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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 5295668" data-attributes="member: 66434">I believe that it IS good for it's own sake at times. Why shouldn't a game driven primarily by the imagination of it's participants feature a good portion of user generated content?  Original D&D was an incomplete design- by design.   Why can't they do that still, and why have a DM at all if everything is done for him/her right out of the box. Autopilot game rules might get you a DM faster but will it get you a good one? I don't think it's fair for a game to offer such rich choices and options for all participants save one and expect that person to approach the game with enthusiasm.     A core stack of almost 900 pages of material spread across 3 hardback books does not scream 'easy to learn, easy to run' for the complete newb IMHO. To a new potential rpg player, having to commit to that amount of material before getting to play is an unrealistic expectation. Remember that the 4E initial product releases were primarily aimed at existing gamers. My concerns with the redbox basic set approach have to do with the old bait and switch game. The level of complexity in such a basic box compared to the game it introduces seems more like an advertisement than a game. What I mean by this is will a complete newb get the redbox, play with it, think that they know how the game works and be completely blindsided by the content in the rest of the products?  Compare this to the 1983 redbox. The game was simple, only covered levels 1-3 and was priced well for easy entry into the game. The rules in that set remained the basis for the D&D game thereafter, meaning that the content in the redbox was still relevant after future releases. No product followed the redbox saying "oh yeah here is another 45 pages of rules explaining how combat really works.    This is undoubtedly true.   If 4E works for you as is then you can ignore essentials and keep going right? That's what 3.5 fans were told about 4E and it's still true.  Of course everything being balanced has it's own price too. Unrestricted magic items means that they have to suck so much that nobody cares about them anyway.  The wisdom in the 1E DMG is still holding up IMHO. " That which is obtained too easily is often held in contempt."  I'm going to throw out an iconic item here to test the theory. vorpal weapon Think about your level of excitement upon hearing the DM announcing the discovery of such an item in a 1E game, then compare that to the excitement that would be felt at a 4E game.  Balance must sometimes be sacrificed on the altar of awesome in order to produce the kind of excitement this game has to offer.</blockquote>

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