D&D 4E Merric's thoughts on 4e

[Cadfan]

The online stuff with Gleemax also falls into the "not important to me" category. If its good, I'll use it. If not, I never had a subscription to any of the magazines in the past, nor did I have an online character generator, nor did I have an online gaming table. And WOTC does seem to be scrupulously separating costs so that my book purchase doesn't include a hidden payment for Gleemax content. So I imagine I'll keep playing like I always did.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

So, here comes 4e, and obviously, it'll fix all the problems I have with 4e. Right?

Heh. Who knows? I certainly don't.

There's one thing that has been very nice throughout the 3e era: I've felt like I was Wizards' target audience. Not always, but for most of it.

Bang! You hit the nail on the head.

It's amazing to see several ENWorld community pillars with reservations, such as you and Psion and others. I hope Wizards can fix all of this because there are some really excellent people over there trying to do the right thing and give us a new iteration of D&D.

 

[Scribble]

Does Gleemax have the option to have an RSS feed of the blogs?

If not, WHY NOT???

 

[Howndawg]

This highlights one of my major worries with 4e: with every class getting at-will, per-encounter and per-day powers, what options will there be for new or casual players? In 3e, and from memory in 1e as well, the fighter and barbarian were the most common introductory classes, and remained popular with players who just wanted to play without keeping track of a lot of complicated rules.

Will there be equivalent classes in 4e? From what I've read so far the spellcasters may be simpler, but the fighters sound more complex.

That is one thing that has been half bothering me as well. I say half bothering because I can see how there are plusses and minuses to each side. Simplifying spellcasters makes them more appealing to those who want to play spellcasters but find them too much of a pain to play. But it also turns off those who like playing them because they are complex to play. Likewise, making non-spellcasters more complex enhances their appeal to those who like warrior types but find them too simple, but it also turns off those who like playing those classes for their raw simplicity.

 

[buzz]

Merric, hong, Wormwood: You rule.

I don't think I've heard a single thing about 4e the game that doesn't have me excited. I think that WotC, more than ever before, has a laser focus on improving D&D's ability to deliver an enjoyable play experience. Mearls being charge of development is literally a wish come true for me.

As for the DDI and Gleemax... eh. I really think it's too soon to pass judgement; the stuff is barely even in alpha testing. On top of this, software can always be tweaked and improved. Just because Gleemax's blog software blows now doesn't mean it'll blow a year from now. So I will just wait and see.

All I can really say is that WotC has yet to let me down. 3.0 brought me back to D&D; it made the game fun again. 3.5 made that game even more fun.* 4e is looking like it's going to take that fun to a whole new level.

* I remember the gnashing of teeth that surrounded 3.5's release. I look forward to the time when the current gnashing w/r/t 4e will be just as irrelevant and forgotten.

 

[DaveMage]

I look forward to the time when the current gnashing w/r/t 4e will be just as irrelevant and forgotten.

See you when 5E comes out!

 

[TerraDave]

* I remember the gnashing of teeth that surrounded 3.5's release. I look forward to the time when the current gnashing w/r/t 4e will be just as irrelevant and forgotten.

I hope it goes better then that!

 

[ZappoHisbane]

Does Gleemax have the option to have an RSS feed of the blogs?

If not, WHY NOT???

The term ALPHA comes to mind...

 

[Riley]

I've got them added to my "favourites", so I do see the updated posts. However, until now, the login woes have really made it a problem.

Looks like they've just fixed that - I may be able to stay logged in for two weeks! Yay!

Don't get your hopes up. I logged in "for two weeks" this morning, and now I can't get to my favorites page at all. Or login, even.

I agree with Merric's 'thoughts,' and I am still excited about the 4e rules, but little else. The Blogs were a great idea, but Gleemax is such a mess that I've given up on following them.
Dungeon & Dragon have been a big disappointment as well (James Jacobs' Demonomicon excepted).

I'll happily buy my core rule books from WOTC, but the level of expectation that they'll deliver the goods on anything else seems to be dropping quickly. Shame, that.

 

[Nebulous]

I care about rules changes. I care about changes to the default setting only to the extent that they affect rules changes, which is not much. I care about character class design. I mostly care about changes to the math.

I see good things coming from those areas of the game. My only reservation right now is action points. They tend to be a metagame influence more than other rules, and historically they haven't been very satisfying rules-wise. I can be convinced though, its certain not a deal breaker.

I fall into this camp mostly. The grumblings about fluff and setting changes don't matter to me (although i'm likely to convert back to the Realms next year). Solid rules are what i want, and mostly i want to have combat and magic be fun, fast, and versatile. Not simple, mind you, i like my D&D complex, but streamlined. I think they're making some headway that direction.

And I too want a great Action Point system implemented into the core rules.