D&D 4E Who else is going to be a deserter when 4e comes out?

[Darrin Drader]

Eberron's a pretty bold statement about how unimportant it is for the game to be even remotely accessible to new blood coming into D&D fresh from seeing the LotR trilogy or having read the canons of Howard or Leiber.

I agree that Eberron is a pretty bold statement, but I don't think it is what you think it is. Someone fresh from Lord of the Rings or Lieber who is wanting to play in that genre has the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk (such as it is), and a host of other 3rd party settings, not the least of which is Midnight.

I think what Eberron does is take fantasy and change it in interesting ways. Everything in Eberron is done on a huge scale. The fantastic isn't just fantastic, but its big and in your face. Sharn, the Mournlands, Xendrik, and so on. Eberron is the first setting to show all of the continents in the world and it encounrages you to explore them all. Eberron draws a lot of flavor from the pulp genre, which appears to be making a comeback lately. Eberron challenges our traditional ideas of what fantasy is, while at the same time accomodating everything from D&D (minus the Greyhawk cosmology).

Frankly, when Eberron came out, I looked at it with curiosity and decided not to form an opinion of it until I took the time to wrap my brain around all the material. To be honest, I have still not wrapped my brain around all the material, but I have read through most of it, and I really dig what I see. I think its the perfect companion setting to the Forgotten Realms for D&D.

 

[JoeGKushner]

That's cynical, but it is the trend that D&D has moving towards for years. Eberron's a pretty bold statement about how unimportant it is for the game to be even remotely accessible to new blood coming into D&D fresh from seeing the LotR trilogy or having read the canons of Howard or Leiber.

But hey, I'll buy it.

Man, I so disagree with this that I don't even know where to start. :\

And having read the 'canons' of Howard or Leiber.... well, until recently Howard has been out of print, and outside of White Wolf, Leiber comes and goes out of print all the time.

I've read them. They're classics. Their influence on modern day D&D I think, is very small outside of historical roots. D&D is it's own genre now.

 

[The Shaman]

If the edges of the system are not as sanded down as 3.N I'll pick it up. If on the other hand, dispelled flight still lets you float safely down and a bad teleport mearly injures you, then wotc can keep thier [stuff].

That is one of the flavor aspects of 3e magic that irks me, too - I like magic that's dangerous to the caster, has harmful side-effects (haste, where is they sting?!?), and misfires in spectacular ways, not just fizzling on a failed Concentration check.

 

[Aldarc]

I've read them. They're classics. Their influence on modern day D&D I think, is very small outside of historical roots. D&D is it's own genre now.

And that is part of the problem. D&D existing as its own genre alienates those who do not want it to be as such.

 

[JoeGKushner]

And that is part of the problem. D&D existing as its own genre alienates those who do not want it to be as such.

But obviously, those it alienates are in the minority. It's not targeted at them. That's okay though. We have Hero, GURPS, Burning Wheel, Tri-Stat, and other games that GMs can freely modify (as they can the d20 system), until it does what they want.

At least that's how I see it. Maybe I'm in the minority but I don't expect D&D to handle pulp fiction at it's core. It's unrealistic. Even in AD&D 1st ed, the magic was too high and the monsters too fantastic.

 

[Kanegrundar]

And that is part of the problem. D&D existing as its own genre alienates those who do not want it to be as such.

Each to their own, I say. I like that D&D is growing into it's own image. Classic fantasy settings have wore on me. I like the new look and feel of D&D compared to earlier editions, but like I said: each to their own.

Kane

 

[Storm Raven]

Nah, it'll be more like a MMOG than ever, and less like a good fantasy novel. It'll be more over-the-top, with more power, and less ability for the DM to structure adventures with established boundaries and consequences (which are kinda important to any game). It's not high fantasy, dude, it's extreme fantasy!

That's cynical, but it is the trend that D&D has moving towards for years. Eberron's a pretty bold statement about how unimportant it is for the game to be even remotely accessible to new blood coming into D&D fresh from seeing the LotR trilogy or having read the canons of Howard or Leiber.

No, they are aiming at new blood fresh from watching Raiders of the Lost Ark et seq., The Mummy et seq., and Pirates of the Carribean, and similar movies. I'm not bothered by this at all. If I want Tolkienesque fantasy, there are plenty of settings to choose from.

 

[Ranger REG]

I still don't see how the existence or non-existence of a 4e D&D affects your ability to play with the books you have.

Trust me, it's not the sole reason I am leaning toward retirement of my hobby, just one more factor. I am simply no longer as enthusiastic about my hobby as I was back in 1988 and again in 2000.

You don't have to understand me. It's something personal that I have to deal with. Perhaps I should have not blurted out in the first place, but doing so does alleviate the burden slightly. Who knows? Maybe I will finally realize that I worry too much and just find that enthusiasm that I lost touch. Then again, maybe not.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Trust me, it's not the sole reason I am leaning toward retirement of my hobby, just one more factor. I am simply no longer as enthusiastic about my hobby as I was back in 1988 and again in 2000.

You don't have to understand me. It's something personal that I have to deal with. Perhaps I should have not blurted out in the first place, but doing so does alleviate the burden slightly. Who knows? Maybe I will finally realize that I worry too much and just find that enthusiasm that I lost touch. Then again, maybe not.

Enthusiasm for anything waxes and wanes. Like I said, I've been there before. Let's face it, anyone who posts here does so because they're about 1000% more enthusiastic about the hobby than most of the people who play the game. By constantly posting here, you are not only taking part in the community, but also going into such depth on the minutia of something that is recreation at best. In short, when your life becomes all D&D all the time, the charm of the game can be lost. Again, I know that feeling well because that's exactly where I was when I left WotC.

My advice, take some time off. Come back to it when you feel the calling again. In the mean-time, don't do anything so drastic as selling off your collection of books because I'd be willing to bet you'll be needing them again.

 

[francisca]

I will desert if it is a minis game with RP dressing. I have no desire to play a skirmish game.

I totally agree with that, and have been saying so since I've been on this board.

I do however, like skirmish games, Reaper Warlord in particular. I have no need/use/desire to play D&D Minatures.