D&D 4E Comment about 4E designers loving D&D

[Geron Raveneye]

And that's a more sensible interpretation than the one which treats "because" as a synonym for "necessitated by".

Not that I'm not treating "because" the same way, addint to it even by limiting the necessity by stating that "only people who love..." can do that and hence make the game the best in the series yet. I just try to infer a positive interpretation based on the theory that no new WotC employee would happily and enthusiastically slander and bash the predecessor versions while praising the new designer team.

 

[CharlesRyan]

You never want to tell a customer that what you've been selling them for the last 8 years is crap. . . .

Who on earth is saying 3E is crap???

If anything, they've been saying that the core of the game isn't changing--that it's still basically the d20 system. That hardly sounds like crap.

Then they've talked about specific shortcomings that they're improving. 3E DOES have shortcomings; that doesn't make it crap.

In all the presentations, postings, blogs, and personal conversations I've had with the designers, I haven't picked up a single whiff of "3E is crap." Unless you think "we've found ways to improve upon it, and we like the improved version even better" equals "3E is crap."

 

[Geron Raveneye]

Who on earth is saying 3E is crap???

If anything, they've been saying that the core of the game isn't changing--that it's still basically the d20 system. That hardly sounds like crap.

Then they've talked about specific shortcomings that they're improving. 3E DOES have shortcomings; that doesn't make it crap.

In all the presentations, postings, blogs, and personal conversations I've had with the designers, I haven't picked up a single whiff of "3E is crap." Unless you think "we've found ways to improve upon it, and we like the improved version even better" equals "3E is crap."

Hey, that's how a lot of roleplayers treat their fellow roleplayers who come up to them with a brilliant houserule, telling them that it will fix "this" or "that" and how the old way was so clunky before. Happens to all of us, really. Okay, most of us (generalizing is no good after all ). So I guess the new design team is treated just as if they were nothing else but fellow roleplayers by people around here . In a way, it's a compliment...it means people actually take them serious enough to get emotional about the things they work on. Also means people view 4E as something different enough from 3E to be able to be a really new edition, and not just something half-assed where only enough tiny details were changed to make it incompatible enough with the previous while still being, basically, the same. And for a new edition, that's good.

I just wish there was a little more realization that you actually can love ALL editions of D&D equally, taking inspiration from all of them, and still call yourself a D&D player. But that probably would break the "every minority needs subminorities to rag on" paradigm that is so very human nature. :\

 

[Rechan]

You never want to tell a customer that what you've been selling them for the last 8 years is crap. . . .

Hm.

So, why is it after the iPod came out, the Nano came out? And then the Razor?

It's not "The iPod is crap" but "The old model is good, but we can make it better, smaller, make it run smoother".

It's called refinement, folks.

 

[MerricB]

Who on earth is saying 3E is crap???

Visit dragonsf... oh, wait... designers. Oops.

The impression I'm getting from the 4e designers is they love D&D. They love 3e... but there are bits of it that they can improve, so they're going to address those bits. The way that adventure editors look pained when you hand them a new space-hogging statblock. The way that 3e doesn't like you having more than 8 enemies vs the heroes. The way that John Cooper can demolish any new book by showing the problem math behind the creatures...

When I pick up The Keep on the Shadowfell next year, I expect I'll be able to pick up a d20 and a few other polyhedral dice, and attack the orcs with a sword, rolling a d20 to hit and a d8 for damage. Oh, and the Wizard will be able to do more in the adventure than just cast sleep once a day.

Cheers!

 

[Dr. Rock]

I find it odd that anyone would suggest that the 4E design team is going to ruin the game, or that it's a mere "money-grab" edition. Only looking at one name on the desgin team should be enough to dispel that notion: Mike Mearls. Iron Heroes Mike Mearls. 'Nuff said.

 

[Geron Raveneye]

When I pick up The Keep on the Shadowfell next year, I expect I'll be able to pick up a d20 and a few other polyhedral dice, and attack the orcs with a sword, rolling a d20 to hit and a d8 for damage. Oh, and the Wizard will be able to do more in the adventure than just cast sleep once a day.

Cheers!

Hey, stop that! You make it sound like 3E at its beginnings, when it wasn't yet bogged down by all kinds of "design improvements" and "more options". :lol. Just pick up a few dice, have a go at the orcs manning the gatehouse, and a wizard able to cast 4-6 spells per day, depending on bonus spells.

Blasphemy!!!

(And for those that don't recognize fun being poked at something when it's done...consider this a joke. )

 

[hopeless]

Nope

So you're good at manipulating facts?

He said "statistician" not "politician"!

A statistician calculates the odds, a politician alters those odds to suit their goals...
<EDITED OUT>

 

[Psion]

What the heck does he mean with that? Did they break an integer or something? How does "accidental math" make characters unbalanced?

Think of it like ad copy. "Our new improved product is better, because we use the science of the megatronic diet!" (or whatever.)

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

He said "statistician" not "politician"!

<EDIT>

I think more accurately, you should have focused more on reading the site rules, and thus avoided discussing politics (which is never allowed here). Quick, edit!