D&D 4th edition

[Fish]

So apparently there's a new edition of D&D coming out, that's 2d10 based and will rework a number of elements of the game.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this; within recent memory, WotC released 3.5, and they've been publishing a steady stream of books for it since then. So basically, I'm wondering exactly how much will be more or less backwards-compatible with the old books (like, for example, they're reworking alignment, which should be fine to replace 3.5's generalized system), and I'm wondering how much will require players to actually buy/own/use the new books they're sure to start publishing.

Are the 5 Monster Manuals now useless? What about all the prestige classes found in the Complete series? Not to mention the hundreds of spells and magic systems they've published in the numerous books over the last few years.

I like change, when it's for the better, certainly. But I can't help but feel that v4.0 may be too close on the heels of 3.5, and too greedy on WotC's part.

[AtrainV]

So apparently there's a new edition of D&D coming out, that's 2d10 based and will rework a number of elements of the game.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this; within recent memory, WotC released 3.5, and they've been publishing a steady stream of books for it since then. So basically, I'm wondering exactly how much will be more or less backwards-compatible with the old books (like, for example, they're reworking alignment, which should be fine to replace 3.5's generalized system), and I'm wondering how much will require players to actually buy/own/use the new books they're sure to start publishing.

Are the 5 Monster Manuals now useless? What about all the prestige classes found in the Complete series? Not to mention the hundreds of spells and magic systems they've published in the numerous books over the last few years.

I like change, when it's for the better, certainly. But I can't help but feel that v4.0 may be too close on the heels of 3.5, and too greedy on WotC's part.


Way too soon, I think. Even 3.5 seemed a little too soon in my opinion. Sure, 3.5 reworked a number of things that needed to be reworked, but it also made many of the 3.0 books unusable.

If you think about it, 2nd edition was around for something like 15 years before 3rd edition came out. Yes, 2nd edition was pretty flawed, but it sufficed, and continued to make money by putting out expansion books. WotC needs to just hang out and milk 3.5 for a while before they change it up. Really, 3.5 is pretty solid and doesn't need to be drastically reworked so soon after its release.

[Fish]

WotC needs to just hang out and milk 3.5 for a while before they change it up. Really, 3.5 is pretty solid and doesn't need to be drastically reworked so soon after its release.

Yeah, although I have to say, they've been milking pretty heavily for a while...pretty much a book a month, and at 30-40 bucks a pop, that's a lot of books for a LOT of cash. I've got a decent collection of 3.5 books, and I started as soon as 3.5 came out, but I guess I'm a little bitter that I've put quite a bit of money into something that WotC hasn't seen fit to continue for even more than a few years. I mean, I haven't even had a chance to complete my 3.5 set, and now I may have to be one of those gamers that uses an "old" system, just to avoid having to pay hundreds of dollars for an equivalent "current" set of books.

The original game rules were around for more than 10 years before AD&D2e, which lasted for 11 years.

Then 3rd Edition came out in 2000, 3.5 came in 2003, and now, set for 2008, they're completely re-vamping up to 4? I mean gimme a break. Like I said, hopefully the rule alterations will be modular enough to allow "optional" upgrades for particular parts of the 3.0/3.5 edition, rather than an entirely new system that will make the old books obsolete.

[AtrainV]

Yeah, although I have to say, they've been milking pretty heavily for a while...pretty much a book a month, and at 30-40 bucks a pop, that's a lot of books for a LOT of cash. I've got a decent collection of 3.5 books, and I started as soon as 3.5 came out, but I guess I'm a little bitter that I've put quite a bit of money into something that WotC hasn't seen fit to continue for even more than a few years. I mean, I haven't even had a chance to complete my 3.5 set, and now I may have to be one of those gamers that uses an "old" system, just to avoid having to pay hundreds of dollars for an equivalent "current" set of books.

The original game rules were around for more than 10 years before AD&D2e, which lasted for 11 years.

Then 3rd Edition came out in 2000, 3.5 came in 2003, and now, set for 2008, they're completely re-vamping up to 4? I mean gimme a break. Like I said, hopefully the rule alterations will be modular enough to allow "optional" upgrades for particular parts of the 3.0/3.5 edition, rather than an entirely new system that will make the old books obsolete.


I guess I've always been one to put a lot of weight into their opening statement of "Although these rules have been set up in order to make for balanced gameplay, always remember that D&D is YOUR game and that everything written here is completely optional."

Unless there are things in 4th edition that blow me away as amazing advancements, I'll stick with 3rd/3.5 for a while. Like I said, 3/3.5 is a very solid system. 2nd edition NEEDED a lot of reworking (even though it was miles ahead of the original ((elf class ftw?))).

I don't see reason to spend loads of cash to fix something that isn't broken. However, if they do change things in a really cool way--maybe.

[Fish]

For hardcore gamers, and people who have a compulsion for book-owning, buying the books as they come out is not necessarily just about knowing "the rules" as written, but about having material that is pre-balanced, and consistent between all of your sources.

Putting out yet another edition throws off the version's internal consistency, which is my big complaint. Since I own a bunch of 3.5 books, I can show my players prestige classes, spells, feats, and other options that I know are balanced with each other. Now that they're switching up the main game rules, I'm wary because knowing that, for example, they've switched from 1d20 to 2d10, the actual statistics of the rolls will be different, meaning that certain abilities that depend on particular or precise rolls will suddenly have their balance upset by transplanting from one version to another. Among other changes they've made to game-mechanics, this is just one major alteration that will change more than just the flavor of the game.

Like you said, D&D is largely about making your own rules for your own game...but not everyone has the time, patience, or ability to completely build a campaign from scratch, and thus, depend on the consistency of the published material.

And you know what? I'd expect reprints of a LOT of material, now that they've decided to do this. Maybe not a reprint verbatim, but a lot of "realigned" material that would otherwise have been fine without the 4.0 "upgrade."

[Powdered Toast Man please]

Lolololol gayest thread ever.

[Powdered Toast Man please]

seriously is this a joke thread?