Why are you still here?

[Geron Raveneye]

Why I'm still here? Well...I play D&D. Is there another reason? 4E is shaping up to be the next iteration of the game I've been playing for the last 20 years. I've got most editions from Mentzer and 1E forward on my shelves, alongside with some offshoots (Castles & Crusades, for example), I've played half of them, the other are there for what can be pilfered from them. I do suspect I will buy 4E some day, too, for the ideas and the collection here...but right now, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to play it, simply because I'm not interested in a new RPG, and that's what 4E is going to be from what I see.

I'm here because it is interesting to see the discussions. It is interesting to see who agrees and who disagrees, and for what reasons, how people react to the previews. It is interesting to see the direction the game will be going with 4E, to see the parts that take 3.X principles and simply polish them or modify them, and those parts that go back to older editions and borrow from them. It is fun to share my own thoughts on some topics, read others' thoughts, and get a better insight into D&D as a whole, old and new.

Sadly, my Ignore list has gotten larger since last November, too, with people who have turned every discussion about 4E into a confrontation (on either end of the spectrum). Oddly enough, it also made me feel fed up a little with RPG discussions as a whole, seeing people tear every tiny bit of information into shreds and turning a small preview into a complete rules system with speculation, and has made me turn back to simply reading the material I have a bit more, which led to a Lone Wolf D20 game shaping up slowly.

So in a nutshell, I'm here because I'm a D&D player. Good enough?

BTW, for a lot of others from the "won't buy 4E crowd", the answer is pretty simply "I'm here because it is a discussion forum, and I have something to say about D&D 4E and what I think about it." Should be a valid enough reason, huh?

 

[PoeticJustice]

Is it not also fair to say that we all play the game and that the edition doesn't matter as much as some might think?

I had a conversation with another DM a few weeks ago about the Tome of Battle. I'll spare you all the details, but it ended like this

ONE: ...that's the way the game is headed, anyway.
THE OTHER: No, that's the way the new edition is headed. My games, for the first time ever, roll stats in order.

We need to come together and realize we all like D&D and that the difference between 4E and anything else is probably much less than the difference in any two DM's gaming style. After that, pontificating about this or that seems very silly.

Also, 3.5 news is pretty much dead at the moment. Other than RPG Superstar and the online Dragon (chuckle), this is the only new D&D reading I've got.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone in this thread for keeping a potentially flammable debate constructive and interesting.

Appreciated!

 

[Darrin Drader]

I'm trying to get onto a positive note with the new edition, I really am. The reason I'm having a problem with that is that I am so heavily invested with 3rd edition. I have two bookshelves that are crammed full of 3.5 and OGL stuff, and I spent countless hours designing stuff for 3.x. Switching to a new edition means I have to just let all that stuff go. Let it get buried and roll with the changes. The problem is that things have changed since then. Family commitments no longer allow me the same amount of time for design that I used to have. I no longer wish to spend thousands of dollars on new books. In fact, I'm at a point where I have cut prep time for D&D pretty significantly, so the only thing that really remains is speeding up play, and that can be done with the use of some good house rules.

So really, 4E doesn't appeal all that much to me because it means starting over and ditching a huge amuont of time and resources that have already been dumped into 3.x.

Why am I here? Maybe because I want to see 4E as something other than the redheaded stepchild of 3rd ed. I want to like it enough to want to run some games out of the core rulebooks. I'm pretty sure that I will buy the core books, just to stay current, and I might even decide to write some supplementary material if I get inspired. Mainly I'm just looking for something that will indicate that I'll enjoy working with it and/or playing it as much as I did with 3E. So far I've seen some things that worry me, but I'm going to try and keep an open mind as more information is released. It would be really nice to see the final product and feel like I've just been given the gift of better play, like it was for me with 3E.

 

[BryonD]

For me, I'm still looking for something to change my mind. I really really want to change my mind.

 

[Connorsrpg]

It is great to see some posters not so keen on 4e 'wanting' and 'trying' to see something good in it.
Clearly they aren't the ones leaving snide hate remarks in each of their posts, as that isn't really trying...

I too appreciate the views of those not switching, but also need to learn more about this ignore button, b/c too often posts are finished with comments not necessary to the thread. It is good to see a thread where debate is ..... not sure of the word here (maybe you can help me out ).

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone in this thread for keeping a potentially flammable debate constructive and interesting.

Appreciated!

I appreciate the tone of the thread also. It took time for me to be able to ask this question without personal frustration or my own speculation imbedded in the opening post. It has helped me understand that more people here are constructively trying to participate than just sling mud and now I can read 4E threads understanding others motivations a little better. Or I can start ignoring all those who don't constructively add to the discussions here.

 

[Wolfspider]

Hope springs eternal in the human heart.

 

[PoeticJustice]

So really, 4E doesn't appeal all that much to me because it means starting over and ditching a huge amuont of time and resources that have already been dumped into 3.x.

A bit off topic but I'm in the same boat as you, Whisper. After Ari gave such a glowing review and I found out about the tax rebates I figured: Why not?

Then I got home to my library. It's just not possible for me to justify letting all that game material go to waste.

On top of that I've got a campaign going that I don't particularly want to scrap just for the new rules.

I wonder how many others don't plan on switching but don't also oppose 4E. I'd bet it's bigger group than one might imagine.

 

[Darrin Drader]

A bit off topic but I'm in the same boat as you, Whisper. After Ari gave such a glowing review and I found out about the tax rebates I figured: Why not?

Then I got home to my library. It's just not possible for me to justify letting all that game material go to waste.

On top of that I've got a campaign going that I don't particularly want to scrap just for the new rules.

I wonder how many others don't plan on switching but don't also oppose 4E. I'd bet it's bigger group than one might imagine.

Right, but in my case, I've got a bunch of stuff I still want to use that I haven't had the opportunity to use. I want to use Tome of Horrors 1 - 3. I want to use the Goodman Games DC world. I want to use Pathfinder 1 - 6, and/or the Council of Wyrms adventure path, or Gary Gygax's Necronopolis. Heck, I haven't even gotten to use the PHB 2, or the DMG 2. Of course I'm running a True20 Darwin's World game right now, so it isn't exactly like I'm using all this stuff at the first opportunity that presented itself, but there's so much ground I have yet to cover with 3.5 that for me it's just too soon to start thinking about switching systems again.

On the other hand, there's always conversions for good ideas, and if 4E ends up being a significant improvement that saves me headaches both in preparation and in-game, it might be foolish to overlook it.

In either case I still look at my un-played Return to the Tomb of Horrors and A Paladin in Hell with regret.