D&D 4E Sight unseen - what are your plans for 4E?

[danzig138]

Between 3.5, d20M, and my house rules, I've made the d20 system pretty much exactly what I'm looking for, so I can safely say I'll not be picking up 4E. If someone wants to buy them for me or something, I won't turn them down, but my cash will not go for them.

 

[megamania]

Since everything is going up except for wages I suspect I will eventually get the 4e core books but that is all. That is only if an exceptional 4e adventure comes out and I need a 4e translation.


I know this had to be done but after all the magazine stuff and now this.... I don't see my supporting DnD through new purchases... only through game play.

 

[Delta]

The major thing that I'll give thanks to in 3E is that it finally made explicit the opportunities for Variants and House Rules to tailor your own gaming experience. I'm sufficiently naive, or OCD, that previously I was very strict about playing by-the-books, and forced my playing to match what was written even if it inherently didn't make sense. Recently I've spent a lot of time thinking exactly how best to tailor whatever edition of D&D to my (and my players) preferred play style. I did not get anything 3.5-based.

So I'll take a look at 4E. If it's going in the direction of my existing house rules, and is OGL-compliant, then I could well pick it up. If it goes in a different direction, then I won't. I would bet more towards the latter.

 

[Mercule]

I WILL buy the PHB.

I MAY do a limited/test subscription to the DI stuff.

And then it is up to them to impress me.

Pretty much exactly where I'm at.

I've gotten seriously tired of the complexity of all the additional rules for D&D. At the same time, there are many concepts (Shadowcasters, Binders, various "complete" classes, PHB2 feats, other bits and pieces) that I really want to include. The end result is that I either allow 5,000 pages of rules or I weed through that many pages and write a coherent doc detailing my inclusions/exclusions. Of course, I could just use core, but why not use some of the more interesting ideas?

Truth told, I was having a conversation this weekend with my wife about which 3E books I wanted to sell/pitch to reduce my potential rules bloat. Bo9S was pretty high on the list, other than having a player using a Swordsage, which doesn't incline me to believe that I'm going to care for some changes in 4E.

If 4E is either more flexible in allowing expanded concepts, significantly reduces my prep time, or (preferrably) both, I'll be switching. If the chargen is usable offline and is good, that would be a huge motivation to switch. I generally feel that online-only chargen is a bad platform. They're free to change my mind, but it's going to have to be pretty freakin' good to do that.

The only sure killer that I can think of is if the classic magic system (wizards, clerics, etc.) gets turned into a "per encounter" mechanism in any way, shape, or form. Making wizards more Bo9S is one of the few things of which I can think that would make the system worse. Beyond that, it'll come down to an actual evaluation of the specific changes.

Odd rant aside, the announcement of 4E comes at an extremely good time for me. I'll pick up the PHB in May and start looking it over. I fully expect that my current game will be over by July (if it doesn't implode due to weight of paperwork beforehand). I was not intending to continue with 3E after that, anyway (paperwork/prep time). So, I'll know what I want to do about the time 4E rolls out. If I'm lucky, I'll even have a chance to run a short nWoD chronicle beforehand and see what the group is interested in.

 

[Aaron L]

Evaluate, and switch if it is god enough to warrant it.

And seeing as how I will do the reviewing for my group (as I did for 3E and 3.5) that means 8 or 9 other people will either switch or not based on what I think of the new system.

It just damn well not be too minis focused, or WotC loses out on my gaming group. Not that they care that much about 9 or so people, but it's the principle of the thing.

But the possibilities of the Saga system combined with D&D sensibilities has me quietly excited and cautiously optimistic.

 

[ShadowDenizen]

I will LOOK at 4E, but likely not switch.

I remember how long it took my group to update to 3.5, and the anti 3.5 sentiment, and those were only MINOR changes in the grand-scheme of things.

Besides, we're involved with both "Shacked City" (9th level, about halfway through the path), and "Age of Worms" (just hit 5th level), so we have another good year (I would think) before it even becomes an issue.

 

[thalmin]

I will LOOK at 4E, but likely not switch.

I remember how long it took my group to update to 3.5, and the anti 3.5 sentiment, and those were only MINOR changes in the grand-scheme of things.

Besides, we're involved with both "Shacked City" (9th level, about halfway through the path), and "Age of Worms" (just hit 5th level), so we have another good year (I would think) before it even becomes an issue.

It will be nearly a year before it can be an issue for most of us. June before we see DMG, July for the MM. If most campaigns conclude in a year or less, most of us should be able to conclude our current campaigns before the MM is released.

 

[Glyfair]

It will be nearly a year before it can be an issue for most of us. June before we see DMG, July for the MM. If most campaigns conclude in a year or less, most of us should be able to conclude our current campaigns before the MM is released.

Of course, I run an Eberron game. Around that time I'll have to either continue 3.5 or adapt to 4.0 since they aren't adapting Eberron for at least a year.

(I might run a Greyhawk game in addition to an Eberron game, but I'll still have to decide the direction for Eberron)

 

[Scribble]

If it happens for me like it did with 3e this will be the process...

1. See the PHB or DMG on a shelf somewhere. (For 3e it was at a convention...)

2. Purchase the book, just for fun, to check it out.

3. Glance through it every once and a while and think... huh.. that's different..

4. One day really read through it and say, hey this is pretty cool...

5. Gather a group toghether, buy the other core books, and start playing.


Dunno if it will happen again this time though... I'm older now, with a fiance... When 3e came out, I was still a bachelor, with a lot of free time, and extra cash.

Also, I wasn't really gaming much at all when 3e came out... So the "switch" wasn't really a switch so much as a "restart..."

 

[Kae'Yoss]

It depends on several things:

1. Will other companies still be able to use the system?
2. Will Pathfinder use 4e with their second Adventure Path and forward?
3. Will the online part you can unlock with those codes be reasonably priced and useful? That means I want electronic lists of feats, spells, skills, PrCs, classes, all that, with option to make a PDF out of them.
4. Will the changes be good?