Is WotC's policy of no 4.5 good or bad?

[UngainlyTitan]

Sounds great in theory. Does 4E have a SRD available to DDI subscribers? If so then I haven't found it yet.

I did ignore rules that we didn't need. Once we started needing them where were they? In a rules splatbook thats where.

It is my belief that the Compendium will be this. An online SRD for the base rules may come eventually but I believe it will be later when they have worked out how to leverage the online fan community a-la Gleemax and the VTT.
We are in a transition period at the moment, and not just in D&D

The essentials will be there as pointed out by DEFCON1 to recruit new players and the Compendium will be the basic rules references. Pretty much everything else is in the various builders.

One thing that will impact on it is how fast the world in general is going to transition to purely electronic publication.
I suspect that within 10 years or maybe even less very few people will be buying books in paper format. And those that still do will be buying hardbacks only for the pleasure of owning a physical book.

 

[DEFCON 1]

One thing that will impact on it is how fast the world in general is going to transition to purely electronic publication. I suspect that within 10 years or maybe even less very few people will be buying books in paper format. And those that still do will be buying hardbacks only for the pleasure of owning a physical book.

Exactly. We're going to see a proliferation of e-readers and iPads and netbooks and the like, bringing all books directly to the table. Couple this with the D&D program those Carnegie-Mellon kids created for the Microsoft Surface, plus the basic programming that had done for the VTT and the character designer... I think what would become '5E' will actually just be a completely digital initiative with the game rules streamlined into a workable computer program. So not only can you use them at your physical table (with Dungeons Tiles and/or digital projection maps and/or Microsoft Surface), but you'll also be able to play it online like they originally hoped they were going to do for 4E.

It's going to happen. The only question is how fast will the technology become so prolific that most players will be able to use it.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I suspect that within 10 years or maybe even less very few people will be buying books in paper format. And those that still do will be buying hardbacks only for the pleasure of owning a physical book.

Yeah, I've heard that exact prediction before. In 1992, I think it was.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Yeah, I've heard that exact prediction before. In 1992, I think it was.

I have probably read more novels on my iphone in the last year than I have had in the previous 2 years. I could not have done that in 1992.

 

[Tony Vargas]

OTOH, I also heard the prediction, in 1992, that we'd have 'movies on deman' over the internet in 10 years - and, 18 years later, we do.

 

[doctorhook]

I searched there. Is there a decent rules index there? My search fu must suck because I couldn't find the basic rules that explain how beast companions & familiars work.

I could find all of the various companions & familiars and their stats but not the rules for them. If it's in there then it is not very intuitive to find. If not, then the Comp is not like a SRD at all.

You really like to flog that "No companion or familiar rules in D&DI!" horse, don't you?

 

[UngainlyTitan]

OTOH, I also heard the prediction, in 1992, that we'd have 'movies on deman' over the internet in 10 years - and, 18 years later, we do.

Well you did have them 10 years later, just not legally. The bulk of the issues with movies on demand had legal/priacy and fears of canabilising the existing business model.

Books are being sold right now on electronic devices, it is just that there are issues with price and form factors and availibility of books.

 

[Jhaelen]

I think the issue with 3.5 was you really did have to buy new books as any changes in 3.x tended to cascade through out the system and not buying the 3.5 books meant that you could not buy future D&D books.

You must have missed my post, since I'm living proof that you're wrong

 

[Jhaelen]

I literally hate people who are buying a lot of the physical books. It is a burning enmity that I carry always in my mind, vowing retribution with every breath.

For one thing, they are a multitude, and thus they skew the product sales towards rules. The so-called crunchy bits. With the advent of DDI and the character builder, why do you need books on rules? Rules for new powers, feats, and paragon paths are only important when you go to create or level-up a new character.

Why not read something interesting, like new adventure modules or adventure theme books (Underdark, Plane Below etc.)? Why not purchase things that are fun, like miniatures and interlocking terrain tiles?

Err, what?! Are you nuts?
What about people buying all of these products? How am I skewing product sales towards rules if I'm buying both PHB3 and Plane Below?

I happen to enjoy buying physical books and slowly building up my own library. E-tools will never change that, no matter how sophisticated.

Thinking about it some more, I think, I literally hate people hating people who are buying a lot of the physical books

 

[abyssaldeath]

You really like to flog that "No companion or familiar rules in D&DI!" horse, don't you?

I don't know if he brings up that topic a lot, but there are all kinds of things that are important to playing that aren't in the compendium. Sure the compendium has most of the bits and pieces, but it is missing all the information that ties those rules together. On top of that you need to know what your looking for in the first place and put in the proper search parameter. The compendium, as is, can not replace the books when it comes to learning how to play the game. Try looking up "making an attack" or even what [w] means.