Encounters- Essentials Only, Moving Forward...

[UniversalMonster]

Look for the same dudes on forums to try to put the most unlikely alarmist spin on everything related to 4e imaginable.

Seriously, guys.

This next season is the "try out D&D Essentials" season. That doesn't mean every season will be.

 

[Neverfate]

I would imagine, going into next year (2011) we will see a similar spin on Encounters Season X. I would imagine "Heroes of Shadow", the new Forgotten Realms Book (as well as future changes in LFR) and the next Player's Handbook (which will feature themes) will all have a spotlight in Encounters. I don't know what format these books will be in, but I can imagine not all of them will disregard all other books, but are more likely to focus on the specific book at release.

Or WotC might require you actually show up to your FLGS with old books in hand, and you can only play Encounters by burning them before hand. Because, they are in fact, inherently evil.

(see, I can play to both sides)

 

[ExploderWizard]

This next season is the "try out D&D Essentials" season. That doesn't mean every season will be.

Of course not. Essentials will only be brand new for this season. Later seasons will focus on newer offerings. Essentials core products will be old news by then. I do think Encounters has seen it's last season of pre-essentials materials though.

 

[Vael]

Really doesn't bother me since I'm planning on DMing next season. It's logical, DDE is supposed to be easily accessible and that's part of the point of the new Essentials builds.

 

[Imaro]

Look for the same dudes on forums to try to put the most unlikely alarmist spin on everything related to 4e imaginable.

Seriously, guys.

This next season is the "try out D&D Essentials" season. That doesn't mean every season will be.

From the "Keep" adventure out... yeah, it will be Essentials + new stuff. That means no Warlords, Bards, Psionics, etc. unless they create Essentialized versions of these things. But wait, it's so much easier to just dismiss stuff out of hand than it is to actually read and give thought to what you're posting about for some people.

 

[Reaper Steve]

Last night at Encounters we had a girl show up that hadn't played in 3-4 years (and was therefore new to 4E.) But never fear, a friend--who wasn't with her--helped her make a character to bring.

Yeah... that character was a Tiefling Hybrid Ardent/Fighter... and the player had never played 4E. And all the player wanted to do (and could fundamentally grasp with zero 4E experience) was charge things and hit them. I really would have liked to have had the Game Day Human Slayer previewed last night to hand to her instead.

So, I'm all for Essentials as the "on ramp" to Encounters.

 

[MrMyth]

So then why the paragraph about LFR and drinking from the hose for character creation... I'm not reading anything into it... I 'm reading what is there on the page.

What is there on the page says that Encounters this season will be limited to the two Essentials books. It implies that future seasons may be limited as well, but at no points says that those limits will always be Essentials and Newer content only.

Could you be right? Maybe. But that is cerainly not what they are saying right now, and interpreting what they are saying as, "Pre-Essentials material will never again show up in D&D Encounters" is absolutely reading something into it that isn't there.

Feel free to state that this season is Essentials only (as that is what they have said.) Feel free to speculate that future seasons may never incorporate any other series or books except newly released ones (you could well be right). But I think it is premature to claim authoritatively that this is stating that "moving forward no PHB1,2 or 3 characters. Not for a season but for good."

 

[Imaro]

What is there on the page says that Encounters this season will be limited to the two Essentials books. It implies that future seasons may be limited as well, but at no points says that those limits will always be Essentials and Newer content only.

Could you be right? Maybe. But that is cerainly not what they are saying right now, and interpreting what they are saying as, "Pre-Essentials material will never again show up in D&D Encounters" is absolutely reading something into it that isn't there.

Feel free to state that this season is Essentials only (as that is what they have said.) Feel free to speculate that future seasons may never incorporate any other series or books except newly released ones (you could well be right). But I think it is premature to claim authoritatively that this is stating that "moving forward no PHB1,2 or 3 characters. Not for a season but for good."

Are we reading the same thing?? Seriously, that is what it says... In fact here's a link to the thread on WotC's site so you can see that what I 'm saying is backed up over there...

http://community.wizards.com/dungeo...Keep_on_the_Borderlands&post_num=36#462487281

 

[Scribble]

Yeah sounds like they're going to showcase their encounters as the starting point for people new to D&D.

Then whatever that "New Program" is coming in 2011- will probably be for the people who want to continue with D&D but no longer need a "starting point."

Encounters- People just starting with D&D (and thus using the starter rules)

New Thing- People with more experience in D&D.


I'll reserve entire judgement until I see whatever the new thing is, but it sounds like a decent plan at least.

 

[UniversalMonster]

Are we reading the same thing?? Seriously, that is what it says...

You realize that Encounters is a marketing program that focuses on whatever it is they are trying to showcase, right?

Locking it down to a very narrow selection of player content..forever..just doesn't make any sense.

Now, it's not going to matter for a long time since this season is going to be 20 encounters long anyway. But still.