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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DanFor" data-source="post: 5264606" data-attributes="member: 34922">The previews and the discussions have been interesting, yet disheartening. According to what I’ve read in the previews, Essentials is aimed at new players as well as lapsed players. The whole concept seems too confusing for new players. How do they tell the difference between 4E and Essentials? Apparently, there isn’t supposed to be a difference. But, there are character classes with the same name that use different rules? And they can be played at the same table? For the lapsed players, like me, it seems that the designers are back-tracking on the character classes to make them more appealing to us. Why didn’t they do that to begin with? When 4E debuted, that particular concern didn’t seem to exist. To me, Essentials appears to be a desperate attempt to correct past mistakes. And based on the controversy on the community forums, the same mistakes are being made all over again (i.e. alienating fans/customers). Regarding the community discussions--there have been a couple of things that have piqued my interest. First, the 4E Monster Manual I is basically obsolete--apparently. That just blows my mind. How can a core rulebook be obsolete? I’ve also read that there are no plans to reprint the core rulebooks because there is already a large supply of core rulebooks sitting on shelves somewhere. That makes me think that the core rulebooks aren’t selling well enough to warrant reprints. (Of course, if one of the core rulebooks has been rendered obsolete, I can see why.)  From my viewpoint, it seems that 4E has failed. Emphasis from the “everything-is-core” model has shifted to a new “10-essential-products” concept. Hardcover rulebooks are being replaced with box sets and paperbacks. If 4E was successful, why make so many changes? Essentials is an ill-conceived course correction, in my opinion. No, I don’t plan to try 4.5…umm…Essentials. I’ll keep watching the previews and reading the discussions, though.</blockquote>

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