Class Popularity?

[I'm A Banana]

Well, I wouldn't say this is a 4e thing. It basically boils down to one very basic human emotion:

It's loads of fun to roll a bunch of dice and say "take that damage!" and see your enemies go splat.

It's more fun to do that than to heal, slide minis around, block, or any one of a number of things.

Strikers encapsulate the most entertaining aspect of D&D combat: rolling damage.

For this reason, I think it's a bit sad that "striker" is a distinct role, and not something that any ol' character can do given half a chance.

I also think this is partially to blame for the ninjae-ization of the rogue, but that's MOSTLY a separate issue.

But yeah, damage = fun, so strikers = damage = fun.

 

[Cryptos]

I think that ranger outstrips rogue in popularity in this edition because of versatility, and that this accounts for its dominance in the striker role at this time. This may change after Martial Power.

I can't be the only one that does this, but at this point I'm more inclined to make a human or eladrin (extra skill training) ranger with thievery through a feat (multiclass or skill training) than to make a rogue, simply because of a rogue's weapon restrictions. Melee rangers seem more swashbuckler than the rogue class, archery rangers with "thief"-like skills seem more like "rogues" in the vein of Garret (Thief: the Dark Project), or even Robin Hood's men, than the rogue class (the ranged trickster.) Even the "iconic" rogue in the D&D parody Order of the Stick, Haley Starshine, would work better in 4e as a Ranger with Rogue multiclass (mainly for the thievery skill, but also because her actual invocation of sneak attacks is usually on the order of once per encounter or less.)

For the most part, 90% of the time when I set out to make a rogue for 4th edition, I wind up making a Ranger.

Most of the roguish characters I've played in the past haven't been of the charismatic or 'brute' models that the 4th edition rogue seems to favor. For those, I'd probably build using the actual rogue class. For me, my roguish characters have been of the athletics + acrobatics + perception + stealth + thievery Dex-based style... and for that, you might as well just build a ranger and not have to rely on the slightly more complex sneak attack damage adder when you can just mark with Hunter's Quarry for more reliable additional damage.

"Rogue" prior to 4th edition involved some non-combat things you could only get with that class (for the most part.) Anyone can do those things for the group now with the right skill training. (And thank the deities for that, because the actual 4th edition Rogue class bugs me for various minor reasons.)

So I think right now the ranger is enjoying its own popularity plus the popularity of several popular styles of "rogue." It remains to be seen if this will change as more options become available for the actual Rogue. But there will be additional options for the Ranger, as well, so Rangers may continue to outstrip rogues.

 

[the Jester]

So far, my 4e campaign has had the following classes played:

2xRogue
2xWarlord
2xWizard

1xCleric
1xFighter
1xWarlock

0xPaladin
0xRanger

So my experience doesn't match yours. I suspect it just varies from group to group, though. And let me just add, in the module game I run, which I'm not counting above cuz most of the pcs are playtest characters, one of the non-playtester pcs is a ranger.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

Party 1: Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, Warlord, Ranger, Warlock, Wizard. (I play the wizard)

Party 2: Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Warlock, Wizard. (I DM)

The strikers do nice damage, and the wizard can do even more in the right circumstances, but I think the defenders and leaders are more essential. In 4e, everyone can do damage.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm definitely a striker fan. My general philosophy is "Needs More Grappling Hook", and Rangers, Rogues, and Warlocks feel like the best fit for grappling hooks in 4E so far

(In the 4E PbP I'm running at the moment, three of the five PCs have swung on ropes so far... and we haven't quite finished Round 1 of the first combat )

-Hyp.

 

[Brasswatchman]

Here's the current standings on the stats the chargen has collected:

Fighter - 18.79%
Wizard - 13.38%
Rogue - 12.34%
Paladin - 12.34%
Warlock - 12.31%
Ranger - 12.18%
Warlord - 9.46%
Cleric - 9.21%

Really, the only one that seems disproportionately popular is Fighter. I suppose that's because a lot of people are still learning 4e, and the Fighter seems like the obvious choice for someone who's still figuring how to hit things.

Anyone who wants a pretty picture of said stats can find one here.

 

[Remathilis]

DM: 1 fighter, 1 cleric, 1 wizard, 1 warlock. Had a swordmage and a warlord.

Play: 1 swordmage, 1 paladin, 1 ranger (had a rogue). Very small group!

 

[Jack99]

Breakdown of my group:
Ranger
Wizard, died and rerolled a ranger, died and rerolled a cleric
Warlord, died and rerolled a rogue
Rogue, died and rerolled a warlock
Paladin, died and rerolled a wizard
Warlock
Fighter, died and rerolled a fighter, died again and hasn't rerolled yet.

Paladin
Fighter (2)
= 3 defenders

Cleric
Warlord
= 2 leaders

Ranger (2)
Rogue (2)
Warlock (2)
= 6 strikers

Wizard (2)
= 2 controllers

 

[justanobody]

Here's the current standings on the stats the chargen has collected:

Fighter - 18.79%
Wizard - 13.38%
Rogue - 12.34%
Paladin - 12.34%
Warlock - 12.31%
Ranger - 12.18%
Warlord - 9.46%
Cleric - 9.21%

Really, the only one that seems disproportionately popular is Fighter. I suppose that's because a lot of people are still learning 4e, and the Fighter seems like the obvious choice for someone who's still figuring how to hit things.

Anyone who wants a pretty picture of said stats can find one here.

That thing does more than I expected it does! Sad thing is I keep working with warlocks and they are still low on the list. So it seems nobody still wants to play clerics......

 

[Shroomy]

That thing does more than I expected it does! Sad thing is I keep working with warlocks and they are still low on the list. So it seems nobody still wants to play clerics......

Its not just cleric, its both of the leaders from the PHB. I guess the heal-bot stigma remains, at least for the users of this chargen. Though, its nice to see that the fighter is getting some love here.