D&D 4E What will 4e do to make it easier to game?

[JoeGKushner]

Now I know there are elements in place to make it easier in prep time.

But how is the social networking going to be handled? Is the DDI going to be a large part of that?

One of the things I've found as I get older is that it gets harder to find people with similiar taste/time/ability to game at the same time I do.

Jobs change, people move, people get married, divorced, etc...

Is 4th ed going to have any "tools" to help out with the old real life issues?

 

[Dausuul]

Now I know there are elements in place to make it easier in prep time.

But how is the social networking going to be handled? Is the DDI going to be a large part of that?

One of the things I've found as I get older is that it gets harder to find people with similiar taste/time/ability to game at the same time I do.

Jobs change, people move, people get married, divorced, etc...

Is 4th ed going to have any "tools" to help out with the old real life issues?

I'm pretty sure that's a big part of the purpose behind the Virtual Tabletop.

 

[baberg]

Two tools I've found online for finding game groups are NearbyGamers.com and Meetup.com. I joined a few Meetups and have been put in contact with a lot of groups who need a player and a few DMs ready to start new campaigns.

Personally I'm waiting for 4th to really start playing again (as I only have 3.0 core books) but those two sites are good for just finding people nearby to game - assuming you live in a reasonably populated area.

 

[Ingolf]

In general I think part of the motivation for making the game easier to learn, play and DM is a belief that this will make it easier to attract and retain new players. To some extent that's justified, but I don't think it's sufficient. You still have to sell the whole concept of role-playing to most people who are unfamiliar with it. If you can get past that, then the issue of how easy/difficult the game is to master comes into play.

 

[Spinachcat]

Supposedly, the combination of Gleemax and DDI will bring together the D&D community like never before so we can all link hands coast to coast and sing kumbaya. DDI will have an online game table so people can gather online and you could have weekly games with people you never need to smell. Gleemax is supposed to have huge gamer networking tools so gamers will be able to recognize each other around town by our devil finger signs and secret handshake.

We will see. I hope they do it right. It would be awesome to get lapsed gamers back into the fold and I constantly hear about people who can't find other gamers in their area so hopefully WotC will address this dilemna.

 

[cdrcjsn]

They'll also probably be promoting the RPGA more as a "live" alternative to DDI. Over the past decade, the RPGA has branched out of conventions and most play probably occurs in local game days and home games.

Wherever you live, there's probably someone playing an RGPA game near you right now.

www.wizards.com/rpga

I find it a great supplement to home games, (especiall for DMs who like to play once in a while), but doesn't replace it. Great for busy people that can't maintain a weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly regular game. You keep your character's info so you can play whenever, wherever.

 

[Xorn]

Search for Virtual Tabletop in any search engine.

I haven't seen any of my players face-to-face since we were in college.

 

[parvatiquinta]

Is 4th ed going to have any "tools" to help out with the old real life issues?

Well, this is not something I usually ask from the game (except that it is easy enough to learn, play and access).
I play in a gaming club and I think there lies the ultimate answer. PBEM or forum never clicked for me, and I enjoy the social aspect of being in the same room too much to want to cut that off.

 

[CleverNickName]

I like a lot of what I am seeing in 4E, mechanics-wise, and D&D Insider looks really spiffy too. We just can't justify the price tag right now...so it will probably be another year or so before we are willing/able to subscribe to it.

 

[JesterOC]

How 4E will help me...

My players often rely on me to make their characters, so the PC maker software is a help.

Monster stats all in one place is a huge help.

Those are the main two.

JesterOC