D&D 4E How is the 4e announcement affecting your game groups?

[Set]

We have a mix of new players and old (very old) players.

The new players want to play whatever the old players are comfortable with, and can help them learn the easiest, and, at the moment, that's 3rd edition.

The older players have gotten comfortable with 3rd edition, and like the tons of options (Soulknives, Warlocks, Archivists, Dread Necromancers, Beguilers, Duskblades, etc.) that have been more recently added, and would be unlikely to show up for several years into 4th edition.

As a result, we've decided to hold off on getting the new game, and, to my surprise, one of the other players, who has just about every D&D book going back to Gods, Demigods and Heroes, has stopped buying 3.X books. He bought the 1st printing 3rd edition PHB and got annoyed when they reprinted it a few months later with some different rules, so he's stated that if he gets 4E at all, it will be six months in, when they've had time to 'fix' whatever things they don't like in the 1st print run.

We're running some adventure paths right now that should keep us going for quite some time, and then have a M&M game scheduled for 'after,' so there really isn't any room for us to monkey around with a new rules system anyway.

Once 4E is established and has a couple years under it's belt, and a suitable supply of supplements, we'll likely switch over, but it's not like the 2E to 3E conversion, where the Dragon articles had us chomping at the bit to make the jump.

 

[EricNoah]

I am involved in three groups. My group includes the DMs for my two other groups.

In my own group, there is no interest in switching. There is some academic interest in what the new rules might be like. But we are in no rush, and I have materials to last me a decade at least. I just bought DDC 51 -- Castle Whiterock -- and it looks like it might be my next campaign (maybe a year out from now). The thing that might lure me to 4E is positive reviews of the DDI character generator -- if it is flexible enough to allow me to include customizations and create different kinds of output, and can at least do what eTools does at its best, I might be on board at some point. I rely the computer too much to go back to doing scads of stats for NPCs and monsters by hand.

In group #2, the DM there will never switch, and in fact resisted 3.5. That turn of events really soured him on WotC -- he DMs from the 3.5 SRD but won't spend one more dime on D&D products at this point. His players have even suggested buying him a 3.5 DMG (comes in handy sometimes) but he doesn't want it.

In group #3, we are still in the midst of Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, which we started when 3e first came out. We'll keep marshalling on until that is done -- no end in sight, as we only play about 4 times a year. The DM there might have a spark of interest in 4E but again there is no rush, and I have not heard any players in the group express a strong desire to move on to 4E when we have only played 1 character in 3E. (Well, some have played more than one character -- unlucky bastards, PCs keep dying!)

 

[Lord Zardoz]

I have the sort of players that would probably not be playing D&D at all at the moment if I did not run the game. They enjoy the game, just not enough to go out of their way to run a D&D game themselves. Most of them also do not spend any time on En world, (except for one guy).

The attitude towards the new edition is one of general curiosity at the moment. The only real effect the new edition is having right now is that no one is buying new 3rd edition books.

I myself expect to take a look at the rules, and buy the core books. I do not know if I will switch my current game over, or if I will start a new campaign when the time comes.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[GreatLemur]

My group is play pre-reboot World of Darkness, right now, but the 4e announcement--and the rather distant release date of the new core books--might have delayed the next D&D segment of our gaming cycle a bit. At least, it's definitely one reason why, next time I find myself back in the GM seat, I won't be running D&D. I'd rather not run any more 3.5 until I know for sure what kind of D&D I'll be sticking with in the future.

Of course, there's also the fact that there are loads of other games that I want to try running, so D&D might have been delayed, anyway.

 

[Arnwyn]

Are you finding your groups split like this or solidly in one camp or another?

"Group" (singular)

My group is solidly in one camp: with the announcement of 4e, they made perfectly clear to me that they're "not going to spend money on new books, nor learn a new game".

Edit: Whoops, forgot to mention how it affects our game group: Not one bit. The only thing that's changed is that my 3e spending has exploded - I've bought tons more adventures (mostly DCCs, but also Paizo's Gamemastery adventures) that I likely never would have purchased before.

 

[sjmiller]

I am the DM of a large group (nine players and me) and only a few of them have even read anything about 4e. Those that have read about it are all opposed to changing editions. Mostly it is because they do not like what they have seen so far of the game. Those who do not have the time, or don't care to go online to read this stuff (most of the group) have listened to what those of us who have read about it and are also not interested. A couple of them are not interested due to the cost of buying new stuff. The player who just started playing a gnome illusionist is really not interested in 4e. As the DM of the group, and one of those who does not like what he has seen so far, I doubt we will be switching to 4e in the foreseeable future.

 

[helium3]

Our group will probably get copies of the books somewhere around release time. We've talked about switching a bit, and while we all like to snark about how X is "Un-fun" and and "Y is uber-cool" (ie we don't take the developer's claims of how "awesomely extreme and kick ass teh 4E is dood!" very seriously) we're all pretty open to a new edition.

