Getting Overwhelmed by "Everything is Core"

[Lhorgrim]

I know you folks are right about using the books I have and not worrying about the newest release, it's just hard to see/hear about cool new "paradigm X" here and around the shop and feel that I'm missing something.

The funny thing is that I didn't have this problem with earlier editions. When I saw new books that were outside the Core in previous editions, I usually dismissed them as "splats" and "power creep". With 4E I don't get the feeling that they are unbalanced on their face, and I think they add positively to the game (from what I've seen so far).

The worst part is that I know it's a sales pitch. I know there's a hook in the cheese, but man do I want that cheese!

I miss the Compendium and if I can free up the cash I'll probably re-up my subscription. It was great to be able to quickly reference something that I was unsure of without digging through the books. I don't think I'll be buying any more rule books for a while because I can convince myself that after two PHBs and two DMGs there is probably going to be a diminishing of returns.

 

[john112364]

Dude, don't let the shear volume of books throw you. All you really need is the core books and whatever else you have and/or want. I do have some disposable income and I don't allow everything out there in my game. I have a DDI subsciption and everything. It's just too much information out there. It's perfectly fine to pick and choose which books to use. If you want you can expand your options as time (and resources) goes on. As I've told a reluctant player of mine: the rules aren't as important as the gameworld and the players. As long as you and your players are having fun who cares how many books you're using. Just have fun.

 

[Treebore]

I don't know for sure.

Back in the olden days when I had more disposable income I was a community supporter, and when my subscription/account expired the custom title never went away.

Yes, you got a custom title for "becoming" a community supporter, not remaining one.

I was a supporter for 2 (3?) years, plus I still support by buying a lot of PDF's via the ENWorld PDF store, so I definitely earned, and earn, to have/keep mine as well.

 

[amethal]

I don't think this is an issue with 4th edition. (Caveat - I've never actually played the darn game ...)

Rely on the players to understand what their powers do, encourage them to keep up with the errata as it applies to their characters, and reserve the right of last resort to ban something retrospectively if it should turn out to be a problem in play.

The impression I get is that most monsters straight out of MM1 can still challenge characters whose features have been cherry picked from a dozen later supplements. Solos may be the exception, as I have heard that the MM1 ones might be a bit weak.

One potential problem is skill challenges. There's been tons written about how they work or don't work, and I am now thoroughly confused. Getting DMG2 might help here.

I'd be really happy if folks with more experience of 4th edition could agree or disagree with the above!

 

[fba827]

1) Your game can run fine with just the 3 original core rule books (PHB1, DMG1, and MM1)

2) Everything else is just extra

3) Everything else is enticing (especially in this day and age where if you decide to look at a message board on the subject, etc, you're going to get "fan talk" or a preview or sales pitch, etc.)

4) Players have "less" to read so you'll find them more often excited/marveling at the extra/new stuff as it comes out because they want to try something different. If they do, just ask them for the gist of it and just find a way to work with it if you can (presuming you trust the players at least somewhat to not disrupt the game with some 'cheese' then just because they have it doesn't necessarily mean you need to read all about it and every power/ability up front)

5) if someone is really interested in something but you're still not sure, ask if you can borrow their book for a week to look it over; that's an easy way to get a look at much of the player material without actually buying it yourself (and player material is the stuff that is mostly produced, with only a couple DM-specific books each year)

it is easy to get overwhelmed, you just have to make a decision for yourself as to where you'll draw the line for your spending budget (be it $10/month or $20/quarter or 1 book/year -- whatever works for your interest level and finances) and hold firm to it.

 

[Elric]

I may not even be able to get a cohesive gaming group together, so I hate to buy into the DDI if I'm not going to get to use it enough to justify the expense.

You can keep using character builder without subscribing to DDI. You just don't get any new content. If/when you do get a group together, pay $10 for a 1-month subscription and download all of the new content since the last time you were a subscriber. If you do that every 4-6 months while playing, it's quite a bit cheaper than the ~$70 a year you'd pay for continuous updates.

Hope this helps!

 

[Alan Shutko]

On the flip side, newer books are also being used to fix problems that existed with the original game, as they develop solutions. A description of this can be found in the latest D&D podcast. Some of the changes (like stealth) are in the errata, but others are only contained in the newer books. You won't have access to all of that if you don't keep buying.

If the game as it is appeals to you, you're good to go. If you've got some nits to pick with it, you can make your own changes or keep buying books.

 

[Vartan]

I'm running my campaign with just the PHB, DMG the DM screen and DDI. I use Monster Builder for finding/creating monsters: so far I've only used monsters that I understand from my 2E/3E days, and from my browsing the MM doesn't seem to be too heavy on ecology/fluff anyway. I've also browsed DMG2 and I think it looks awesome, but I just don't have the spare money right now.

Between scouring forums, blogs, podcasts, etc. I feel like I have a solid idea of the theory behind new products as they come out: combined with DDI that works well for me. I'm also running a homebrew world, so I don't have to worry about keeping up with the latest FR/Eberron products. Homebrew design is time consuming but I like it and it's cheaper than buying more books.

My advice, especially if you already own so many books: if you have a good group and want to play or run a game then get a three-month subscription to DDI for $24; subscribe to some D&D-oriented podcasts; surf the usual sites for news/chatter/inspiration; and see how it goes. Within three months you'll know whether or not 4E is right for you.

 

[Ourph]

My recommendation is, don't worry about buying any books, just renew your DDI subscription if you want new material. If you get a group together, you can even ask some of the players to chip in on part of the ~$6 a month a yearly subscription will cost you.

 

[Aurumvorax]

The trick to DDI is to get a 1 month subscription to get all the updated material and renew it every 4 months or so. You basically save 1/2 of what you would have paid on a year subscription while still getting all the updated material.

4E is playable with the PHB. Obviously your mileage may vary especially with later sources including "fixes" (or as some will fall "feat tax") but the errata is always free and the ranger is still one of the better classes.