D&D 4E Rant on the 4E "Presentation"

[Moff_Tarkin]

I'm not sure if this has been talked about before, but I watched some of the big 4 part presentation of 4E on Youtube and it really ticked me off. Has there been more (better) info released on 4E.

That presentation... it almost made me want to smack that guy. Have you ever heard someone talk endlessly without actually saying anything? Thats what he was doing and it was so fustrating I could not stand to watch the whole thing. He keept talking about how player/monster roles will be more defined, the "sweet spot" will be extended, the game will be more user friendly, and so on. But he never actually tells you anything about the new rules, no mechanics or anything. I know those things arent fully fleshed out yet, but its fustrating when you spend 5 minutes listening to someone talk and you realize they havent actually told you anything.

I think the guys that made that presentation would make great polititions. They could go on for hours, explaining a new bill without actually telling you anything about the bill. "This bill will cut health care costs, clean up the enviroment, and find homes for abandoned puppies." That's all good and well but you havent actually told us anything about whats in the bill. We dont know any more about it then we did before you gave your long winded speech.

I know that presentation has been out for a while, I am a little late in getting caught up. I hope some solid info on 4E has been released since then.

/rant off
sorry you all had to sit through that.

 

[WyzardWhately]

A number of people have complained that the blogs which followed the presentation, and continue to be posted, have followed a set of pre-programmed talking points without backing any of it up. I personally, with my suspicious nature and educational background [Psych degree, Law school], think there is something to that assertion. In fact, I think they're spot on. I would personally be surprised if WotC *didn't* have a talking points memo or memos circulated amongst everyone responsible for disseminating this information. Now, that doesn't necessarily PRECLUDE the game from living up to the hype, but it is pretty skeevy in such a small, tightly-bound, dare I say intimate hobby.

For those reasons: I'm not going to be any more than cautiously optimistic until I get more hard data. Maybe unfiltered playtest reports from people not getting paid by WotC. But anything that could be interpreted as spin rather than crunch should be salted liberally before consumption.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

the front page has pretty much everything that's been leaked or released. I had pretty much the same reaction to their presentation and my BS radar is pinging on the "designer blogs" that read like the marketing department has been through them with a fine-toothed comb.

But despite those things, regardless of the fact that what has been released tends to indicate 4e may not be for me I hope it does well and brings new people into the hobby. At the very least I'll roll it for useful mechanics like I have a dozen other systems.

 

[Kaladhan]

I know those things arent fully fleshed out yet

That phrase is exactly my rant about the whole 4E. That phrase is totally false. Most of the mechanics are fleshed out. The final draft of the PHB has been given or will be given soon enough. Don't tell me they don't know it. It's just an excuse they use, and it's starting to piss me off. Do whatever you want with the rules, kill the sacred cows you want, but at least take the responsability and don't give us that crap.

 

[WyzardWhately]

That phrase is exactly my rant about the whole 4E. That phrase is totally false. Most of the mechanics are fleshed out. The final draft of the PHB has been given or will be given soon enough. Don't tell me they don't know it. It's just an excuse they use, and it's starting to piss me off. Do whatever you want with the rules, kill the sacred cows you want, but at least take the responsability and don't give us that crap.

Seriously. Haven't they said layout on the PHB was almost ready? You don't do layout without a finalized text, to my understanding. Because you can't change it so much once layout has begun, god forbid finished.

Someone please correct if I'm mistaken.

 

[Cryndo]

The presentation wasn't all bad....I now feel a lot better about my own Public Speaking skills.

 

[WayneLigon]

That phrase is exactly my rant about the whole 4E. That phrase is totally false. Most of the mechanics are fleshed out. The final draft of the PHB has been given or will be given soon enough. Don't tell me they don't know it. It's just an excuse they use, and it's starting to piss me off. Do whatever you want with the rules, kill the sacred cows you want, but at least take the responsability and don't give us that crap.

Draft. As in 'not the final thing you'll see in print'. Yeah, it would certainly be better to give rules specifics that haven't seen their final version, then have the fans scream and piss about how they were lied to and how WoTC never tells them the truth about anything. Be glad they bother to tell you as much as they have.

 

[Gwathlas]

Draft. As in 'not the final thing you'll see in print'. Yeah, it would certainly be better to give rules specifics that haven't seen their final version, then have the fans scream and piss about how they were lied to and how WoTC never tells them the truth about anything. Be glad they bother to tell you as much as they have.

Most of it was glittering generalities or absolutely empty phrases of praise. But there was just enough facs to assure me that I will be spending my hard earned money on things I will enjoy instead of 4e. No powers or Realms wrecking for me thanks!

 

[Kaladhan]

Draft. As in 'not the final thing you'll see in print'. Yeah, it would certainly be better to give rules specifics that haven't seen their final version, then have the fans scream and piss about how they were lied to and how WoTC never tells them the truth about anything. Be glad they bother to tell you as much as they have.

I'm just saying that they have more meat to give instead of the banalities they are saying. Without going into specific rules detail, they can give rough summaries of how they want to do there changes. They could at least gives direction as to how they are doing it.

 

[Varianor Abroad]

I don't have a problem with Wizards restricting their information. Heck it beats the near radio-silence of the pre-Internet days when we waited for every months Dragon and the latest "official" pronouncements. However, I do think that the information flow could be more transparent and could give us a few more details.