So, how many are avoiding Essentials?

[ourchair]

If Essentials is just supposed to be more options but still part of 4e I don't understand the need to brand it differently. Why not call it 4e: Players Handbook 4, or 4e: Simplified Classes or somesuch.

Marketing directive. They probably thought calling it 'essential' as a looser, friendlier way of saying 'must buy' was a better idea than calling it 'Player's Handbook 4' (too sterile!) or 'Simplified Classes' (no one wants the 'light' version).

I'm not saying it's right or that I agree with it, just that marketers think there's a reason to brand differentiate everything.

 

[Obryn]

Marketing directive. They probably thought calling it 'essential' as a looser, friendlier way of saying 'must buy' was a better idea than calling it 'Player's Handbook 4' (too sterile!) or 'Simplified Classes' (no one wants the 'light' version).

I'm not saying it's right or that I agree with it, just that marketers think there's a reason to brand differentiate everything.

I dunno... I think there's plenty of reason to market them as a semi-distinct game line when you're selling to potential new customers who may have passed on your products before.

It makes it easy for new players and lapsed players to get a starting point, and it marks a pretty easily-described set of options for groups who like to keep their options controlled that way.

-O

 

[ourchair]

I dunno... I think there's plenty of reason to market them as a semi-distinct game line when you're selling to potential new customers who may have passed on your products before.

It makes it easy for new players and lapsed players to get a starting point, and it marks a pretty easily-described set of options for groups who like to keep their options controlled that way.

-O

I wasn't suggesting that I was against this logic, just that I didn't want to imply that my explanation wasn't to be construed as support. Nor was the line, "marketers think there's a reason to brand differentiate everything." to be taken as snark.

I'm just saying that I don't challenge the idea of rebranding when there're really many many reasons to do so, so I find it surprising when people are taken by surprise when a company doesn't just stick with an existing brand framework (i.e. sequentially numbered Player's Handbooks to introduce new classes, or applying a 'simplified' descriptor as opposed to a new branding).

In short: You're right, but I never suggested anything contrary to what you said.

 

[DMZ2112]

Scribble and Abdul, thanks for your answers to my questions.

So if I understand correctly, D&DE is replacing D&D4, in that all future publications will be moving into the Essentials/Player's Option/DM's Option/etc. format, but what it isn't doing is making D&D4 obsolete, in that D&D4 material republished in D&DE format will not be significantly altered mechanically from its original printing. Right?

 

[Dausuul]

Scribble and Abdul, thanks for your answers to my questions.

So if I understand correctly, D&DE is replacing D&D4, in that all future publications will be moving into the Essentials/Player's Option/DM's Option/etc. format, but what it isn't doing is making D&D4 obsolete, in that D&D4 material republished in D&DE format will not be significantly altered mechanically from its original printing. Right?

Yup.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Scribble and Abdul, thanks for your answers to my questions.

So if I understand correctly, D&DE is replacing D&D4, in that all future publications will be moving into the Essentials/Player's Option/DM's Option/etc. format, but what it isn't doing is making D&D4 obsolete, in that D&D4 material republished in D&DE format will not be significantly altered mechanically from its original printing. Right?

Well, it is more complicated than that. Essentials as WotC defines it is 10 SKUs only, ever. This includes the RC, DM's Kit, MV, HotF* (2 books), and a couple other things. Now, it appears that GOING FORWARD they are going to retain the Essentials 6x9 trade paperback format for at least some books. They won't be branded Essentials though, just '4e' (presumably, they could have some NEW branding, but I doubt it). This would include things like the new Heroes of Shadow book. Which game elements (classic 4e or Essentials) they are compatible with (both, classic, or Essentials) we don't really know. Presumably they WILL support Essentials classes, but we don't know for sure.

4e isn't being made obsolete, true. OTOH if you have only PHB1-3 etc and you buy HoS you MAY not get anything much you can use if it only allows Essentials classes to take the presented options. Mechanically everything is all compatible, but there is a bit of a question there as far as what set of books you'll need in order to use it. In essence this isn't really different from needing PHB2 to get much out of Primal Power for example, but since the Essentials stuff overlaps a lot with the PHB1/2 stuff it could be a bit awkward when your PHB1 owning guy wants to use HoS to build a Necromancer and there's no mechanics for that because the HoS mechanics only work with the Essentials Mage. Hopefully this won't be the case, but we'll see.

 

[DMZ2112]

Thanks again, Abdul, I feel like I have a greatly enhanced understanding of the situation now.

...because the HoS mechanics only work with the Essentials Mage. Hopefully this won't be the case, but we'll see.

The blurb on Wizards' site for Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell states that it will provide rules for non-Essentials classes taking Essentials class features and vice versa, so the impression I'm getting, at least, is that Wizards intends to have this ironed out before HoS hits the shelves.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

The blurb on Wizards' site for Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell states that it will provide rules for non-Essentials classes taking Essentials class features and vice versa, so the impression I'm getting, at least, is that Wizards intends to have this ironed out before HoS hits the shelves.

Yeah, CC:HoSS (nice acronym, lol) might straighten it out. Hard to say since it is being released first. They are close enough in time that it could refer to a book not yet released. Or it could provide some generalized rule (hard to think of how, but the devs is smarter 'en me...). I'm pretty interested in seeing HoSS anyway, it sounds useful.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Magic item rarity is one of those things you can easily ignore or incorporate.

Thats true...however that has always been true of any rule. Part of the my 4e burning out process has been due to the massive amounts of errata/corrections/adjustments to the original rules because I have a need to make all official changes "official".

I kinda feel like Essentials has been yet another pile of errata/corrections/adjustments to the original 4e rules (i.e. all the races now have completely different character creation stat options) that I am leery of digging into.

I appreciate the explanation, however. Thanks!

DS

 

[The Little Raven]

OTOH if you have only PHB1-3 etc and you buy HoS you MAY not get anything much you can use if it only allows Essentials classes to take the presented options.

Well, as they flat-out stated in the HoS preview for the wizard spells that any wizard can take those spells, I don't see this being a problem.