Classic Play

4DVENTURE

I have had the chance to look over the D+D 4th edition information from Gen Con and I have to say that over all I am excited. I will be basing my comments directly on the videos of the actual presentation given (here), not wild speculation that can be found in other places.

Obviously opinions on 4th edition announcements will vary depending on what version of D+D you prefer. With this in mind it is important to understand the preferences of the reviewer to put his comments in the proper context. My favorite version of D+D is what is sometimes referred to as Classic D+D. I am talking about the series of box sets (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal) that were released and eventually collected into the Rules Cyclopedia.I enjoy the simplicity of these rules. I have always liked the concept of name level and the direct integration of the idea of characters owning land and fortresses.

Also keep in mind that I am reviewing only the information given in the presentation here. This is not a review of 4th edition. There is no 4th edition yet, all of the core books will not be out for a year yet.

One of the first things promised is that there will be something new at each level. This is good. This seems to further complete the balancing of classes that started with 3rd edition. Prior to 3rd edition classes leveled at different rates due to balance issues. With 3rd edition all classes leveled at the same rate but some still had dead levels to balance out power differences. I think further balance can only be a good thing.

They also mention simplified stat blocks. I am not totally sure what this will involve so I am up in the air about this one. On one hand I really don't need to know everything about every single NPC and I would love to have the important information easy to find. On the other hand I don't want the stat block to become a few things that I have to constantly look up the details on. It will be interesting to see how they do this.

They also tout that the game will have 30 levels. My feelings on this can best be summed up here.

In the presentation they mention that party members will have more defined roles. As long as this is implemented well I think this is a good idea. This could be a throwback to Classic D+D where everyone's job was obvious. It would also be nice if classes like Bard filled a more important slot in the party.

I am not sure exactly what the mean by "more power sources" I do not own the Tome of Battle, and I have not read The Book of Nine Swords. I am hoping that this is something like the tokens in Iron Heroes.

One of the first things I noticed when they showed the rule books is that the art is front and center again. Hopefully this will mean a return to the fantastic full page pictures of 2nd edition. I was dissapointed to see that they had not returned to the Larry Elmore/Parkinson style of art. They seem to be going with the art style found recently in Dungeon and Dragon magazines. I like this art style, but I would have prefered the classic look.

I did like that they promised a focus on organized play. I think this is a good idea, especially if the plan on integrating it with their virtual tabletop. I do have some questions about converting characters over, perhaps it will be a relaunch.

Speaking of the virtual tabletop that brings me to D+D Insider. This will be the online component of 4th edition, and they seem to be taking it very seriously. Basically Insider seems to have two parts: additional content and the virtual tabletop.

The additional content will be taking the place of Dungeon and Dragon magazine. I was a long time subscriber to both and the final years were, for me, the best. The guys at Paizo like Eric Mona have such a bright future ahead of them in this industry. That said the magazines are gone now and in October will begin online. I have no idea what the quality will be like, and what kind of content there will be. I am a little concerned because traditionally when Dragon has been in the hands of the publisher of D+D it has been spotty.

I am excited about the virtual tabletop.Virtual tabletops have been around for a while and I have fooled around with things like OpenRPG and Fantasy Grounds. While these have been neat they have been somewhat of a pain to use. Since they have been programmed by smaller houses they are often buggy, don't have great interfaces, and can often be a pain to get passed network issues for non-computer people. I also like that it will have a fully rotatable 3D environment and I like the way the light sources look even at this early stage. I think this could be a really good thing for the hobby. If the past few years of Youtube and Myspace have proven anything it is that more avenues of communication are a good thing.

There is also a 3D character modeler that will let you make your own mini for the virtual tabletop. I like this idea as I am not an artist.

I will return to 4th edition as more information comes out. I will now return you to your regularly scheduled early '90s programming.

2007-08-17 14:15:47 GMT

Comments (1 total)

Author:Anonymous

"They also mention simplified stat blocks. I am not totally sure what this will involve so I am up in the air about this one. On one hand I really don't need to know everything about every single NPC and I would love to have the important information easy to find. On the other hand I don't want the stat block to become a few things that I have to constantly look up the details on. It will be interesting to see how they do this."

They've also discussed how monsters will have roles themselves to play in encounters, and that DMs will "buy" the monsters and props they need for an encounter until they meet the level of EXP they want the party to potentially earn from the encounter.

From this, I'm guessing that monsters will be assigned roles in a way similar to players in MMOGs. There will be your rank-and-file, grunt cannon-fodder, your flankers and snipers, your buffers, and your wide-area blasters, or similar such roles as they come up with them. Some monsters might have only one role, (beholders, for instance, might just fill the role of wide-area blasters), while others could fill many roles (orcs, for instance, might come in versions for every type of role). If they build standard templates around the roles, they can just say, "These orcs are cannon-fodder-template with -1 for hit points and BAB." The DM refers to the template, and you run from there. This does simplify things for the DM somewhat, as the DM primarily only needs to master the basic templates. However, it also makes things far more predictable for the players. "Oh, ok, looks like we've got eight cannon-fodder, supported by three snipers and a buffer." Taken to an extreme,the type of monster might not even matter anymore.

But as I say, I'm just guessing on most of this.
--Brian
<http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com>

2007-08-19 05:03:43 GMT

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		This blog will focus on classic RPG gaming. I will be covering both pen and paper and computer/console RPGs.

