D&D 4E The WotC designers will be bashing 4e once 5e is announced . . .

[Shortman McLeod]

. . . and, for one, am already looking forward to the doublethink that will ensue.

Seriously, for years now (literally) we've been giving 3.5 a group hug. And now suddenly out comes this long list of things that "don't work".

 

[Vigilance]

. . . and, for one, am already looking forward to the doublethink that will ensue.

Seriously, for years now (literally) we've been giving 3.5 a group hug. And now suddenly out comes this long list of things that "don't work".

Whoa, you mean the designers think they're IMPROVING on 3.5 with a new edition?!?!?!

OMFG SCANDAL!!!!!!!!!

 

[Aust Diamondew]

If you've ever been to the houserules forum you'll see that people have been seeing things that don't work for a long time now.

 

[Wormwood]

. . . and, for one, am already looking forward to the doublethink that will ensue.

Seriously, for years now (literally) we've been giving 3.5 a group hug. And now suddenly out comes this long list of things that "don't work".

I'm an admitted 3.5 fanboy, and while I consider 3.5 my favorite incarnation of D&D, I am not blind to its many flaws and shortcomings.

Group hug? Please.

 

[Simia Saturnalia]

Yeah, there's really been no hints online that there are any issues with the 3.5 rules. I mean, I know I've never seen anyone complain about any of the rules, think about changing some of them, or argue vehemently over a given interpretation of them.

This being my first week on the internet, and all.

 

[Cadfan]

I don't get why this is a problem.

Are we for some reason obligated to believe that the current edition, no matter what it is, is perfect in all ways? That no further improvement is possible? Or are you suggesting some kind of hypocrisy?

WOTC hasn't exactly been a bunch of mindless marketing drones. The problems with things like polymorph, narcoleptic spellcasters, arcane multiclassing, and unclear character roles for certain classes have long been acknowledged, some implicitly, some quite explicitly (looking at polymorph here). They've marketed their product, granted, but it was reasonable for them before 4.0, when faced with a flaw in 3.5, to say "here's how to get around that," rather than "Dude, just play something else."

 

[BlackMoria]

Don't read too much into those commentaries.

Part of it is marketing hype, to convince you, the consumer that 4E will be 'da bomb' . And since they can't reveal too much about 4E right now, the only way to convince you is to point out the problem areas of 3E.

The other part is what I call 'the party line'. Big wigs tell the 4E designers to talk up 4E and fire up the troops (the fan base). And because that means jumping ship on 3.5, then point out the problems with 3.5 - whether or not that individual designer really believes that a certain problem with 3.5 is an actual problem.

Notice that all the WOTC D&D people are rabidly enthusiastic about 4E and nary a nay sayer in sight? That doesn't usually happen like that in real life. Ergo - the party line.

 

[Shadeydm]

It wasn't that long ago that if you posted "I don't like the Pokemount" in the general rpg forum you had dozens of posters with pitch forks and torches outside your door acting as if you had been sewing together and animating dead bodies. Its funny how quickly things can change in just a few weeks.

 

[Midknightsun]

I've seen jut as many diehard 3.5 fans as those who complained about its shortfalls long before the 4e announcement. Strangley enough, sometimes the 3.5 fans themselves were the ones complaining about its shortfalls. I also feel that 3.5 is the best system we have right now, but lets be serious here, there's lots of room for improvement. Its a good system, but not without its shortcomings. Besides, of course WotC is going to hype 4e, they wanna sell the thing.

 

[Grog]

It wasn't that long ago that if you posted "I don't like the Pokemount" in the general rpg forum you had dozens of posters with pitch forks and torches outside your door acting as if you had been sewing together and animating dead bodies.

Exaggerate, much?

Look, on balance, I think 3.5 is a good ruleset, but there are a lot of things about it I don't like. I don't like the fact that high-level characters are nothing without their gear. I don't like the fact that the multiclassing rules are broken with respect to spellcasters (the PrC "band-aids" notwithstanding). I don't like the 3rd edition 1-2 hour adventuring "day."

I could go on. But the point is, there's a lot of room for improvement over the current ruleset. And most of what I've read from the 4E design team makes me optimistic about the changes they have planned.