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D&D 4E The Soonest You Would Purchase 4e
- Thread starter Seeker95
- Start date
I abstained from voting because I am something of a hypocrite on this particular topic.
I started playing AD&D in the mid eighties as a jr high student. I was hooked immediatly and played AD&D for years happy and content with the game and the rules as they were. When the 2nd edition was announced I was totally against it. I didn't want to buy new books or learn new rules. No I would not buy 2nd edition. When it was released one of my players bought the 2E PHB and brought it to the game. We all looked over. I ended up buying the books and switching despite my earlier stance on the subject.
I had a subscription to Dragon magazine at the time 3E was announced and although I was against it initially by reading all the 3E tidbits published in Dragon I got hooked and made the switch. (Brilliant marketing IMO)
When 3.5 was announced rinse and repeat " I refuse to buy these books and pay for errata etc." Yet in the end I bought the books and made the switch.
I although I am against a 4th edition I am sure that curiosity will kill the cat and I will make the switch and spend even more money.
I am just a sucker for DnD.
I started playing AD&D in the mid eighties as a jr high student. I was hooked immediatly and played AD&D for years happy and content with the game and the rules as they were. When the 2nd edition was announced I was totally against it. I didn't want to buy new books or learn new rules. No I would not buy 2nd edition. When it was released one of my players bought the 2E PHB and brought it to the game. We all looked over. I ended up buying the books and switching despite my earlier stance on the subject.
I had a subscription to Dragon magazine at the time 3E was announced and although I was against it initially by reading all the 3E tidbits published in Dragon I got hooked and made the switch. (Brilliant marketing IMO)
When 3.5 was announced rinse and repeat " I refuse to buy these books and pay for errata etc." Yet in the end I bought the books and made the switch.
I although I am against a 4th edition I am sure that curiosity will kill the cat and I will make the switch and spend even more money.
I am just a sucker for DnD.
The_Old_one
First Post
When I was 13 I had a large stack of basic stuff (Rules Cyclopedia era), and I snagged 2e as soon as I became aware of it (back in '94 I think). 3e I pre-ordered as soon as I could, whereas I waited for 3.5 to appear in the FLGS. I'd like to think that I would hold off 4e until I can make an informed decision, but deep down I know I'll be grabbing it as soon as it appears...just too much of an impulse geek to resist.
an_idol_mind
Explorer
I voted that I would buy it right away, but the stipulation would be that it has to be a clear improvement over current D&D. I like the core system quite a lot right now, and I have no idea how they could change it enough to warrant an entirely new edition. A new edition would have to feel like D&D to me, and I'm not sure that the game can take many more changes without losing that feel. Many of the optional rules have begun taking the game in a direction I don't want to follow. If those became core, my journey with D&D would end at the current edition.
Personally, I'd prefer future editions to resemble the 3.5 revision more than anything else, with the system being tweaked and streamlined rather than dramatically altered. As it is, I can trace a clear line from basic D&D to 3.5 and recreate any of the characters or adventures I had in older days. 4th edition would have to be a tremendous improvement over a system that I don't see as broken to really work well. And if such a high quality produce hit the streets as early as tomorrow, how could i not buy it?
Personally, I'd prefer future editions to resemble the 3.5 revision more than anything else, with the system being tweaked and streamlined rather than dramatically altered. As it is, I can trace a clear line from basic D&D to 3.5 and recreate any of the characters or adventures I had in older days. 4th edition would have to be a tremendous improvement over a system that I don't see as broken to really work well. And if such a high quality produce hit the streets as early as tomorrow, how could i not buy it?
I'd be willing to buy it about 2010 or so, it'd keep with the general trend of about 10 years between full editions of the game. That's the soonest I'd be willing to buy it, even if the material was an incredible improvement over 3.5 (which I can't really imagine, most of the tweaks I've seen are to setting-specific material and not to the rules themselves). I'm just not gonna shell out that much cash for a new set of core rules every 5 years or so.
I don't think everyone would buy it right away either. I know many groups that rejected 3.5 after playing it for a month or two and stuck with 3.0. I even know some folks that are still chugging along with their 1E and 2E products. Unless the edition police come door to door and burn all the 3.5 stuff, 3.5 games will still go on for several years after 4E comes out, no matter what.
I'm satisfied with 3.5 for the moment. Just because a new version comes out won't mean that I'd make a mess in my pants to get it. The core rules are just that- rules. Learning a new way of doing attacks and spellcasting and saving throws and all that needs to be worth the effort.
Reasons I'd buy 4E
1) The rules would have to be significantly different. If there was the same amount of change from 3.0 to 3.5 (very little), I'd skip it. I'd also probably skip it if there was a 4E SRD, and just use that to update what I wanted.
2) I'd want to see an entire random dungeon generation system (including random maps) in the DMG. There'd also have to be some pretty substantial page space devoted to designing the setting as well. Remember the 1E DMG? I'd want guidelines like that for filling out the blank spots on your dungeon and overland maps.
3) I'd want to see scalable magic items in the core rules, a la Weapons of Legacy.
4) I'd want the option presented in the Monster Manual to play at least common monsters (orcs, goblins, kobolds, et cetera) as a race, a la Savage Species.
5) I'd want to see a high-quality HARDCOVER Greyhawk sourcebook as the default setting. It'd have to be as high quality as the Eberron and Forgotten Realms sorucebooks. The generic fantasy world of the D&D core rulebooks doesn't need to be Greyhawk, but I'd want Greyhawk to be offered as the 'default' setting. That's one of the big reasons I was willing to look at 3E.
