy about this?

How are you not simply acting like little pawns being pushed around the board by the WOTC PR people?

If you are playing 3.5 and having fun, why even bother looking at/wasting time with 4E until (at the very least) it is released for a few months, and you get a chance to read reviews and do some (free) game tests?

All this chitter-chatter and overheated parsing of WOTC 4E snippets; it's really a bit sad.

I don't understand the blind fan-boy devotion, which is what I see in a lot of 4E threads. It is a new release of the game, released to make money. WOTC wants your money. That is the bottom line. And for this you are hopping up and down with excitement, your fistful of dollars extended?

Isn't it, well, more normal to, well, you know, actually view a new product with a modicum of skepticism, educate yourself about it (after it is released), and only then - if what you see matches your expectations - get excited about it and buy it?

Why this sheep-like, herd-like, lemming-like thralldom to WOTC financial-driven announcements?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Because manufactured optimism is less likely to leave you with a black hole in your soul than manufactured outrage?

 

[Wormwood]

So, honestly, why is everyone getting so excited/crazy about this?

"Honestly?"

Because the 4e design philosophy jibes almost *entirely* with my own.

Because the elements of 4e that I have seen thus far are either:
1. Things I already do in my home games, or
2. Things I *wish* I had thought of, and can't wait to see in play.

How are you not simply acting like little pawns being pushed around the board by the WOTC PR people?

You're adorable!

 

[Wormwood]

Why this sheep-like, herd-like, lemming-like thralldom to WOTC financial-driven announcements?

Did it ever occur to you that insulting people may not be the best method of initiating a conversation.

Unless...you aren't actually interested in a conversation. At all.

 

[wedgeski]

Why this sheep-like, herd-like, lemming-like thralldom to WOTC financial-driven announcements?

First, why did you have to lace your post with insults?

Second, it's natural for people who love their game to get excited about major developments. New ideas, new directions, new material... as well as new advertising dollars, and new players. Together they energise the industry. Sure we could survive on 3.5 for another year... or five... or a hundred... or pretty much forever... but the hobby would be surviving only on life support.

Third, if people are excited, they'll analyse every snippet of information they're given, and they do it knowing full well that it's Wizards' plan that they do so. Contrary to what you seem to think, none of them are idiots.

EDIT: Oh you're the guy who boasts about playing D&D having never spent a single dime on it. Well, good show for insulting the people whose hard work you're enjoying for free, and who gambled to make it possible in the first place.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Why this sheep-like, herd-like, lemming-like thralldom to WOTC financial-driven announcements?

In answer to your question:

Baaaaaaaaa!*


*If, as you say, we're sheep-like thralls without minds of our own, how could we give a sensible answer?

 

[Doug McCrae]

Because manufactured optimism is less likely to leave you with a black hole in your soul than manufactured outrage?

Good point. All else being equal, it's better to be positive than negative.

 

[Piratecat]

If you are playing 3.5 and having fun, why even bother looking at/wasting time with 4E until (at the very least) it is released for a few months, and you get a chance to read reviews and do some (free) game tests?

I played 1e and had a great time. I picked up 2e the first day it was out, and was thrilled about it; we made 2e sing, and loved the game. When 3e came out (before, actually, as we were playesting) we switched over our campaign. It was simply more fun. I strongly resisted 3.5, but it was an improvement over 3e, so it was worth it to me.

Frankly, the track record on trying new editions is pretty damn good.

I don't understand the blind fan-boy devotion

That's cool. I don't really understand the bitter cynicism a lot of people evince. It's just a game, and in my opinion shouldn't be taken all that seriously. Folks who get tremendously worked up about how they're killing D&D are a bit of a mystery to me.

Why this sheep-like, herd-like, lemming-like thralldom to WOTC financial-driven announcements?

Time to put on the admin hat. Make your point without insults next time. It's simple to do, honestly.

 

[Cadfan]

As gamers, and consumers, we know why they are doing this: again, to make money. It's not because our 3.5 games suddenly became unplayable.

I think that's an excellent point you made. 3.5 isn't unplayable, therefore, it shouldn't be updated. Please be sure to apply that to other things in your life. "This water is only a little bit brackish! I don't want municipal water purification until there's a dead zebra in my waterin' hole!"

I don't understand the blind fan-boy devotion, which is what I see in a lot of 4E threads. It is a new release of the game, released to make money. WOTC wants your money. That is the bottom line. And for this you are hopping up and down with excitement, your fistful of dollars extended?

You know, 3.5 wanted your money, too.

I guess I could write out a big explanation of what I like about 4e, but since you're obviously trolling I don't see a point. I'll just say that there are flaws in 3e, some of which are balance issues, some of which are poor design of game mechanics issues, and others of which are mismatches between flavor and mechanics. The designers of 4e seem to hold similar opinions to my own on these issues. I have no way of knowing whether they've successfully fixed them, but the fact that they speak intelligently about the flaws and why and how they occur in game play suggests that they've got a good chance of doing it. I've yet to hear of one game change that made me actually unhappy. The only one I felt even the slightest reservation on was the addition of Action Points, and only that because I don't like the Eberron version. But they've stated that they're not using the Eberron version, so I don't feel it would appropriate to be overly critical regarding this one thing.

 

[Mortellan]

iPhone had similar hype and people rushed to get it untested, now the gripes and lawsuits are starting to crop up mere months later. Hmm can we sue for our 3.5 money back?