D&D 4E Review of 4E from a Playtester

[Evilhalfling]

I got completely derailed by the talkbacks, I havent seen that much hate for roleplaying since ... Im not sure.
It makes me want to look up the Geekier than Thou Flowchart again.

Interesting review though the "once a day when you die" power ties with the irrestiable command from the pit fiend for epic win.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I just want to put in, I find it odd that people are ranting over the lack of crunch in it, since he specifically states:

"What’s about to follow is a three part story. But it’s not about the details. What they changed here or what isn’t there. After this weekend every gaming forum out there will be flooded with details. This is going to be about the experience. What it is like playing Dungeons & Dragons 4E. This isn’t an article meant just for you junkies who, like myself, can quote the 3.5 rules - chapter and verse. It’s also for those of you who haven’t played in 15 years and secretly, though you might never admit it, wish you could go back and play it again. Or for those out there who haven’t played, but always wanted to. This June, 4th Edition will be unleashed upon the world and it is the perfect time to pick up the hobby or give it a second shot."

He also, while yes is under the NDA, is not a freelancer or WoTC employee. So it really serves no personal gain for him, to be positive, for positive sake, he simply truly enjoys the game. He even stated,

"Let me just say this upfront. I. Love. 4E. And I didn’t want to. Much like many of you out there, the 3.5 partial reboot just five years ago pissed me off."

 

[Doug McCrae]

I got completely derailed by the talkbacks, I havent seen that much hate for roleplaying since ... Im not sure.
It makes me want to look up the Geekier than Thou Flowchart again.

I loved them. I particularly liked some of the bodiless titles such as "Shove D&D up your C-- DRENCHED ---HOLE!!!" Does everything it needs to quickly and moves on. Like a drive-by shooting.

Also I think Bill Brasky's understanding of roleplaying is as close I've seen to perfection.

...sitting in the back of some old musty comic book shop or 'gaming store' after business hours with a bunch of 30 or 40 something losers who reek of B.O. and who still live in their parent's basement, all while trying to listen to some lame, balding pudgy guy talk about how beautiful his female half-elf Cleric is and how high her Charisma is (19!!!!), and how lethal her 'Mace of Tranquility' is (+4 vs. all Evil/Chaotic characters.)

 

[Mouseferatu]

AICN Talkbacks = What ENWorld would be if there were no moderation and every single one of us was Razz.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It makes perfect sense when you put it like that. On the other hand, the net effect is exactly the same whether Andy said "Yeah, but only the good stuff because we want to fix the rest" or whether Andy said "You know we need a couple plants to write about how awesome 4th edition is while appearing to be disinterested observers, for your integrity I offer 30 silver pieces." (And really, if WotC were doing the latter, would they admit it publicly?) Either way the only "reviews" I read are so fawning they make internet fanfiction look good by comparison. By the time I had read three paragraphs, I couldn't tell if I was reading a fawning review or a parody of a fawning review.

So from where I stand, there's about as much reason to trust this review as there is to trust a political campaign commercial. Especially if the tone resembles a fourteen year old telling you about how his first girlfriend is utterly and completely perfect.

We'll see if it lives up to the hype, but in the meantime, you'll hopefully forgive me for not busting out the pompoms.

A couple of playtesters (Mouseferatu in particular) asked if they could share the positive experiences they had during playtesting, since the forumites are stumbling around in the dark playing a mix of Blind Man's Bluff and Jump to Conclusions. Andy Collins, the guy handling that stuff, basically said "Yeah, sure, but as long as it's positive stuff, because you should be talking to us about the negatives so we can see about fixing them." No point in revealing negatives that may already be fixed in a work-in-progress, since that would just result in misinformation being spread around.

 

[Lackhand]

We'll see if it lives up to the hype, but in the meantime, you'll hopefully forgive me for not busting out the pompoms.

Well, if I must!

 

[Agamon]

AICN Talkbacks = What ENWorld would be if there were no moderation and every single one of us was Razz.

LOL! I daresay I'd throttle myself to death if I was Razz.

I think I agree with Massawyrm about Epic. That's just crazy. Not that there's no room for crazy in D&D, I'm sure some folks are down with that, but I don't think I'll be playing in any games where your abilities require you to die any time soon, myself. Not that I intended to anyway. I seriously doubted 4E's ability to make me like high level play anyway.

 

[The Little Raven]

On the other hand, the net effect is exactly the same whether Andy said "Yeah, but only the good stuff because we want to fix the rest" or whether Andy said "You know we need a couple plants to write about how awesome 4th edition is while appearing to be disinterested observers, for your integrity I offer 30 silver pieces."

There's a huge difference between the net effect... in your second situation, Ari is a shill who has been lying to us about the terms of his speaking out, and Andy is a deceptive manipulator who is using Ari to lie to us.

But hey, people have opinions, even if they come standard with tin-foil hats.