D&D 4E Rich Baker on Gnomes in 4E

[Falling Icicle]

The problem with Gnomes wasn't that they weren't popular, or mechanically sound, or interesting.

The problem with them was that aside from Kender (shudder) they never really had any sort of definition. They were always "the other small race," with a bunch of random uncohesive characteristics, and that's what got them cut from the PHB. It was a lack of focus.

I respectfully disagree. While some of the gnomes racial abilities seemed arbitrary, such as the attack bonus against kobolds, I think the race has plenty of flavor and definition. To me, elves seem just as arbitrary. Sense secret doors? What kind of racial ability is that? In many ways, elves are simply better-than-humans. That's how tolkein created them. They're fairer, more graceful, wiser, longer lived, more magical, etc etc etc. Oh, and they have pointy ears.

Gnomes have always seemed to me as alot more than just "another small race." If anything, I see halflings as the race that just doesn't seem to belong. They're just small humans. First they're hobits, then they're mini gypsies, now they're riverboaters. If any race is struggling to find an identity, it's the halflings.

Gnomes, on the other hand, are an iconic fantasy race. They are closely tied to fey, much as, if not moreso, than elves. They are curious, inventive and clever. Their mastery of illusions stems not only from their fey heritage and magical talent, but also from their ingenuity and imagination. Gnomes are the classical elves or fairies. Mischievious, mystical, and elusive. They make up for their small size and physical weakness with cunning and magic.

I just don't see why people think they aren't well defined. They just needed a little polish, that's all. In World of Warcraft, they are a very popular race. I think alot of a race's popularity has to do with how they are presented.

 

[med stud]

Well, just ask yourself what class or race is your favorite to play, and then ask yourself how you would feel and react if that class or race was removed/backshelved in 4e.

Oh, I have experienced it. There is an RPG in Sweden named Drakar och Demoner. I played it a lot when I was younger, then in the shift between 4th edition and 5th edition they butchered it (IMO). I didn't think (and I still don't think) they made one thing right with that edition.

I was sad, but I wasn't outraged. I didn't have internet access back then but even if I had I wouldn't be writing angry posts about it on forums. That's what I mean when I say I don't understand the outrage.

 

[Falling Icicle]

I was sad, but I wasn't outraged. I didn't have internet access back then but even if I had I wouldn't be writing angry posts about it on forums. That's what I mean when I say I don't understand the outrage.

Everyone reacts to things differently.

Personally, I wouldn't describe myself as being "outraged" over it, just disappointed and disgruntled. Why do I come to the forums and complain about it? Well, you know the old saying "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." If nobody complained, WotC would have no reason to rethink their decision. They would think nobody cares. And they wouldn't make releasing gnome PC rules any kind of priority in the future.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Well, just ask yourself what class or race is your favorite to play, and then ask yourself how you would feel and react if that class or race was removed/backshelved in 4e.

My favorite is the thri-kreen, which is definitely marginal. You adapt.

Does anyone recall the 4e write-up for the elves? I'd like to see someone do a good write-up for gnomes using the same style.

I respectfully disagree. While some of the gnomes racial abilities seemed arbitrary, such as the attack bonus against kobolds, I think the race has plenty of flavor and definition. To me, elves seem just as arbitrary. Sense secret doors? What kind of racial ability is that? In many ways, elves are simply better-than-humans. That's how tolkein created them. They're fairer, more graceful, wiser, longer lived, more magical, etc etc etc. Oh, and they have pointy ears.

Searching for secret doors isn't the elven hook. The whole package comes despite, despite silly parts parts like the secret doors ... which, we noted, was removed in 4e.

 

[Rechan]

Personally, I wouldn't describe myself as being "outraged" over it, just disappointed and disgruntled.

What's the difference between disgruntled and outraged?

 

[Lackhand]

What's the difference between disgruntled and outraged?

"Temperature" -- disgruntled is milder.

 

[Khairn]

I think many people make this more personal than it is.

Of course we do. We're gamers! That's both the allure and the curse of the RPG industry.

Every gaming company, and every published setting, encourages its players to alter, change, adjust, remove and add elements so that you make the game "your own". That creative process makes the settings and the systems very personal for most players, since they are now playing "their game", not just a generic game published by WotC, WW, GURPS etc.

But with that personal and intimate connection to the setting & system, comes a problem for the publishers. Namely, when they start changing key elements in a setting or system, they are also changing everyone's personal campaigns. Sure, there are some players that can take change in stride without blinking an eye, but for many other gamers these changes are huge, and not welcome.

The passion and ownership that gaming companies push to create with their customers is a major reason for their profits in one year, and its a lodestone around the neck of the creative process when they try to force change in the next year.

 

[Aeolius]

Namely, when they start changing key elements in a setting or system, they are also changing everyone's personal campaigns.

Technically, with 4e WotC is demanding that everyone abandon their personal campaigns and begin anew. There will be no official conversion manual from 3e/3.5e to 4e, at least for the crunchy bits.

Mind you, we have yet to officially see 4e. I'm hoping that it doesn't take one of 3e's greatest strengths (and one of the reasons I switched from 1e to 3e), the ease of creating "monster" PCs, and feed it to the otyugh. Not everyone wants to run a core race PC in a stock dungeon crawl.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

Mind you, we have yet to officially see 4e. I'm hoping that it doesn't take one of 3e's greatest strengths (and one of the reasons I switched from 1e to 3e), the ease of creating "monster" PCs, and feed it to the otyugh. Not everyone wants to run a core race PC in a stock dungeon crawl.

Hope not, I refuse to give up my homebrew, and at last count I had 46 "standard" races of which only Humans, Elves, and Dwarves came from the PHB. ALL THE REST ARE MONSTER RACES! So if 4e makes that more difficult it can forget me switching, if I find an idea I like I'll just steal it for my 3e hybrid.

 

[Khairn]

Technically, with 4e WotC is demanding that everyone abandon their personal campaigns and begin anew. There will be no official conversion manual from 3e/3.5e to 4e, at least for the crunchy bits.

Mind you, we have yet to officially see 4e. I'm hoping that it doesn't take one of 3e's greatest strengths (and one of the reasons I switched from 1e to 3e), the ease of creating "monster" PCs, and feed it to the otyugh. Not everyone wants to run a core race PC in a stock dungeon crawl.

It looks like you are the "poster child" for the reasons behind the difficulty many gaming companies have experienced when "improving" their games by going to a new edition. If the new edition has too many significant changes, it's no longer needed by those customers who have followed your directions and changed the game to meet their individual needs. You run the risk of loosing more customers than you will gain by jumping to a new edition.

I believe that everyone can agree that the switch from 2E to 3E, brought an increase in the number of D&D players. Sure there were some players that didn't switch, but there were many more that did. When it comes to 4E, WotC is rolling the dice and hoping that they've made the right choices on the rule changes that will be happily accepted by existing and new customers. And in there mind the gnome race isn't something that really needs to be addressed until 2009.