D&D 4E Will 4E be announced at D&D Experience?
- Thread starter MerricB
- Start date
I don't know about you guys, but I've got buckets of 3/3.5 material I've never gotten around to using. I played 3.0 since its release and there were still characters I never got around to playing that I wanted to (Lasher, 3.0 Duelist). Then I switched to 3.5, and even MORE cool stuff came out that I never got around to playing.
There are settings I haven't cracked open, adventures (entire adventure paths now!) that I know nothing about! I could run entire campaigns based on sourcebooks I've never used before (ToB + ToM + MoI ).
If a 4E did come out at any time in the next 3 or so years, I would buy it, but I would not advocate my group switch over to it until there was at least a couple good supplements for it. (The equivalent of the Complete series) Why leave behind all these resources we already have?
There are settings I haven't cracked open, adventures (entire adventure paths now!) that I know nothing about! I could run entire campaigns based on sourcebooks I've never used before (ToB + ToM + MoI ).
If a 4E did come out at any time in the next 3 or so years, I would buy it, but I would not advocate my group switch over to it until there was at least a couple good supplements for it. (The equivalent of the Complete series) Why leave behind all these resources we already have?
Arashi Ravenblade
First Post
If 4e is to 3.5 what 3.5 was to 3e i'll buy it. But if it's basically a total system change where my old books are basically usless, WOTC will not get my money aside from Forgotten Realms stuff.
I think the smart thing to do is every 3-5 years come out with a revised Player handbook with Updates and errata. I wouldnt mind paying for a D&D 3.75.
I think the smart thing to do is every 3-5 years come out with a revised Player handbook with Updates and errata. I wouldnt mind paying for a D&D 3.75.
Turjan
Explorer
Unlike last year, now I have the feeling that the mood is right for a new edition. The comments on new WotC products are more and more lackluster, typical for fringe offerings. In addition, the rules get unwieldy and, in part, incompatible.
One way to tackle this is to publish a Rules Compendium (Best from the splatbooks?). From some of the later products, I have the feeling that most current D&D authors are well aware of, frex, which of the new base classes are worth consideration and which are not.
The second way is to make a clean sweep and sell a new edition.
And if WotC really gives an advance notice of one year, as they had hinted at, there will always be a time of weak sales. They probably would mind weak sales even less if they already were in a sales low now.
One way to tackle this is to publish a Rules Compendium (Best from the splatbooks?). From some of the later products, I have the feeling that most current D&D authors are well aware of, frex, which of the new base classes are worth consideration and which are not.
The second way is to make a clean sweep and sell a new edition.
As others have already mentioned, only one of all remaining products that have been anounced for 2007 is really dependent on D&D 3.5 (Complete Champion). Everything else is more or less targeted at a different audience than people looking for new 3.5 rules.Pramas said:
And if WotC really gives an advance notice of one year, as they had hinted at, there will always be a time of weak sales. They probably would mind weak sales even less if they already were in a sales low now.
IceFractal
First Post
Strange - that's almost exactly the opposite of how I feel - I'd only buy 4E if it was a major change. Why the heck would I want to buy an entire new set of books just to get minor changes I could implement myself?
Sure, I wouldn't mind buying one book for updates, but that isn't what would happen. First off, there's all three of the core books. And then the rest are going to follow, as surely as the Complete series replaced Sword & Fist, Tome & Blood, et all. Initially the attitude is that those books are still usable, just tweak them slightly. But then the replacement suppliments get released and the old books become distinctly non-core and even dodgy, to the extent that many DMs will consider any material from them invalid, even if it hasn't been replaced with an updated version.
M.L. Martin
Hero
My own point of view:
The lead-time required by Amazon and other online stores means that WotC pretty much has to give about eight months' warning at this point; they won't be able to try a surprise release, and they won't want to stretch it out longer. I'm not sure how well the year of transition from 2E to 3E went for them, though.
Therefore, my guess would be that we'll see the announcement at one of the two Big Events--D&DE or GenCon--with the release following at the other one. Given what we know of the release schedule, I'd say that WotC will announce at GenCon 07, D&DE 08 or GenCon 08, with a release at D&DE 08, GenCon 08 or D&DE 09. They may hold off a little longer, but I think 3.5E is hitting the point of collapsing under its own weight, and they want to do some dramatic things (consolidated class and skill lists, removal of the 'ivory tower design' and 'hidden system mastery' elements, revamp of spellcasters) that will require a rebuild of the core.
I do find it interesting that for the first time in several years, they've announced the whole year's D&D product line in one fell swoop. For the past few years, they've been running on a rolling trimester model. Perhaps they want to give themselves some breathing room as they prepare for the launch?
The lead-time required by Amazon and other online stores means that WotC pretty much has to give about eight months' warning at this point; they won't be able to try a surprise release, and they won't want to stretch it out longer. I'm not sure how well the year of transition from 2E to 3E went for them, though.
Therefore, my guess would be that we'll see the announcement at one of the two Big Events--D&DE or GenCon--with the release following at the other one. Given what we know of the release schedule, I'd say that WotC will announce at GenCon 07, D&DE 08 or GenCon 08, with a release at D&DE 08, GenCon 08 or D&DE 09. They may hold off a little longer, but I think 3.5E is hitting the point of collapsing under its own weight, and they want to do some dramatic things (consolidated class and skill lists, removal of the 'ivory tower design' and 'hidden system mastery' elements, revamp of spellcasters) that will require a rebuild of the core.
I do find it interesting that for the first time in several years, they've announced the whole year's D&D product line in one fell swoop. For the past few years, they've been running on a rolling trimester model. Perhaps they want to give themselves some breathing room as they prepare for the launch?
painandgreed
First Post
IceFractal said:
Because you could continue to use your older books rather than having to buy all new stuff and then never use the old stuff again without lots of work. If they did come out with minor changes, your old monster manual, adventures, and even player's handbook would probably make due until you could actually get around to getting the new stuff. Like when 2E came out, I don't know anybody that bothered to get 2E monster stuff as all the ones they had for 1E worked just fine (plus, format was crappy).
If the EnWorld optimist is predicting doom and gloom, I think we have something to worry about. 
I seriously think it's still a bit too early for 4e IMHO. I think Gen Con 2009 would be a better time for a release (mentioned at D&D XP 2008). I think everyone is still a bit too worked up about the D&D Experience "big annoucement". I don't think it'll be that big. What is the announcement? I don't know. 4ed sounds too big for something not to leak already (other than the friend-of-friend of a guy who works as a janitor at Wizards of the Coast).
I seriously think it's still a bit too early for 4e IMHO. I think Gen Con 2009 would be a better time for a release (mentioned at D&D XP 2008). I think everyone is still a bit too worked up about the D&D Experience "big annoucement". I don't think it'll be that big. What is the announcement? I don't know. 4ed sounds too big for something not to leak already (other than the friend-of-friend of a guy who works as a janitor at Wizards of the Coast).
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