D&D 4E Will 4E be backwards compatible?

[Agamon]

So who's designed it I wonder...

Which influences will we see?

Mearls?

He sure took off quick from MP after IH was released to work in WotC R&D. That was more than a year ago, but not a lot more...

 

[Agamon]

And there we have it. Thread over.

And there we go, new avatar and quote.

 

[Treebore]

If 3E is as awesome as so many of you have said it is all these years, why are so many of you so happy to see 4E and saying its needed?

I quit running 3E as a rules set two years ago. I won't be switching to 4E as a rules set, but at least it looks like the adventure/modules should still be useable, and it looks like PAizo, Necromancer, and Goodman will be able to stay in the module business. So that makes me happy.

Plus the online gaming looks interesting, but it looks like the pricing will keep me using the free stuff I already use for online gaming.

Looks like after 22 years I finally will not be moving on to the new edition of D&D. In terms of using it as my rules base. I'll be able/willing to be a player. Just like I have been about 3E for two years now. June of 2005 was the last time I DMed 3E. I haven't even played 3E for almost a year now.

Whats really great is I haven't had this much fun playing/DMing since my early 2E days.

So hello 4E! I'm too happy to get to know you well, but good luck on drawing in more RPGers!

 

[vongarr]

Let's hope it's not. I want 4.0, not 3.75.

I'll really be interested to see how many of you folks who say you won't play will still be able to say that two 1/2-3 years from now. By then, Psionics and most the big campaigns will have a book.

 

[FireLance]

If 3E is as awesome as so many of you have said it is all these years, why are so many of you so happy to see 4E and saying its needed?

Speaking only for myself, it's because I think 4e is going to be better, in much the same way that I thought 3e was better than 2e. I had fun playing 2e and 3e, but I think I'm going to have more fun playing 4e.

 

[jdrakeh]

It sounds like it will be sufficiently different and, despite claims, in much the same way that 3e was different from 2e with Dave up there repeating the 2000-ish mantra of "concepts from previous editions can be used but true mechanical conversion isn't possible"

This probably isn't entirely bad for the folks who've grown tired of 3.5 for various reasons, though for those of us who still need to get more return on our financial investments in 3.5, it's obviously a bit off-putting. I supect that I will grab 4e but likely not until sometime in 2010 (I have too much 3.5 that hasn't seen use yet).

I think the big factor for me will be whether it actually streamlines things all around, or whether it simplifies some things while complicating others (as I felt was the case with True20). If the latter, I'll probably give it a pass in favor of something that I can actually fit into a 40+ hours a week work schedule.

 

[Maggan]

If 3E is as awesome as so many of you have said it is all these years, why are so many of you so happy to see 4E and saying its needed?

Not everyone excited about 4e is saying it's "needed".

I'm happy yo see 4e because of the DI. To me, it looks really interesting.

/M

 

[Fenes]

When we switched from 2E to 3E we did the same as Dave - reinterpreted the characters. Look what the concept of your character was, and see how to translate it within the new rules. Often, the new character fit the concept better than the 2E version (new classes, multiclassing)

 

[Horacio]

IMHO, reinterpretation is far better than formulaic conversion.

And it allows for a sometimes much needed streamlining

I'd love to see how Dave's group reinterpretated the psion using a wizard. Knowing that it can be done easily give me good vibes...

 

[Erekose]

The more I think about it if 4E is so different from 3.5E then we may well play it occasionally when we feel like a change from D&D like when we currently play Arcana Evolved or Iron Heroes but until I see it I can't imagine buying more than the core rulebooks.

[As commented on by others we have too much money/emotional investment in 3.5E to make a switch overnight and then there's the specter of 4.5E . . .]