Hal is right! Check out this top secret press Release!
Renton, WA -
Wizards of the Coast, a division of Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) has announced that it will be releasing the fourth edition of its popular fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons in May of 2004. This comes hot on the heels of the successful release of d20 Modern, a roleplaying game which blends science fiction and fantasy roleplaying elements into a modern or near future setting. Also, due to the largely successful Dungeons and Dragons edition of the classic Clue board game there will be many changes to the new system.
Anthony Valterra, Wizards of the Coast: Dungeons and Dragons Product Manager said, "The new D&D fourth edition will blend the most popular elements of all of our games from both Wizards of the Coast and our parent company, Hasbro."
This includes elements from Clue, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, Dungeons and Dragons, d20 Modern, Chutes and Ladders and others. Valterra elaborated, "In D&D fourth edition you get a starter deck and a playing board or "battlemat" as we call it in a collectible tin that is ready for you to play right off the shelf. No more annoying books to read or carry around! You can collect all kinds of class cards. Instead of the standard D&D classes we borrowed an element from d20 Modern and now have more generic and customizable collectible card classes like the Strong Sword Swiging Hero, and the Fast Dextrous Nimble Likely to Steal and Disable Traps Hero, and of course we'll have the magic-using classes like Arcane Casting with a Familiar and Memorized Spells Hero, the Arcane Casting with a Familiar and Non-Memorized Spells Hero, and the Holy Magic Casting Spontaneous Healing Blunt Weapon Using Undead Turning Hero. You'll notice we have gotten back to basics with this edition because the Holy Magic Casting Spontaneous Healing Blunt Weapon Using Undead Turning Hero can no longer just go and use any weapon. We got feedback from our fanbase that that was a mistake that we made in third edition Dungeons and Dragons. So, we listened to our fans and fixed it."
Also new in this edition of Dungeons and Dragons is the Head Writer for Dungeons and Dragons Development Group, Keith Baker.
"Man, I just won this campaign setting contest and I never dreamed they'd just let me take over and write the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It's an awesome feeling that they recognized my talent and brilliance. I mean, at this time last year I was serving coffee to uptight neo-yuppies in a Starbucks and now I am the Head Geek of the new Dungeons and Dragons. We have some great plans lined up setting-wise for this edition. For instance we're going to offer settings based on board games. The Chutes and Ladders expansion deck will come with familiar elements from that classic game and you can even buy a custom Chutes and Ladders Campain Setting "battlemat" for maximum roleplaying immersion in this fantastic setting!" Baker added, "Man, if those yuppie bastards could see me now!"
Hasbro also has plans for a line of collectible, fully poseable action figures based on the more rare collectible Hero Cards. They will come completely unassembled and unpainted so players can customize them as much as they want. The action figures will also have an entirely different set of rules for a skirmish level wargame called Medium Armor Composed of Conjoined Rings of Metal Wearing Hero Skirmish Level Wargame Game. For more information on Hasbro go to
www.hasbro.com and for Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition there is a preview site with playable demo and pictures of Keith Baker squandering his winnings on a massive "kegger" party at
www.dndfoure.com.
PS: Hi Hal Baby!
