[WOTC] Revised Corebooks for July confirmed with info

[darkbard]

HERE, HERE!!! I'm sick of the neo-goth looking iconics, spiky armor, and non-functional weapons. I miss Easley, Elmore, Parkinson, Otis, and Halloway.

well, i for one love the look of 3e. to me, the "neo-goth" iconics are much more evocative of a dark fantasy where heroes risk their lives against creepy necromancers, powerful dragons, bizarre aberrations, and slave-taking races from the planes and the underdark. my game isn't some mamby-pamby bucolic pseudo-medieval countryside. it doesn't look like a variant historical setting but instead something dark, epic, and magical.

 

[Agnostic Paladin]

Well Excepting the fact that 3rd party publishers are not supposed to reference Core books directly, just the SRD

Yeah, well, if they're not going to put the revisions into the SRD, then they best reword the rules about "Requires the use of the Player's Handbook" to mention that it has to be a non-revised handbook.

And if they do do that, then revised goes right into the same category as Monte's UA as far as I'm concerned; proprietary modication of the open system so as to lock users into that companies accessories and adventures.

As consumers, we are not garranteed the next upgrade as a freebie, no matter what he market.

Who said anything about wanting anything for free? I just don't like seeing intentional fracturing of the d20 system player base.

I'm not really hell-bent against the idea of the revision; I just forsee it splintering the d20 market into incompatable, yet similar, games. Assuming that the rules are changed to make it (and future Wizards material) incompatable with the original game (and three years of material).

 

[Agnostic Paladin]

Well Excepting the fact that 3rd party publishers are not supposed to reference Core books directly, just the SRD

Yeah, well, if they're not going to put the revisions into the SRD, then they best reword the rules about "Requires the use of the Player's Handbook" to mention that it has to be a non-revised handbook. Which doubtless won't be being printed any longer. Which would mean that the OGL will be castrated without having to actually garner the bad press and ill will that formally killing it would have.

And if they do do that, then revised goes right into the same category as Monte's UA as far as I'm concerned; proprietary modication of the open system so as to lock users into that companies accessories and adventures.

As consumers, we are not garranteed the next upgrade as a freebie, no matter what he market.

Who said anything about wanting anything for free? I just don't like seeing intentional fracturing of the d20 system player base.

I'm not really hell-bent against the idea of the revision; I just forsee it splintering the d20 market into incompatable, yet similar, games. Assuming that the rules are changed to make it (and future Wizards material) incompatable with the original game (and three years of material).

Oh, and I like the fantasypunk look of the core books and was disapointed when it didn't seem to be kept up in the splatbooks to any great extent. The dark, violent style is more evocative of the sort of game that I run than the innocent look of the stuff from the eighties.

 

[Dark Psion]

Having read this enitire thread, perhaps the best thing they can do with these revised books is use a much better binding material so they don't fall apart in two years

One little question, what about psionics?
Will it finally be in a player's handbook or will we get a fourth revised book?
Even those of you who don't use (or like) psionics will agree of all these books, it is most in need of a revised edition. And a 300+ page book would not only "fix" the problems, but could also include all the stuff from The Mind's Eye that Scott and Mark have done.

Not only that, but places like Amazon will likely have it for 30% off (so there's the darn near original price of the 3E corebooks), and heck, buy.com might pull another epic level goof and have 'em for $14.00 each!


C'mon July!

*cough*Talon Comics*cough*

 

[William Ronald]

First and foremost: WELCOME BACK, DEREK!!!!!

I think the books may be a good idea assuming they clear up some of the confusion that has been addressed by errata. Also, I can easily see making the ranger and the monk easier to customize, perhaps with advice on how to customize classes in general. (For example, in some campaigns, a wizardly order may advise nobles and may have diplomacy as a class skill. Or there may be priests who oppose evil outsiders as most oppose undead. Or at least some creative advice on skills and feats and how to use them.) The advice on using monsters seems to be an added bonus. (Mass combat rules would be nice as well.)

