OT-D&D 4th edition game group?

[Randallw]

So, I wonder, does anyone here plan to try 4th edition when it comes out? with the online features it might make it easier to run sessions. It certainly sounds interesting.

[Fyron]

From what I have seen, it looks like they have down-graded the game rules to the lowest-common-denominator level of MMORPGs. Not really interested in it.

[Randallw]

I read they have changed the rules for raising the dead. Maybe they gave some consideration to whether animating the dead is evil or not

[Jack Simth]

Not immediately. I'm planning to wait for other people to be beta testers before I look at it too much.

I will, however, be going to gaming stores on June 7th to find out how much the market has crashed on used 3.5 books....

[douglas]

From what I have seen, they appear to have actually put significant thought into establishing consistent, balanced, and interesting design principles for the game to be based on. I am withholding final judgment until I can read the new Player's Handbook in its entirety, but I am optimistic about it. I very much doubt it will be terrible enough to overcome the bandwagon effect of official endorsement so I will probably end up playing it regardless, but I'm expecting it to turn out quite a bit better than that with a good chance of actually being a better game than 3.5.

It seems to be down at the moment, but enworld has a collection of virtually every bit of official information WotC has made available about 4e, all put on one page here.

[Randallw]

I have the Enworld page bookmarked. I actually thought it was on my old computer so I searched for the page the other day and when I tried to bookmark it I was told I already had it

I'm not sentimental in the least. A new thing is just as good as the old, better perhaps in that I can see what new stuff there is. I already hocked my old rules manuals before the second hand book bloke got suspicious at all the people trying to sell him their soon to be out of date books.

[Fyron]

Randallw said:
I read they have changed the rules for raising the dead. Maybe they gave some consideration to whether animating the dead is evil or not

Hehe, you still remember that.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I don't know if 4th edition will be better, but I do know that after looking over the released 4th edition rules, my brain isn't that interested in 3rd edition anymore.

[S.R. Krol]

D&D died a long time ago for me.

Play Castles and Crusades instead. You'll thank me.

[MrToxin]

The problem is that they're obsessing over rules and endless books of (typically over-powered) fluff, rather than a simple, quick-flowing rulesset that was more worried about players playing characters that were running around having grand adventures. I'm not going to be even remotely optimistic about fourth edition.

Chances are, I'll wait until I see what people over at the SA forums think, skim the book in the store, and...well, then I'll ultimately cannibalize the rules I like for my own version of the d20 system that I keep mangling to suit my own campaign world.