A letter in support of 4e

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Y ... You ... you just paraphrased a line from "I have no mouth and I must scream" into praise (Creepy stalker praise, but praise.)

I think that may be the most perverse thing I've ever seen on the internet. Kudos.

Duh, it's hong!

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Well, I won't endorse a letter praising a game to a man who is not a gamer, and other than strategic direction, probably had nothing to do with the game that's actually in yours and my hands.



However, I would write the following letter:



Dear Mr. Rouse and all gamers who work for WotC and were instrumental in the creation of 4E:

...a bunch of stuff in between...

Hang in there and, GAME ON!

THIS letter I can fully support.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I also fully support El Mahdi's letter.


4e isn't for me, but it IS a good game.


That is entirely separate from the more "corporate" actions of the company, with which I am quite dissapointed.

 

[Pbartender]

THIS letter I can fully support.

I also fully support El Mahdi's letter.

Yeah! I fully endorse your letter, El Mahdi. Classy, and sums it up pretty durn well.

XP++

That said, I much rather endorse the letter you wrote for several reasons,

I'm no fan of 4Ed, but I think sending those letters is damn classy.

Good on ya!

I second this motion.

Hey, guys...

I'm not so certain El Mahdi actually sent his letter to anyone. Take note:

However, I would write the following letter:

Correct me if I'm wrong, El Mahdi.

 

[JeffB]

Pretty much my sentiments

Here as well. I'm not sure I'd say the 4E guys are the BEST there is *, as the OP wrote, but thats about the only thing I can really disagree with.






*WOTC Sorely needs some people who can actually write good adventure material- and have needed them for the past 10-12 years. I don't understand either- Goodman & Necro pump out solid module after module over their entire company history (with a very few clunkers) why can't WOTC?

 

[Hussar]

*WOTC Sorely needs some people who can actually write good adventure material- and have needed them for the past 10-12 years. I don't understand either- Goodman & Necro pump out solid module after module over their entire company history (with a very few clunkers) why can't WOTC?

Yeah, that Kevin Kulp guy, man, he's a complete hack. Same goes for that Marmell character. I mean, who lets these guys in the door.

 

[alleynbard]

*WOTC Sorely needs some people who can actually write good adventure material- and have needed them for the past 10-12 years. I don't understand either- Goodman & Necro pump out solid module after module over their entire company history (with a very few clunkers) why can't WOTC?

I can see that, though I would argue Dungeon more than makes up for what you are saying. My group has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of Wizards' modules over the years. I rather like the work of Bruce Cordell and Mike Mearls. But I will admit I have often used them more as guidelines rather than run them as written. But then, I do that with all modules, not just the Wizards material. I am more of a homebrewer so I use this material as inspiration.

But Goodman does write a mean module. I love their work.

I still think they are the best team in the industry but this should not, in any way, make it seem like I don't think there are other, fantastic designers out there with the same potential. In fact, to prove my point, I should state I really appreciate the work being done by Goodman (the Dragonborn book was great), One Bad Egg (Cultures and Armies are both top notch, as is the Shroud material), and XRP (who has always had a home at my table). I am discovering new 3rd parties everyday, mostly thanks to Jack99's effective ultra-short reviews. As everyone explores the intricacies of the new rules set, the 3rd party material will only get better. Which makes me a very excited gamer.

 

[JeffB]

Yeah, that Kevin Kulp guy, man, he's a complete hack. Same goes for that Marmell character. I mean, who lets these guys in the door.

What adventure did Kevin write? I did love me some OSM.

As for Ari- I love & respect the guy, enjoy getting his view on things, thought his work on the APG was very good, but not a huge fan of his adventure material.

Sorry- WOTC puts out alot of consistently "meh" adventures- since late 2E through 3e, and into 4E.

 

[Klaus]

What adventure did Kevin write? I did love me some OSM.

As for Ari- I love & respect the guy, enjoy getting his view on things, thought his work on the APG was very good, but not a huge fan of his adventure material.

Sorry- WOTC puts out alot of consistently "meh" adventures- since late 2E through 3e, and into 4E.

Kevin wrote Haven of Bitter Glass, from a recent Dungeon.

And yeah, good work on them letters.

 

[alleynbard]

I just wanted to say thank you El Mahdi. Thank you for being respectful in expressing your opinion on the subject. I appreciate it.

Good letter. If you haven't, maybe you should think about sending it. I think Wizards of the Coast needs to have all view points laid out for them, and letter writing is a very direct way of doing it.

I directed my letter to Greg Leeds because he is likely getting the bulk of the mail right now. And while I think everyone has the right to express their opinions of D&D and the Wizards' corporate policy, I thought he and his staff would appreciate the praise. I am not trying to marginalize the honest and respectful complaints in anyway. I just wanted to let the staff know how I felt.

I hope the praise does get passed on. But, I will also state here that I especially appreciate The Rouse, who has done a bang up job keeping communication lines open. I also enjoy reading the thoughts and motivations of all the designers, most notably Mike Mearls. His blog, Keep on the Gaming Lands, is a good read. I enjoy his insights and I respect that he, along with many others at Wizards, are "old school" players like me.

And just because I didn't name someone here doesn't mean I purposefully omitted them. Every designer at Wizards is working on a game they believe in. I appreciate that level of dedication as well. Thank you guys for all that you are doing.

Well, I won't endorse a letter praising a game to a man who is not a gamer, and other than strategic direction, probably had nothing to do with the game that's actually in yours and my hands.



However, I would write the following letter:



Dear Mr. Rouse and all gamers who work for WotC and were instrumental in the creation of 4E:

As a long time gamer and devoted fan of D&D, I wanted to write you concerning the game and the direction it has been going in. I am certain you have recently received a number of letters expressing dislike at the new path 4e is blazing, and in the general direction which the company is heading in. In light of that, I'd like to say that the direction of the company is not your fault. And, even though I don't play 4E as my preferred edition, all of you have created a wonderful game that has brought many new players into our hobby, and made many long time gamers re-invested in the hobby. Even though, as a whole, I prefer 3E, there are a lot of things in 4e which are sheer genius. And, the ongoing ideas and settings coming out of R&D are as rich and enjoyable as at any other time in the history of D&D. Job well done, and keep up the good work.

Whether 3E, 4E, or any other edition or game, I would greatly enjoy gaming with any of you if I ever have the good fortune of someday crossing paths.

Hang in there and, GAME ON!


Sincerely,
Mark "El Mahdi" Armstrong
Devoted "Gamer" (not devoted "Customer") since 1994