		4DVENTURE I have had the chance to look over the D+D 4th edition information from Gen Con and I have to say that over all I am excited. I will be basing my comments directly on the videos of the actual presentation given (here), not wild speculation that can be found in other places. Obviously opinions on 4th edition announcements will vary depending on what version of D+D you prefer. With this in mind it is important to understand the preferences of the reviewer to put his comments in the proper context. My favorite version of D+D is what is sometimes referred to as Classic D+D. I am talking about the series of box sets (Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal) that were released and eventually collected into the Rules Cyclopedia.I enjoy the simplicity of these rules. I have always liked the concept of name level and the direct integration of the idea of characters owning land and fortresses. Also keep in mind that I am reviewing only the information given in the presentation here. This is not a review of 4th edition. There is no 4th edition yet, all of the core books will not be out for a year yet. One of the first things promised is that there will be something new at each level. This is good. This seems to further complete the balancing of classes that started with 3rd edition. Prior to 3rd edition classes leveled at different rates due to balance issues. With 3rd edition all classes leveled at the same rate but some still had dead levels to balance out power differences. I think further balance can only be a good thing. They also mention simplified stat blocks. I am not totally sure what this will involve so I am up in the air about this one. On one hand I really don't need to know everything about every single NPC and I would love to have the important information easy to find. On the other hand I don't want the stat block to become a few things that I have to constantly look up the details on. It will be interesting to see how they do this. They also tout that the game will have 30 levels. My feelings on this can best be summed up here. In the presentation they mention that party members will have more defined roles. As long as this is implemented well I think this is a good idea. This could be a throwback to Classic D+D where everyone's job was obvious. It would also be nice if classes like Bard filled a more important slot in the party. I am not sure exactly what the mean by "more power sources" I do not own the Tome of Battle, and I have not read The Book of Nine Swords. I am hoping that this is something like the tokens in Iron Heroes. One of the first things I noticed when they showed the rule books is that the art is front and center again. Hopefully this will mean a return to the fantastic full page pictures of 2nd edition. I was dissapointed to see that they had not returned to the Larry Elmore/Parkinson style of art. They seem to be going with the art style found recently in Dungeon and Dragon magazines. I like this art style, but I would have prefered the classic look. I did like that they promised a focus on organized play. I think this is a good idea, especially if the plan on integrating it with their virtual tabletop. I do have some questions about converting characters over, perhaps it will be a relaunch. Speaking of the virtual tabletop that brings me to D+D Insider. This will be the online component of 4th edition, and they seem to be taking it very seriously. Basically Insider seems to have two parts: additional content and the virtual tabletop. The additional content will be taking the place of Dungeon and Dragon magazine. I was a long time subscriber to both and the final years were, for me, the best. The guys at Paizo like Eric Mona have such a bright future ahead of them in this industry. That said the magazines are gone now and in October will begin online. I have no idea what the quality will be like, and what kind of content there will be. I am a little concerned because traditionally when Dragon has been in the hands of the publisher of D+D it has been spotty. I am excited about the virtual tabletop.Virtual tabletops have been around for a while and I have fooled around with things like OpenRPG and Fantasy Grounds. While these have been neat they have been somewhat of a pain to use. Since they have been programmed by smaller houses they are often buggy, don't have great interfaces, and can often be a pain to get passed network issues for non-computer people. I also like that it will have a fully rotatable 3D environment and I like the way the light sources look even at this early stage. I think this could be a really good thing for the hobby. If the past few years of Youtube and Myspace have proven anything it is that more avenues of communication are a good thing. There is also a 3D character modeler that will let you make your own mini for the virtual tabletop. I like this idea as I am not an artist. I will return to 4th edition as more information comes out. I will now return you to your regularly scheduled early '90s programming. 2007-08-17 14:15:47 GMT Comments (1 total) Author:Anonymous "They also mention simplified stat blocks. I am not totally sure what this will involve so I am up in the air about this one. On one hand I really don't need to know everything about every single NPC and I would love to have the important information easy to find. On the other hand I don't want the stat block to become a few things that I have to constantly look up the details on. It will be interesting to see how they do this." They've also discussed how monsters will have roles themselves to play in encounters, and that DMs will "buy" the monsters and props they need for an encounter until they meet the level of EXP they want the party to potentially earn from the encounter. From this, I'm guessing that monsters will be assigned roles in a way similar to players in MMOGs. There will be your rank-and-file, grunt cannon-fodder, your flankers and snipers, your buffers, and your wide-area blasters, or similar such roles as they come up with them. Some monsters might have only one role, (beholders, for instance, might just fill the role of wide-area blasters), while others could fill many roles (orcs, for instance, might come in versions for every type of role). If they build standard templates around the roles, they can just say, "These orcs are cannon-fodder-template with -1 for hit points and BAB." The DM refers to the template, and you run from there. This does simplify things for the DM somewhat, as the DM primarily only needs to master the basic templates. However, it also makes things far more predictable for the players. "Oh, ok, looks like we've got eight cannon-fodder, supported by three snipers and a buffer." Taken to an extreme,the type of monster might not even matter anymore. But as I say, I'm just guessing on most of this. --Brian <http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com> 2007-08-19 05:03:43 GMT Site Home