D&D 4E Will 4E be announced at D&D Experience?

[D.Shaffer]

For what it's worth, I've heard people cry wolf over 4thEd for so often, I have a hard time believing any prediction anymore.

If it ever does get announced, I'll worry about it then. Until that point, eh. It's like all the people constantly predicting the end of the world, and then moving the date forward when it doesnt happen.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

 

[Wombat]

Does it really matter?

It is coming. Most gamers know that. Anything else is purely a matter of speculation.

 

[mhensley]

Does it really matter?

Of course it matters. I need to know how much time I have left to sell off my collection of 3rd edition stuff before the market tanks.

 

[Monte At Home]

I think Monte Cook stated that 3.5 was in the talking stages as 3E was being rolled out the door.

If by "talking stages" you mean something like this:

Brand/Business Team: "And then, in 5 or 6 years, we'll do a revision to the game."
Design Team: "LALALALALA. We can't hear you!"

Then yes. That's basically what happened.

Then again, anyone know when the playtesting cycle for 3E started?

Internally, 1997. Externally? Late 1998, I think. I don't know if that's a good metric to use, however. I think the philosophy regarding external playtesting has changed, probably quite drastically. (But I could be wrong.)

I didn't vote in the poll, though. Predicting what WotC's going to do has become a fairly useless excercise. They don't always take steps in the most logical or straightforward directions (but then, I don't know if we/they ever did).

That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the announcement, whenever it comes (and as I've written elsewhere, I think it likely to be sooner rather than later), might very well be at the D&D Experience. D&D and GenCon have, over the last 5-6 years, gone from being lifelong pals to being distant acquaintences that merely nod poitely when they pass each other in the hall.

My own interest in 4e at this time is basically only from the point of view of a D&D player. Since I know that there are a lot of smart and creative designers there, I'm confident that whenever it comes it will provide me with some fun and useful house rules for my 3e game. So that's cool.

 

[Knight Otu]

Take it with a grain of salt, but I believe that I have seen indications that a December release (Should be Elder Evils) is currently in the playtest phase. If that is correct, it would point to 4E not being in the playtest phase yet, and if they want to do even half as throughout a job like they did with 3E, I'd think that this makes a 2008 release a bit more unlikely, but not impossible.
As for the poll, I voted no. It seems to me that the current product lineup (curious as it is to have the complete lineup so early) is quite the correct one to lose sales on (and if 4E is announced at XP, Wizards will lose out on these products).

 

[delericho]

I think the philosophy regarding external playtesting has changed, probably quite drastically. (But I could be wrong.)

I really hope you are. The extensive playtest of 3e was one of the things I found most reassuring about the impending release of that system back in '98-'99. The volume of leaks to "Eric Noah's 3rd Edition News" may have been disconcerting to the powers that be at Wizards (and perhaps are moreso to Hasbro), but they did a really good job of getting me for one really hyped about the new edition.

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

IMO, the problem of a supposed 4e would be that it has to deal with an already highly developed an essentially open source system - d20. 4e would have to add something fundamentally new to the market to keep people interested. I personally, since I already perceived 3e overcomplicated (no offense, Mr Cook), cannot see what a 4e should offer that 3e hasn't. ...And: As I said earlier, D&D's real strengths have always been the settings, not necessarily the rules. With the old settings being widely left unsupported, I wonder what new franchising line WotC could be planning...

 

[MerricB]

D&D's real strengths have always been the settings, not necessarily the rules.

Err... no.

 

[Le Noir Faineant]

Err... no.

I insist.