D&D 4E D&D 4E Presentation videos

[Uder]

No, it's isn't. David Noonan stated that his Eberron playtest group's highest tech item was a 3 ring binder.

There is significant added value if you do have a computer.

I hope this isn't too obvious: it's only an added value if it doesn't cost anything. If the price of the books is jacked up, then not using a computer with the game nets a reduced value.

I'm pretty turned off at this point. Money grubbing makes my inner mule ornry. I'm starting to feel my mental "feet" setting in against this new edition, regardless of the merits of the actual rules.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

I'm fine with $10/month. Maybe even $15. $20 would be pushing it.

My problem is that's per person. That's a sizeable chunk of cash they're raking in. $50/month from a 4-player plus 1 DM group. That's a lot.

Where I think this will hurt them is with new (young) players; exactly the people they need to attract.

 

[Cevalic]

Those two are awful at giving a presentation. A minor gripe, I know. But I couldnt even watch all of the videos.

I'm on the fence about DI. Will have to see what they show in the coming months, and how well it would work to play a game over the internet. I always thought it might be good to try using paltalk, but that wouldnt work out completely, so I am intrested in that aspect of it.

 

[Mercule]

I hope this isn't too obvious: it's only an added value if it doesn't cost anything. If the price of the books is jacked up, then not using a computer with the game nets a reduced value.

Argh! This is frustrating.

They are offering extra tools on the computer. You can use them or not. Some you may have to pay for because they are premium items.

Based on what I've seen so far, saying, "Great, 4E requires a computer," is like seeing PCGen, Dunjinni, etc. and saying, "3.5 requires a computer." It doesn't. But, there are tools that you can use with a computer that may improve your play experience. Seriously, there is nothing to indicate that you need a computer for 4E any more than you need one for 3.5.

The difference is that WotC is adding computer support for 4E. Almost since 3E was released, people have been lamenting the lack of official, quality tools for character and campaign management. WotC is finally adding these things and people are complaining? Ironic, but not unexpected. I wonder why WotC doesn't cave to everything said on the web.

Myself, I'll probably sign up for the DI. I have zero interest in the virtual tabletop or playing a live game through the web -- ever. But, I really, really like getting a digital copy of my book that is automatically errataed and searchable. And, get this: WotC said months ago that all DI subscription content would be downloadable and maintainable even if you ended your subscription.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Everything I'm hearing about the game system proper, I am really getting interested in - what they are doing with classes, races and abilities.

The whole D&D Insider, and the online tools - well I never ever play online (even years ago when I played Doom), so any of the play online things are useless to me. There seems to be at least as much emphasis on minis (or more with the description of the battlefield as being another character) and I don't play with mini's now; then what percentage of the cool stuff for the game will be online only. That makes me uninterested...

So it will be a wait and see thing. Right now I am of the opinion that I like the game, I hate the business model.

 

[Gargauth]

Those two are awful at giving a presentation. A minor gripe, I know. But I couldnt even watch all of the videos.

Man I'm glad someone else noticed this. It was awful. As you say, perhaps a minor point but not a smart way to introduce things. For one thing, they seemed nervous and even a bit scared. I can understand that in front of what turned into a somewhat hostile audience by the sounds I could hear. However, what really bothered me is that it seemed completely unrehearsed and unenthusiastic. If they want ME to be excited, they should try sounding excited themselves.

 

[The Grumpy Celt]

Oh, so I watched the teaser for 4th Ed and now I'm wondering... do I need a guy from what I think is Northern Germany to narrate the history of the game to make 4E work, or is he optional?

I'm reserving judgement...

 

[F4NBOY]

Oh, so I watched the teaser for 4th Ed and now I'm wondering... do I need a guy from what I think is Northern Germany to narrate the history of the game to make 4E work, or is he optional?

I'm reserving judgement...

That guy is really annoying. I'd like to punch his face.
Not that I would punch his face, but the thought passed through my mind.

 

[sckeener]

I'm not liking the unique serial numbers being needed to unlock content for characters...namely I do not want to buy multiple copies of the same book just so my wife can play with the same options.

When I enter that serial it better unlock content per household.

 

[MerricB]

Does this mean I can buy a book, input the code, and then sell the book? What happens to the poor guy that buys a second-hand book when the code has already been used?

The "poor guy" should know in advance that the code only works for a new book. Days of Wonder do this already with all their boardgames. You get a codekey that allows you to access their online games for 6 months with each purchase. There's a similar keycard packaged in the World of Warcraft CCGs. Hmm - and those cards you get for extending WoW credit...

This isn't something that hasn't been used before by gaming companies. It's just new to D&D.

Cheers!