RPGs, for the money, may be one of the most cost efficient forms of entertainment around. Consider the cost of a movie ($8-$10) compared with a $30 RPG book. If you game twice a month for four hours each, that is like seeing four movies at $8 to $10 each.

The key question is how will the books make the game more enjoyable? I admit that there were some things that were puzzling about 3rd Edition when it came out. Attacks of Opportunity alone could use some better examples.

I have played D&D since 1980 and have seen a great many changes. I am willing to give WoTC a chance. Do I expect perfection? Of course not. However, I hope that they give the new books their best effort.

The spikey armor art style really does not appeal to me that much, being a bit of a history buff. I would like to suggest a modest compromise: some of the spikey armor and some more traditional. Different looks can help to imply such things as different cultures and worlds. After all, there is no reason why a suit of armor of the same type should look exactly the same in different cultures, let around worlds. (That and I wonder what happens if someone in spikey armor falls hard on to a wooden floor. Might be time to cast that summon giant crow bar spell. )

 

[Nightfall]

The owner of the FLGS wasn't terribly pleased; he couldn't sell the copy (copies?) of CCI, Unrevised that he had, even at 50% off.

Just so you don't feel left out.

Hey it's not my fault the artwork wasn't as good as some other stuff.

 

[Nightfall]

Who said anything about wanting anything for free? I just don't like seeing intentional fracturing of the d20 system player base.

I'm not really hell-bent against the idea of the revision; I just forsee it splintering the d20 market into incompatable, yet similar, games. Assuming that the rules are changed to make it (and future Wizards material) incompatable with the original game (and three years of material).

Agreed. Changes are fine, but if they alter it so that I have to change a prestige class requirements, fix skill points, or alter spell levels, it's not exactly something I look forward to for d20 at large.

 

[Roman]

In addition, the new and revised content instructs players on how to take full advantage on the tie-in D&D miniatures line planned to release in Fall 2003 from WotC.

This is an extremely worrying trend. Miniatures were already made 'more desirable' by 3E than they were in 2E and now they want to make them even more essential. I absolutely refuse to play with miniatures and once WotC goes as far as making miniatures totally indespensible to playing the game, at that point I will quit playing D&D and move to some other roleplaying game.

 

[hong]

Re: Re: [WOTC] Revised Corebooks for July confirmed with info

This is an extremely worrying trend. Miniatures were already made 'more desirable' by 3E than they were in 2E and now they want to make them even more essential. I absolutely refuse to play with miniatures and once WotC goes as far as making miniatures totally indespensible to playing the game, at that point I will quit playing D&D and move to some other roleplaying game.

You don't need minis if you don't want them. You could use the Cardboard Heroes cutouts from Steve Jackon Games, or the counters from various collections (they're even included in Dungeon mag). You could even just use coins. Nothing says you have to shell out bigbucks for actual metal figures.

I'm one of those who absolutely needs some sort of visual representation of the battlefield. My brane seizes up otherwise, and I end up fireballing my party or charging off alone into the middle of the monsters.

What I'd really like is if they take the classes from OA and put them into the PHB. You could run an entire campaign with the samurai and shaman (slightly rejigged) in place of the paladin and cleric.

 

[TalonComics]

Having read this enitire thread, perhaps the best thing they can do with these revised books is use a much better binding material so they don't fall apart in two years

One little question, what about psionics?
Will it finally be in a player's handbook or will we get a fourth revised book?
Even those of you who don't use (or like) psionics will agree of all these books, it is most in need of a revised edition. And a 300+ page book would not only "fix" the problems, but could also include all the stuff from The Mind's Eye that Scott and Mark have done.



*cough*Talon Comics*cough*

Lol... I saw that question in your email today too...

Gang, I literally typed out all the info I had on the revised books. You all know as much as I know at this point.

Thanks to all welcoming me back. I may be posting late at night but I'm posting.

~D