D&D 4E What would make you decide against 4e?

[Xethreau]

...if Wotc fails to deliver on their goal of "faster, better, more refined", and instead replace all the old complexities with new ones.

That would be the deal breaker for me as well.

 

[JLXC]

I don't like anything I've seen of 4th Edition. I've been playing D&D since the Blue cover days, and this just doesn't feel like D&D anymore. D&D has always been quirky and somewhat weird as a rules system, but that's always how it's been. With the new rules I've read it's more like an entirely different gaming system with words like Orc and Elf thrown in. If I wanted Utter manipulation of character creation I'd play HERO game, which is wayyyy more flexible. I always liked D&D for the quirks, and some pretty good rules. It can't do everything, but hey, it's fun to play.

4E looks like it's trying to do everything while moving away from D&D. I don't like it. I don't like the classes in the least. I don't like the players handbook being split up, that's just dumb as hell and Mo' Money baby! 4E seems to simply be a Mo' Money enterprise.

"Let's change everything so they'll have to buy every book, every campaign, and every module again! Huzzah!!!! We wont leave enough old material for them to have anything to go on, it's all new! We're making D&D new again! Weeeeee!"

I think that this 4e will do poorly, and they'll drive off a lot of old customers, while not making nearly enough new ones.

 

[Yair]

Very little would make me not buy 4e. I trust WotC to produce a good, interesting game. I don't like how some of the changes sound (like evocation-based wizards, paladin smites, and so on), but like how some others do (like per-encounter balancing, no magic item dependence, etc). So I'm gonna buy it, and check out how it plays in practice. I suspect it will play very well.

Still, to answer the question:
* A complex, non-uniform resolution mechanic.
* No SRD
* No wizard, priest, and fighter types in the core rules
* Lack of any future support produces (e.g. adventures)

 

[Calico_Jack73]

That the majority of the role-playing community decided NOT to embrace it thus making it hard to find a group playing it... that'd pretty much eliminate my plans to purchase it.

I've never been real picky about what system I play since it is my belief that the same stories can be told with almost any system. What IS important to me is finding a group that I can play with regardless of the system they use.

 

[La Bete]

That the majority of the role-playing community decided NOT to embrace it thus making it hard to find a group playing it... that'd pretty much eliminate my plans to purchase it.

I've never been real picky about what system I play since it is my belief that the same stories can be told with almost any system. What IS important to me is finding a group that I can play with regardless of the system they use.

I'm down with this too.

 

[AllisterH]

I’ll skip 4E if

- CoDzilla does not get Neutered.
- An enemy Caster can negate my Combatant by spending 1500gp for a Force Cage spell with no way for me to avoid it.
- Non winged flight and teleport is still the normal way high level characters move about.
- The extreme damage only available to heavily optimized characters does not get reined in.
-Too many skills are still made worthless thanks to magic.

QFT.

For me, the simple fact is that Magic since it has been made available to PCs has dominated all versions of D&D at mid to high levels. I want magic reined in considerably.

 

[Scarbonac]

Things to make me decide against it? I'm still waiting for things to be revealed that to make me possibly want to buy it.

This one.

 

[Drammattex]

QFT.

For me, the simple fact is that Magic since it has been made available to PCs has dominated all versions of D&D at mid to high levels. I want magic reined in considerably.

Werd.

 

[Epic Meepo]

I think that this 4e will do poorly, and they'll drive off a lot of old customers, while not making nearly enough new ones.

Nah. D&D is a big enough name that 4e would be hard pressed to do poorly, at least at the outset. But if it's divisive enough, it could end up shrinking the already small pen-and-paper rpg market in the long run.

As for deciding against it, not much is going to stop me from at least giving the first three core rulebooks a thorough read-through. But if I can find a group that's enthusiastic about playing 4e, I won't play 4e either, and thus will not buy any future 4e products.

Some things that will effect my current gaming group's opinions: one of them loves playing druids in every campaign; one of them loves characters who use necromancy and mind-control; and one of them is a grognard who appreciates the AD&D sacred cows; and one of them prefers learning alternative game systems to learning new rules for existing game systems. Somehow, I get the feeling that the 4e PHB isn't going to go down very well with that lot.