Why WILL you switch?

[shilsen]

I don't know for sure that I'll switch, and I won't know until I actually look at the books. While I really liked 3e, I found 3.5e superior, and it's quite possible that I'll find 4e even better. Probable, really, since based on what I've seen thus far it addresses (or at least claims/tries to) many of the areas of weakness that I found in 3e/3.5e. And even if I don't switch to it, there's certain to be a lot of useful stuff that I can cannibalize.

 

[small pumpkin man]

I think it sounds like a better game than Third Edition. Fresher and more intriguing setting assumptions, cleaner mechanics which give players more interesting things to do at the table, everything.

That.

Also, the races fit into what we were using already, the cosmology is much better, I think merely that fact that the writers are actually interested in the fluff they're creating gives it much more life than anything I remember seeing in the 3.x non-setting books.

And all the stuff for easier GMing, the explicit math, the simpler NPCs, the fact that monsters seem to have actual tactical abilities as opposed to none, or 5 that are worthless and three that are "boom, I win", the fact that I wont have to time my adventures to make sure the classes with per day vs the ones with no powers are balanced, the fact that they're actually trying to balance the game, as opposed to intentionally putting system mastery or just not caring, durations that aren't rounds, high and low level play that doesn't play like a completely different game (one which in 3.x I'm not that interested in playing).

I mean, sure, I don't actually know if it's going to be that great, but the main point is I enjoy playing 3.x but I see a lot of problems with it, problems 4e appears to be fixing, and I'm certainly willing to shell out $80-100 dollars to give that a shot.

 

[Ipissimus]

1. Greater elegant simplicity in the mechanics.
2. Addresses many issues I've had with previous editions.
3. PCs get more stuff, more often, leading to greater customizability of characters.

And, cynically, I'm attracted to new and shiny things, so if the cover artwork looks ANYTHING like what they've put up on the website rather than those tacky, badly done, 'false tome' covers from 3e I actually won't feel embarassed putting them on my shelf.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Cause Mike Mearls told me to.

 

[withak]

Some of the new fluff -- particularly the new cosmology, with the Feywild and the Shadowfell -- really resonates with me. I like how some fluff is built-in, rather than tacked on, but not so tightly integrated that it won't harm the whole if I remove the parts I don't like.

If what they say is true, and the "sweet spot" problem has been fixed by the "new math", I'll be very happy.

I love the design philosophy behind explicitly calling out class roles, and the addition of at-will/per-encounter/per-day powers for everyone.

Above all, it's new and shiny and exciting. I like to tear into new systems and see how they work.

 

[jaer]

- Self healing for every class, and more healing all around without a dedicated healer. I've actually retired a character mid adventure and switched to a cleric because we needed a healer.

- Reduction of the 15 minuted work day. As a DM, I really hate when my players blast away through 2 or 3 combats without regard for their resources and then "whoops! time to teleport home or use the Rope Trick to rest." I can't make every dungeon 'time sensitive.' They've been bitten by leaving early and coming back, but I can't do it most of the time.

- With Defender rules, I have a reason to play creatures tactically and actually attack the fighter rather than the squishy wizard who is doing more damage.

- Reduction of the power of magic and, it seems, making travel methods higher level. That players can teleport around the world by 9th lvl. As a DM, I need to prepare for them to walk somewhere, only for them to teleport and all the prep-time is down the drain.

- Less "Go team!" rounds. That is the cry of many a spell caster in my groups when they don't need to waste their magical resources or have little that will help this combat, but they also know their non-magic stuff is so weak, it's not worth rolling the d20.

- More movement in combat. I hate that the best tactic for meele is to stand still to get all iterative attacks. After 6th lvl, it is a better tactic for players to hold their action and have the enemy charge them; the enemy only gets 1 attack that round, the fighter will get 2. And since the only movement that happens is 5' steps to get into flanking position, the environment never gets used. It's also pretty unbalanced in that wizard spells scale, so they can move and unleash massive death, while meele attacks depend on standing still and hitting several times to do their damage.

- PCs, not magic items, have the fetch abilities. I no longer need to make up magic items that do sweet things so my players have more options than 'attack' and 'cast a spell'. Magic Item Compensidum already helped with this, creating neat magic items with awesome little effects.

- New Magic Item scheme. I really like the "only 3 slots get dedicated +s, the rest are for rousetastic effects." I just hope it stays that way.

- Wizardly Implements. I have always made staves do more than just be spells in them, but I think the new version will take it a step further than I was willing to, because the game is balanced for them.

I'm sure I could list many more (like how wizards and clerics kept getting more and more new, awesome, and high level spells, but fighters didn't get a good dose of powerful, high level feats until PH2) but these are the things I am really excited for. My groups have always enjoyed D&D, and through the various editions, it has only ever gotten better. I trust 4e to do the same.

 

[StarFyre]

stuff

there is quite a bit of good stuff that sounds good from what they are trying with 4E. Of course, gotta see if it works, but the ideas are good.

* fighters/rogues with their own 'powers' ala Book of 9 Swords
* some of the planes design is good
* unifying alot of the progressions to make it faster
* monster conceptual design I like
* racial feats to go along with generic/class feats

The stuff we don't like will be house ruled so no big deal.

