Essentials - Will you be getting it?

[MrMyth]

I have DDI so clearly Essential will get integrated into my game. But given that it involves no rules changes, I'm not entirely sure what it would mean to go essentials only.

It just means you are only using classes and races from Essentials. No different, really, than saying "PHB only" or "No Psionics" or any other restrictions countless home games have put in place before.

In this case, since it is designed for new players and thus designed to stand on its own even while being compatible with the rest of the game... some see this as a good opportunity for a more limited game. Thus, avoiding the potential 'option bloat' from the various sourcebooks and supplements currently available.

 

[IronWolf]

Very probably will pick up the red box set if only for nostalgia than anything else.

I am content with Pathfinder for my games but I can see myself picking up the red box set for nostalgia, but not with intentions of actually playing it.

 

[Jhaelen]

Strange poll options - definitely _not_ worded neutrally.

I'm still playing 3e, but I've been planning on playing 4e. Essentials doesn't have any effect on this. I'm not going to get it - at least not right away. It's supposed to stay in print forever, so why hurry?

The price seems to be very low, though, so I may get it, piece by piece, simply to add to other orders to get into the free postage zone. It's how I acquired Hammerfast - and that has definitely been a product I enjoyed.

 

[Stormonu]

I'll be picking up the red box (maybe Rules Compendium) and playing 4E with the wife and kids, but 3E/Pathfinder will remain my system of choice.

 

[MortonStromgal]

I'll pick it up to check it out but to date I have never liked any version of the D&D rules. From when Dwarf was a class onward. The worlds have always been the selling point and occasionally worth converting to a system I enjoy. My guess is there will still be too much 4e for me to get into it.

 

[Jasperak]

Currently I consider myself a retro game player, but am slightly interested in essentials. I doubt I pick it up but won't rule it out either. A +6 or +7 to hit at first level? Yeah, doesn't look like they fixed what I dislike about 4e.

 

[deganawida]

I'm currently playing in a 2e campaign which has co-opted 4e's skill challenges. We tried 4e as late as January, and some people couldn't grasp it, while the rest of us were feeling that something was missing, an emptiness from our 2e days which we filled up with creativity in combat. So, we went back to 2e as mentioned, with regrets, because we all liked a lot of the 4e ideas.

Now, though, 4e seems to be calling back to all of us through the use of the Essentials line. As I mentioned in another thread, I will be putting together an Essentials-only campaign for our group to run when the DM wants a break. I'm limiting the PCs to the first four classes and five races to start, with the option to switch in a character from the second book later on. I'm instituting name-level style play in the Paragon tier, and will probably borrow the systems for that from Birthright. Finally, everything will be set in PoLand, though I'll pick and choose what elements I want to carry across.

The goal with all this is to take updated mechanics and mix it with nostalgia to make a unique experience for my players.

 

[TheNovaLord]

nope

pathfinder remains my epic fantasy game of choice and where my gaming pounds will be spent

 

[TarionzCousin]

I am calling out the spoon-flingers here. It's very suspicious....

Connorsrpg, Deset Gled, Jhaelen, Tharian, vagabundo

 

[Dykstrav]

Probably not.

I played 4E for a while (over a year) and DMed a campaign into the mid-paragon tier, but those days are basically over. I'm not saying that I hate 4E or that WotC ate my kittens or anything... But the expectations of the typical 4E player that I have encountered do not mesh with my own ideas about what makes a good game. The "static" I have with most of the local 4E players has encouraged me to look to other venues.

For now, Pathfinder is my D&D of choice. I'll certainly check out Essentials products at my FLGS, but unless some of the assumptions of the game have changed, I probably won't be interested in DMing 4E again. I may consider playing with the right people, but the investment in new products will probably not be worth it to me.