Races & Classes spotted?

[Aeolius]

sheesh....MORE dragons?!?? Next thing you know they'll name the game after them!!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

sheesh....MORE dragons?!?? Next thing you know they'll name the game after them!!

Or we could change the name of the game to "Taverns & Tieflings"!

 

[A'koss]

Another interesting tidbit (if true) is that there is just one base progression for all classes which is something in the back of my mind I thought they might do since they were going a full 30 levels in the core book. Class abilities/feats providing the differences between them. They really needed to reign in those high level disparities that we were seeing in 3e...

 

[Rykaar]

Regarding the new fluff book:

How to stir up conversation and interest about your product line without a shred of real detail seems like it would be a better topic for a book. Oh, and there would have to be a chapter devoted to how they convinced people to spend $20 on the brochure.

I'm really looking forward to 4e, don't get me wrong. But the fact that there is such a blatant lack of detail in any of what is clearly carefully edited remarks by testers and designers is really starting to dampen my enthusiasm to the point where I wonder what it is that they're hiding, or why they're hiding it.

I'm really tired of seeing the man behind the curtain. I'm ready to see Oz.

 

[ZappoHisbane]

But the fact that there is such a blatant lack of detail in any of what is clearly carefully edited remarks by testers and designers is really starting to dampen my enthusiasm to the point where I wonder what it is that they're hiding.

Would you prefer to know nothing at all?

Dragonborn sounds interesting. I wonder what this bodes for the Eberron setting, since dragons are handled much differently there than in most other settings...

 

[Fifth Element]

I'm really tired of seeing the man behind the curtain. I'm ready to see Oz.

You'll just have to wait then. In the meantime, there are many people for whom $20 seems small price to pay for access to the designer notes and commentary provided in the book.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Meh

At least it's not another Elf.

 

[withak]

You'll just have to wait then. In the meantime, there are many people for whom $20 seems small price to pay for access to the designer notes and commentary provided in the book.

$20? Heck, you can get it for $13 from Amazon.

 

[tecnowraith]

I had a feeling this are using the 3e Dragonborn racial mechanics of standard 4e races but tthema now core is a big twist!

 

[Rykaar]

You'll just have to wait then. In the meantime, there are many people for whom $20 seems small price to pay for access to the designer notes and commentary provided in the book.

Isn't that what they're already releasing in bits and pieces? Whoever suggested that this is the stuff for their website and not for a separate product is dead on the money.

I suspect this will backfire for them, as, while it's frustrating to read all the quotes checking for some actual rules, buying a preview book that is likewise bereft of detail is crossing the line for most people with a relatively limited budget. Still, it's a good case study in why you should look over a book before buying it.

Also, designer notes and commentary is great when it is a companion piece to the thing being designed and commented upon. And where might that be? Won't know til June.

I know I'm coming across as hostile here, and I apologize for that. I think it stems from frustration and disappointment. I've wanted for so many years to see D&D finally get it right enough that I'd be happy with it warts and all instead of having to house rule many of its weakest points. The early buzz, months ago, is that they were going to finally make 4e something special, and the early rumors suggested this would be the case. But now they're several months further along in the released quotes, and very little is concrete. I'm not sure what to conclude from this other than they're fearful to actually give us some details. What could it seriously hurt at this point to do so? I think the lines between the buyers and the non-buyers for 4e are already forming rather clearly.

And yes, I think someone willing to spend $20 on something that is the rulebook equivalent to the "extras disc" without purchasing the movie is a bit crazy.