That being said, contrary to what the big talking head on the projector screen told us to do, we went and started a new 3.5 campaign since Expedition to Castle Ravenloft sucked so hard (it's the Adventure Path of Dread!!) it made us cry. None of us were really as into the whole BDSM thing as the 'Loft seemed to assume we were, and the idea of having six months of zero gaming while we patiently waited for the new system to be released didn't appeal either.

So, we'll probably play a one shot pick up game with the new rules and then set them aside until I either finish converting my Heva setting to 4E or get the game to a point where a catastrophic restructuring of the cosmos is in order. Or maybe we'll take the final step towards "the change" and begin our new lives as D&D Grognards. Some of us are certainly old enough at this point.

 

[mhensley]

My group is pretty unenthusiastic about 4e and would probably rather stick with 3e. I'll make them play 4e when it comes out even if I have to tie them to their chairs.

 

[Flynn]

Among my friends and the groups we play in, I've seen the following:

* I now run the weekly sessions of my new campaign in Savage Worlds, because I don't like the GM Prep overhead of 3E/v3.5 and I want to keep out of the whole "4E Reset" issue when the new rules come out.
* I still run One Shots several times a month in various systems (v3.5/Star Wars Saga/Traveller), and those are in various systems, so no impact there. When 4E comes out, some of those One Shots will likely be 4E as well.
* I play in a biweekly v3.5 Shackled City game that will continue to be run under v3.5 for the duration of the campaign. We're currently 6th level, so that'll be a while before that ends.
* Two of my GM friends started running Fantasy HERO instead of 3E/v3.5, and have left D20 behind.
* One of my GM friends is using Fantasy Concepts to start a campaign this month.
* One of my GM friends is going to run Savage Worlds/Pirates of the Spanish Main until 4E comes out and he can check out the rules.
* Several of us are planning to have a Memorial Day Massacre, um, I mean, long day of playing Keep Of The Shadowfell to try 4E out.

For the most part, I see groups either moving away from v3.5 to other systems, or doggedly sticking to v3.5 no matter what. No one is really planning on going to 4E immediately, although quite a few of us are picking up the rules when they come out. I'll run some One Shots and stuff to get my feet wet, and when my current Savage Worlds campaign ends sometime in 2009 or 2010, I'll be in a better position to start a 4E game if the system appeals to me. Right now, I'm mildly optimistic, but like many of us, I am reserving final judgment until I can see the rules.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[Dragon Snack]

This is actually my biggest concern about 4.0. I think it will tear my D&D group apart...

Player 1: Pro 4.0 all the way. Last character was a Crusader and new PC is a Warlock - 'preview' classes for 4.0. Buys tons of games that we will *NEVER* play already - doesn't need an excuse to buy.

Player 2: New, with a minimum investment in 3.x. Was interested at first, but his interest has waned since he has found all the options in 3.x and likes them.

Player 3: Anti-4.0, but I should point out he was anti-3.5 before it came out and then became one of the biggest proponents for it in our group (along with Player 1). However, he has bought tons of books, created his own 3.5 database that he uses to create PCs, and is a *HUGE* FR fan (he is the reason we play in the FR) that is NOT happy with what they are doing to the setting - so I don't see him changing his opinion as fast as he did with 3.5 (he was playing a Dwarf at the time, hmm).

Player 4: Anti-4.0, but this may have more to do with Player 3's opinions. He doesn't have the time to check out all the new info, so he doesn't have full knowledge of what's coming down the pike. From his play style I think he may like what's coming, but money may also be an issue with him (easier to say he doesn't like it than to say he can't afford it).

Player 5: An odd one. Likes 3.x, but only ever bought the 3.0 PHB and a used 3.5 "Pocket PHB". He's not adverse to trying out new systems, but rarely invests heavily in them. He actually has been picking up my Savage Worlds book and reading it before game - I think he would just as soon try that out as 4.0.

DM (myself): Meh, I'm not impressed. I've yet to be sold on 4.0, in fact the previews have done more to turn me off than excite me. The few things I like about what I've seen can be easily house ruled into my 3.x game. I'm not seeing the "easier to DM" aspect, but I don't think 3.5 is so awful to run in the first place - but I haven't ruled out DMing 4.0. I have ruled out ever playing in a 4.0 game though, since the power-up, fluff, and changed assumptions just don't jive with what I like about playing a character.
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My Savage Worlds group will most likely be sticking with Savage Worlds. I used to run a 3.0 game with them and some of the players were in another D&D game, but they don't really care for D&D.
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My "other" group (was Serenity, then SWSE, now playing Champions - which I declined to join, hence the quotes) will probably change from what I've seen. They seem to like the higher powered games (another option before SWSE was a high level D&D game), plus they like to jump systems (as if you couldn't tell).