More On: Adoptions, Corrections, Subscriptions
In last week’s post, KarasDjun and itsman really hit closest to the target with their comments on D&D 4E early adoption travails, namely: the history of bug-ridden texts in the prior early printings in 3 and 3.5. So over the weekend, I talked awhile with my gaming gang about 4E, including my fellow d21–er and pledged 4E-early-adopter Random, in search of more opinions on the subject. (We’re likely to have an interesting, er, schizophrenic time of things as Random’s campaign assumedly carries on in 3.5 while on alternating weeks we get our heads into 4E land.) Here, then, are some thoughts:
First is the open question mark of how that subscription-based 4E rule/content service is going to play out in reality. I am working on an assumption, colored heavily by the fact that the D&D world has got to be just about the singularly most tech-savvy demographic in existence (take it, it’s a compliment), that any 4E rules or corrections that come down the paid pipeline are going to be readily free to find in the net in a matter of days, if not hours. It will be, I predict, unstoppable. I think the subscription idea is the wrong strategy from Wizards from the get-go, but it’s going to be particularly hard to defend the right of folks who bought print versions of the rules to have access to corrections of the rules. I’ll get myself a binder to fill, or mark up my printed books, as needed.
This is probably a good thing because the other effect I’d expect to see from the subscription model is that the core rules are going to be less complete and less correct than ever before. Wizards is moving to a patch-and-play, “it’s never really finished” model a la Microsoft, and so of course they have every incentive to get this puppy shoveled out into the marketplace just as fast as they can turn trees into paper. This is not all bad – better maybe to have it now than wait two years as they attempt to polish it to a fine sheen. We all know from experience that it’s an immensely complex body of rules and ridiculously hard to balance them all, so perhaps it has to get booted out into the real world and driven around a bit before the proper corrections, addendums, and clarifications can make themselves known.
So, in total, I think we’re going to get a system that is better-cared for right off the bat than was the 3–3.5 legacy, but it only works on a mass scale assuming that most serious players are going to take advantage of the forcibly-freed distribution of core content. The prevailing attitude I expect to see out of the old guard is that the paid content channel will be filled with NPCs, monsters, settings, and adventures for the creativity-challenged. That information will see much less demand to be made free, as its ultimate value is that much less.
One final point, then, on the charge of 4E being the “dumbed down” edition. Really? Maybe, “it’s about time” would be appropriate. I find it humorous that so many D&D vets pine for the old days of Basic and 1st-edition precisely because the lack of rules allowed for more role-playing; then these same folks bemoan the prospect of 4E getting simpler. The great triumph of 3/3.5 was that in brought a system to things, consistent and sane and understandable. If 4E continues in that directly and manages to get even more streamlined, I can only see it as a good thing. And anyway, don’t worry: I’m sure there will be lots of new rules coming along to fill the void soon enough!
And one beyond-final point: I personally can’t wait for low-level characters to have a lot more hit points! I love low-level adventuring because it’s really the best place (not during character creation!) for “genesis stories” to occur. You need to be playing out your character’s formative experiences, not rolling up to the table with your freshly minted 1st-level character, complete with richly detailed backstory. I never particularly cared for the looming threat of premature hero death at the low levels, so I think making the whole system more surviveable “down there” is a tremendously good idea for extending the “sweet spot” of adventuring down to square one. As for staying balanced beyond level 12? – well, I’m sure we’ll be getting some good rules down the online channel in due order. But clearly the need for good playability at the beginning is the more important priority.
Posted on April 8th, 2008 at 11:00 am. About 'More On: Adoptions, Corrections, Subscriptions'.
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.
Posted on April 8th, 2008 at 4:22 pm. About 'More On: Adoptions, Corrections, Subscriptions'.
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?
Posted on April 8th, 2008 at 4:39 pm. About 'More On: Adoptions, Corrections, Subscriptions'.
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.