Comments on: More On: Adoptions, Corrections, Subscriptions

By: MetalJim

MetalJim — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:39:17 +0000

Karasdjun… chill out, dude. The central mechanic of D&D is the combat system. If that doesn’t work, it’s pointless to fix anything else. If the game revolves around tense and exciting combats in fantastic locations with fantastic powers, then it will be worth playing. Obviously, the designers want to get the core mechanics “right” first and foremost. I’ve seen some definite hints that the “crafting” system won’t be in place this summer, but is the sort of thing that will get fleshed out and added back in over the next year or two. The role-playing is up to the DMs and players, just like it always was.

Predicting the “end” of D&D is absolutely stupid. The company has, in fact, made some acceptable capital through D&D and through other games. Magic: Online, even though it isn’t publicized very well, generates enough profit by itself to pay for the development of the D&D virtual tools. WotC has built some very good interal models for development, testing, and feedback through its experience with CCG games. Comparing the things that are happening at WotC today to the fiscal insanity that killed TSR is absurd.

It’s also stupid to expect WotC to cater solely to the over-30 crowd. They have to find a way to reach today’s teenagers if they want to keep the game alive. Don’t judge until you’ve had a chance to test drive the new system for yourself.

By: KarasDjun

KarasDjun — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:22:16 +0000

I think WotC is trying to be all fantasy games to all players. They’re using concepts from Diablo II and World of Warcraft now in D&D, and trying to make a singular system out of the whole thing. But what works for video games doesn’t necessarily work for pen-and-paper games. It’s that difference that keeps D&D alive after 30+ years.

I maintain my position of “wait and see.” We were getting reprinted game material from TSR too, just before they tanked…. Come to think of it, Dragon stopped publication a few months before that happened too. Maybe it’s not over for my beloved mag yet. Keep waiting - everything will eventually come full circle. These new 4E hardcovers remind me of the black rulebooks TSR put out right before the end.

In any case, they couldn’t possibly nerf the rules any more than they already did. It seems that all these rules derive from munchkin complaints over the years. Now those munchkins have taken over as adults and “rule” the fantasy RPG genre - but never advanced out of their munchkin phase. Instead of ridiculing, they should have tried to work with the rules they had and tweaked them to work better. It looks like there is no “down time” anymore in the game. If the whole thing is action scene after action scene, when do you roleplay? When do you make magic items? What about overland journeys? Are these simply “roll every 30 feet” chances for encounters?

By: MetalJim

MetalJim — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:00:06 +0000

I believe that WotC intends that some portions of the “rules database”, one of the systems in the DDI subscription package, will be available to non-subscribers. In short, the database will tell you which page of the PH to look at for a certain rule. If there’s errata, it seems likely that the database would reflect that. If you ARE a subscriber, you will get the most current wording on the spot from the database.

I assume that the Player’s Handbook 2, to be released in 2009, will include some compilation of errata to go along with the sorceror, druid, and barbarian classes.

I think that the developers are hopeful that they won’t need to do something as drastic as a “4.5″ edition revised player’s handbook in 3 years, but you never know…

The whole system is more streamlined and perhaps will be better playtested than ever. That said, quite a few of the feats, class powers, and encounter abilities will need some balancing and some tweaking, perhaps even some nerfing. We will see how that errata process plays out over time.