6) If psionics are going to be included in 4E, they should have the same rules in the core rulebooks as they do in the psionic books. None of this 'standard illithid' versus 'psionic illithid' stuff.
7) Raising the assumed levels. I'd personally like to see the core rulebooks provide advancement to 30th level. There are already several high CR critters (20+) in the core rules, and the proliferation of such creatures and the interest in epic level games suggests that players want to see the game shift up a few levels.
Reasons I wouldn't buy 4E
1) Eberron or Forgotten Realms was made the core setting. Eberron-specific elements in the core rules (such as warforged, airships, dragonmarks, et cetera) would also make me not buy it. Forgotten Realms-specific material (red wizard prestige class, Faerunian races or pantheon, et cetera) would make me strongly consider not buying 4E.
2) Character abilities were made more complicated. Most actions should be resolved by one or two rolls. I'm willing to sacrifice 'realism' to make the game play faster. I'd also want the rules and most creatures to be simple enough to run on the fly, if need be. We shouldn't be scrambling through the books when a grapple starts or a condition status is inflicted on the party.
3) It was inherently reliant on other products such as bundled software, miniatures, et cetera. I should be able to play the game with the core rulebooks, paper and pencils, and some dice if that's all I had.
4) I absolutely wouldn't buy it if it was any more like a video game. I don't want stuff like warlocks, nine swords characters, or reserve feats in the core rules set. Sorcerers are about as video-gamey as it needs to get.
I don't think everyone would buy it right away either. I know many groups that rejected 3.5 after playing it for a month or two and stuck with 3.0. I even know some folks that are still chugging along with their 1E and 2E products. Unless the edition police come door to door and burn all the 3.5 stuff, 3.5 games will still go on for several years after 4E comes out, no matter what.
I'm satisfied with 3.5 for the moment. Just because a new version comes out won't mean that I'd make a mess in my pants to get it. The core rules are just that- rules. Learning a new way of doing attacks and spellcasting and saving throws and all that needs to be worth the effort.
Reasons I'd buy 4E
1) The rules would have to be significantly different. If there was the same amount of change from 3.0 to 3.5 (very little), I'd skip it. I'd also probably skip it if there was a 4E SRD, and just use that to update what I wanted.
2) I'd want to see an entire random dungeon generation system (including random maps) in the DMG. There'd also have to be some pretty substantial page space devoted to designing the setting as well. Remember the 1E DMG? I'd want guidelines like that for filling out the blank spots on your dungeon and overland maps.
3) I'd want to see scalable magic items in the core rules, a la Weapons of Legacy.
4) I'd want the option presented in the Monster Manual to play at least common monsters (orcs, goblins, kobolds, et cetera) as a race, a la Savage Species.
5) I'd want to see a high-quality HARDCOVER Greyhawk sourcebook as the default setting. It'd have to be as high quality as the Eberron and Forgotten Realms sorucebooks. The generic fantasy world of the D&D core rulebooks doesn't need to be Greyhawk, but I'd want Greyhawk to be offered as the 'default' setting. That's one of the big reasons I was willing to look at 3E.
6) If psionics are going to be included in 4E, they should have the same rules in the core rulebooks as they do in the psionic books. None of this 'standard illithid' versus 'psionic illithid' stuff.
7) Raising the assumed levels. I'd personally like to see the core rulebooks provide advancement to 30th level. There are already several high CR critters (20+) in the core rules, and the proliferation of such creatures and the interest in epic level games suggests that players want to see the game shift up a few levels.
Reasons I wouldn't buy 4E
1) Eberron or Forgotten Realms was made the core setting. Eberron-specific elements in the core rules (such as warforged, airships, dragonmarks, et cetera) would also make me not buy it. Forgotten Realms-specific material (red wizard prestige class, Faerunian races or pantheon, et cetera) would make me strongly consider not buying 4E.
2) Character abilities were made more complicated. Most actions should be resolved by one or two rolls. I'm willing to sacrifice 'realism' to make the game play faster. I'd also want the rules and most creatures to be simple enough to run on the fly, if need be. We shouldn't be scrambling through the books when a grapple starts or a condition status is inflicted on the party.
3) It was inherently reliant on other products such as bundled software, miniatures, et cetera. I should be able to play the game with the core rulebooks, paper and pencils, and some dice if that's all I had.
4) I absolutely wouldn't buy it if it was any more like a video game. I don't want stuff like warlocks, nine swords characters, or reserve feats in the core rules set. Sorcerers are about as video-gamey as it needs to get.
Tetsubo
First Post
I will be skipping 4E. I own 1E, I just sold off most of my 2E books and I have a few 3.0E books kicking around. But I just don't have the income any longer to buy a complete new version of a game I've already bought four times. I also don't have much interest in doing so. I can't find 3.5 game in my area to save my life as it is... I also rather like the 3.5 set of rules. I just hope that third party companies will still produce 3.5 material after the Big Edition Switch...
DragonLancer
Adventurer
I won't touch 4th edition ever. Quite frankly there is no need for it. I'm happy with 3.5 and I have more than enough material to continue to use it indefinately.
Dykstrav said:
Looks like someone didn't get a Nintendo system like all the other kids when he was young...
Dude, that's the wave of the future. It's going to happen. And please explain what you mean by "video-gamey"? Just because there're similarities between the two doesn't make D&D "video-gamey". It's simply a style some people, I should say a lot of people, enjoy in their sessions. That style should've been incorporated a long time ago, in fact. It just took over 30 years to do it.
If you know your history well, a lot of fantasy video games have their roots in D&D.
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