I just want to say that for ill or for good, there are some glaring resemblances between what WotC is doing for 4E and things that can be found in WoW. This does extend beyond mechanics. I don't wish to debate if this is good or bad, nor do I wish to debate if something is "really" being imported from WoW or how far back it dates (ie "D&D has had this concept for years..."). If others wish to debate this, feel free.
These are just my personal feelings on what seems to be almost direct imports or ideas that the 4E designers seem to be "borrowing" from WoW (or other MMOs, but mostly WoW).
- WotC's Sample Dragon Fight is very similiar to the Onyxia Fight in WoW
- The Quest card "idea" - resemble WoW's quest log
- Level limits on magic items, rings specifically - WoW has items that require a certain level to equip
- 4E classes are now sub-divided into character roles (Defender, Leader, Controller, Striker) - WoW has similiar roles (Tank, Crowd Control, Healer, DPS aka damge-per-second)
- Certain creatures in 4E will be designated as "elite" creatures, meant for a whole party to take on one of these creatures; see the Eilte Bulette - WoW also has elite creatures
I will edit this as I remember more (there are a lot more than this, but my attention is being divided atm). For those who want to add more, post here and if I agree with you, I will add it to the list.
Disclaimer: If the "feature" above appears in WoW, then I consider it a WoWism. That does NOT mean that other media does not have it or that they didn't have it first. It does NOT mean that the "feature" doesn't predate WoW, it very well could.
To be clear: WoWism = feature that appears in WoW, regardless if it appeared/appears elsewhere as well.
