D&D 4E I'm Not Sure I Can Afford 4e

[Wolfspider]

I'll agree that the "Um..." is condescending, but the essential point is not dismissive or invalid. If that were true, then any post disagreeing with someone could be read as dismissive.

The point is valid. The OP is complaining about 4E specifically, not previous editions of D&D. The response points out that D&D has pretty much always been that way. This is perfectly valid.

Hmmm.

 

[jaer]

Guys, the4 pnp hobby will always survive. I mean seriosuly, do you see video games replacing novels and books?

Yeah I didn't think so.

As someone who works for a company that helps teachers teach kids to read...yeah, I kind of do worry about novels and books disappearing in favor on video games and (poorly written) on-line text and movies. But that is a completely different discussion.

 

[Fifth Element]

Hmmm.

Thank you for your valuable contribution.

 

[mhensley]

Can't afford it? With all the money I've saved by not buying any 3e stuff since August will more than pay for 4e. Wotc hasn't produced anything worth buying (outside of the 4e preview books which are entirely optional) in months IMO.

 

[jaer]

Maybe because the half-orc barbarian is "core" while the illumian duskblade is not? "Core" has a very specific defintion in 3.5. WotC created that definition. If you want to play some things that are "core" in 3.5 in 4.0, you have to wait a year or so and pay a lot extra. So 4.0 is shaping up to be a lot more expensive than 3.5 if you just want to use what is considered "core" in 3.5. That's the point pawsplay is trying to make. Even the 3 initial core books are about 10 dollars more a piece than the 3.5 books.

Wouldn't the $10 would be pretty close to a simple adjustment of price due to inflation? I would expect them to need to cost more, all things considered. If the prices never increased, eventually, WotC would loose money publishing books.

The rest of your arguement seems to be more against the fact that once was core now no longer is, which is a valid point, sure, but to say 4e made it more costly to play a core class/race combo that I liked isn't quite the case. 4e made it more costly to play a 3.5 core class/race combo...a core 4e combo still requires only the first 3 books.

I would expect the core from edition to edition to remain similar, but not exaclty the same. It seems to me like this is one of the biggest problems people have against 4e: it did not rehash and reprise everything core in 3.5. 4e met my expectations on this point, but seems to have failed overs.

But I will agree 4e will be expensive. As a DM, I would be buying all 3 core release books. My 5 players would pick up 4 new PHB (two of my players are married, so only need 1 book between them). I end up spending the most, and always have throughout the game: I'm the only one with 4 different books of monsters, a DMG 2, a MIC, and one of the two of us with PHB2. We all have SC. So as a group, it is very costly, but I bear the burden of most of it (not that I need all the monster books, but I like the variety).

So my group has decided to have a little reading party when 4e comes out. We're going to head to the nearest megabooks store, grab a couple copies of the core books, get some coffee, and sit down and read them. If we like what we read, we'll buy them and try the switch. If we end up not liking the changes, we'll decide against it. As the DM, I could say that I am only DMing 4e and force a switch, I guess, but I feel this is a decision we need to make as a group, and one that we need more info to actually make. All of the 4e previews have been cool, and it has gotten me excited for the new edition, but it is not enough info for me to decide whether it is worth the switch.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The prices seem quite reasonable (don´t forget how high quality DnD books are with full coulored prints etc).
D&D insider could easily be worth the money you pay for it. (Easy access to Dungeons and Dragons magazine from everywhere, handy tools, online play...) that could easily be more than you get from any MMORPG.
I think I will have fun, beeing able to access all my books from everywhere without having to carry 25lbs worth of books in my bag...

 

[Flynn]

I have similar thoughts, as I am currently a Savage Worlds convert, and can get the entire gaming system for $10. The prep issues from 3E/v3.5 were enough to make me look for a simpler yet cinematic system, and I found my ideal gaming experience through the Savage Worlds rules set.

However, that being said, I'm still a fan of D&D, and I know that most of my friends play it, so I'm currently planning on picking up five 4E books: the three core ones, and Necromancer Games' Advanced Player's Guide and Tome of Horrors 4E. I figure I can play in any 4E campaign with the three initial core books, and the other two would be necessary if I want to run a 4E game myself. With that, I really won't need any other books.

With 3E, I bought everything until I burned out from too many tomes. With v3.5, I bought the basics and the first splats, and then burned out because it felt like a repeat of 3E. Now, with 4E, I am making the choice to keep my collection lean. While I have the option to do more with 4E, I'm not going to feel compelled to do so, and will likely err on the side of not getting the book unless there's an immediate need.

Given my druthers, I'd rather play Savage Worlds, and if I'm lucky, I'll find the gamers for it. The bare bones 4E purchases are simply to cover the possibility that I may need to play 4E if I want to game at all with my friends who are diehard D&D fans.

If D&D were my main system, though, I'd probably be questioning whether I could afford another round of purchases that 4E will undoubtably inspire, either in terms of money or burn out factor.

Hope This Helps,
Flynn

 

[Piratecat]

I've gotten literally more than a thousand hours of fun out of my 3e and 3.5 core books. I expect the same from my 4e core books. Their cost will be well worth it to me.

 

[EATherrian]

I might simply buy the yearly PHB, MM and DMG, but forego The Complete Halfling Cobbler Handbook and what not.


...I learned my lesson from 2nd Ed.

Going the traditional Tolkeinesque bare-footed halfling then?

 

[Steely Dan]

Going the traditional Tolkeinesque bare-footed halfling then?

Why would I start now, considering after 20 years of DMing I have never used anything Tolkien specific (Orcs, Halflings etc).