I still expect about a 50/50 to 65/35 like/hate ratio...

Also, if games/cool materials for 3.5E dry it, it will just be easier for me to get 4E stuff and house rule whatever I see fit.

Sanjay

 

[Cadfan]

1) In general, I like new things. When new products are released by a company that I have previously enjoyed, I have a presumption that I will enjoy them as well. Previews have only whetted my appetite more.

2) I've thought a lot about 3e, about what I liked, and what I did not like. The designers of 4e have expressed many of the same thoughts about 3e that I have had. This leads me to think they will do a good job of making 4e like 3e, except better. The point when I really, REALLY started having a lot of faith in 4e was when we found out that attack progressions would be uniform, but would start from different beginnings. It is a slightly radical change that I had long since believed worthwhile, but never thought would happen.

3) After 4e is released, I look forwards to going to the 3e section of EN World, and posting about how terrible 3e is, and how switching to 4e will fix all of your problems. When I am accused of being a troll, I will go back through the 4e forum archives, and pull out all the posts by my accuser in which they defend their right to sit around on the 4e forums and carp. This will give my crabbed heart hours of joy.

 

[Zinovia]

Allegiance to 4E

Why will I switch? Because sight unseen I have sworn my allegiance to the new edition and embraced it in all of its NDA'd secrecy.

I pledge allegiance to 4E, and to the points of light in the darkness,
And to the demographic for which it aims,
One vision, under Mearls, rules more playable,
With roleplaying and combat for all.

Wait. I haven't seen the rules yet, so I haven't actually committed to switching, but I am very much looking forward to giving the new rules a spin when they are released. Yep, I'm buying the books. Unless the preview adventure makes me change my mind, in which case, thank you order cancellation policy.

It might startle you to find out that I'm old.
"But Zin!", you exclaim, "You're not old!".
Thanks for the pro forma protest, but I have it on expert authority that I am in fact old. My children say so.

Not only that, but various signs of age have been creeping up on me for years. I don't listen to new music anymore, only the "classic" stuff. Classic rock, Classical, Celtic; but not that *other* musical genre that starts with a 'C'. *shudder* Music is one sign, but the creaking of my knees as I go up stairs, the doctor telling me I need reading glasses, and the white hair coming in just above my right temple (perhaps I'll have a white streak like Polgara someday), all add up to tell me that the kids are right. *sigh*

Some of the people I game with are *even older than I am!*. That makes us stodgy and resistant to change. Or so you might think. Actually all it means is that I can brag about how I started playing D&D 25 years ago, and from my vast perspective of knowledge, I clearly know more than you do.

Hahahaha, what a laugh. My apparent tally of experience doesn't mention the fact that I skipped second edition entirely, and didn't play D&D for over a decade during that time. Well, I did once, and I hated it at the time.

BECMI sets - I owned the red and blue boxes. I didn't have anyone to play with quite yet, but it sounded like it would be fun.

AD&D - I found people to play D&D with, who were eager to teach me the game, because, well, I'm a girl. Girls who played D&D were practically unheard of at the time. In fact I introduced several of my girlfriends to the game, and they played so they could meet some guys. I played because I wanted to be a spell-slinging Magic-User, brandishing my dagger against the goblin menace! Although I did end up meeting guys anyway.

D&D was all that I hoped for, and I enjoyed playing it for many years. But after a time, all magic-users started to feel the same. I played other classes until they too began to blur together in my mind. I ran dungeons, which was a nice change of pace. In college I ran my "Elves out to save the world" campaign for a year or so, because elves were just cooler than everyone else. Forget those silly multi-classing level restrictions. It's all about the elves, baby.

Later I played a faerie dragon magic user who never cast directly offensive spells; instead focusing on illusions, mind-controlling spells, and lots of silly cantrips. I unfastened the pants of the bad guys and laughed as they fell down in combat. I used illusions to terrify them, and then made yellow stripes up their backs with a cantrip (the DM let me get away with fun stuff like that - perhaps that's why I married him). Good times, but I was having to really work at it to avoid the humdrum of every ranger being like every other ranger, and every thief being... well, you get the picture.

We then picked up the Rolemaster supplement Arms Law with an eye to using the critical hit tables for D&D to add some spice to combat. Hmm, interesting system. Let's get the other books. Once we'd dug through all the books, puzzling out the dismal organization to get the information we needed, the system looked exciting compared to old reliable D&D. We played Rolemaster as our fantasy RPG for years while our D&D books gathered dust on the shelves, and second edition came along with nothing to make me want to buy it; it was still the same-old same-old.

3E won me over because it added skill points and feats to customize your character. That, and it was easier to play than Rolemaster. That was important because we were starting a new campaign with a player who had never once played a paper and pencil RPG in her life. Trying to make her learn Rolemaster would have been a bit like dumping an English major into a differential equations class. She'd have run for the horizon so fast we'd never have seen her again. Her husband probably would have objected.

So will we play 4E? I don't know yet, but it's making me excited about possibly DM'ing again, for the first time in many years. I want to try it. We might like it, despite them taking away the skill customization that I love so much. I hope there are other means of distinguishing one magic-user... err... wizard, from the next. I truly hope so.

 

[Doug McCrae]

rousetastic

Good word. I'm going to start using that one.