4th edition, what did you know and when

[TerraDave]

From the front page...play testing is at early stages. So maybe not so many people with NDAs keeping this all a secret.

But that raises the question: how are they going to finish this thing in time?

 

[der_kluge]

I suspected Mearls was doing 4th edition work when his blog included updates and "philosophical ponderings" on the Ogre Magi and Rust Monster.


I mean, why else would he be going through those monsters from a design perspective?

 

[painandgreed]

I figured it was coming out when all my insider sources at WotC dried up earlier in the year. Once they stopped telling me what they were doing and told me they couldn't tell me what they were working on, I deduced that the only thing they couldn't talk about would be 4E. Add in ex-WotC employees who said that is should have already been out by the schedule they were familiar with while working there, and the work Mike Mearls has been doing, it seems like something was up.

 

[TerraDave]

I suspected Mearls was doing 4th edition work when his blog included updates and "philosophical ponderings" on the Ogre Magi and Rust Monster.


I mean, why else would he be going through those monsters from a design perspective?

Its funny, there is a lot of "mearlsian" things being said. Remember Iron Hereos: (martial) charecters with alternative powers and less treasure dependence. Then Bo9S, still martial charecters with alternative powers, now for 4th ed...well you get the idea.

BUT: Robert Heinsoo, Andy Colins, and James Wyat are the design team. Mearls is just one of the developers. Along with Noonan and many others. Actually, I think I am going to start a new thread on this.

 

[Odhanan]

I didn't expect it that early and was surprised to see the news on ENWorld, personally.

 

[Emirikol]

I don't mean to sound like a smart-alec, but didn't we ALL know there would be a 4th edition from DAY that they put out 3.5E? Really? Who was that naieve?

jh

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I suspected when
a. when they started releasing the new subsystem like Bo9s that tend to split the player base and the second round of complete books.
b. started moving to adventures

These were things Monte warned would be a precursor.

Yep, and even without Monte's warning, just looking at history of RPGs in general showed that things like Bo9S were "end-cycle" products. Combine that with the release schedule, and it was pretty a "sure thing" (and I voted as such on the rpg.net poll a while ago).

 

[TerraDave]

I don't mean to sound like a smart-alec, but didn't we ALL know there would be a 4th edition from DAY that they put out 3.5E? Really? Who was that naieve?

jh

Sure. And I now know a 5th ed is coming. (Even if 4th ed tanked and shut down, at some point somebody would get the license and rerelease).

But these things, like so much in life, are about timing.

 

[Scott_Rouse]

Honestly, I was expecting 2009-2010, but that was predicated on the WotC rep's comment "4e is a long way away and we have lots of 3.5 product coming in 2008" -- which is not quite lying, but not exactly being honest, either.

-The Gneech

So to set the record straight I was misquoted.

If anyone has videotape or a podcast of the seminar go back and listen to what I said, you'll hear it went something like this:

"(Chuckle) I can't believe it took you guys so long to ask this one (about 4e). Look 4e is a long ways away (at that time 15months) when it comes out we'll give you plenty of advance notice (it turns out 9 months) until that time we have plenty of great products coming out through the end of the year".

I never said 2008 as it was reported. The problem for me was I knew it was wrong when it was posted on ENworld and that I would eventually get blasted for that but I could not correct the statement without laying all my cards on the table. In retrospect this was probably a mistake on my part because now there are people who felt lied too but we were always careful to never lie. I just don't know how I could have corrected the quote without tipping our hand. If any accusation could be leveled about our statements on the subject of 4e it would be that we were vague or cryptic but we don't lie.

 

[drothgery]

I don't mean to sound like a smart-alec, but didn't we ALL know there would be a 4th edition from DAY that they put out 3.5E? Really? Who was that naieve?

jh

Err... we knew there'd likely be a 4e from the day WotC bought TSR, meaning D&D would probably be around long enough to see 4e.