Thoughts on D&D 4E
Based on the reactions from the internet community to date, D&D 4E will either be the Second Coming or the destruction of the entire RPG community. My reactions to the most common criticisms:
- D&D 4E is just a money grab: Marketing almost certainly played a role in the decision to release a new edition. The standard list of topics had already received thorough coverage from both 3.0 and 3.5 editions, making it difficult for Wizards to release additional books and maintain their revenue stream. However, based on the interviews with the designers, this edition doesn’t seem like a blatant grab for cash. While the Marketing Drones undoubtedly salivate at the possibility of milking the RPG community for another round of sourcebooks, the designers seem truly dedicated to the idea and execution of a fun and exciting RPG. D&D3.5 has definite flaws, and those flaws are being addressed to create a game that is (hopefully) more fun to play.
- D&D 4E is just WoW offline: Many of the unveiled information to date draws on other sources - including Magic the Gathering, MMORPGs, and even the D&D Miniatures game. All good design draws on whatever sources are available to make the best possible synergistic whole. If by drawing on Online Worlds (which ultimately owe their existence to Pen-and-Paper RPGs and D&D especially), the designers are able to make the game more fun for all players, I don’t see the downside. If the similarity manages to draw some players back across the digital divide, or even recruit some new blood seeking more interactive adventures (admit it, the array of quest options in WoW is pretty limited), then it can only benefit the D&D community.
- D&D 4E is a dummied down version for unintelligent teenagers: I’ll admit, some aspects of the new edition seem a lot simpler than previous editions. I fail to see, however, that sheer complexity is a good thing in game design. Having played D&D 3.X since it’s release and spent countless hours tweaking NPCs and monsters for play, I’m more than ready for a little simplicity. From what I’ve seen in terms of characters, it looks like there are more choices, allowing for greater variation and complexity without sacrificing game balance. More options + simpler rules = good thing, at least in my book.
- D&D 4E doesn’t feel like D&D anymore: Most of these complaints are from long-running groups who have played in most or all of the previous editions. Fourth edition is sacrificing far more of D&D’s “sacrificial cows” in the name of consistency and balance, and the play-style does lean more heavily towards miniatures and tactical play than in decades past. In several cases of these playtests, however, the group didn’t have a ruleset that was either finished or complete, but rather a hodgepodge cobbled together from various Internet sources. The probability for misinterpreted, forgotten, or simply unknown rules is incredibly high. Couple that with the psychological bias against anything new and different in favor of the old and familiar, and I think you’ll find the root of the problem. Gamers who still feel that D&D 4E doesn’t evoke the nostalgia of their early RPG years can always go back and play the original editions they recall so fondly.
To draw a parallel, all we’ve seen of D&D 4E so far is a couple teaser trailers and some random footage. Would you judge a 3-hour movie based on a few minutes clipped at random? Or would you withhold judgment until you had seen the actual movie? For my part, the preview information to date seems overwhelmingly positive, and I’m very excited about the release, and cautiously optimistic that this will prove the greatest iteration of D&D to date.