The Blue Elephant Brigade

Mojobacca · Brigadier Commando Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 2789

I haven't done a lot of looking on this yet, but it seems that 4th edition is coming out fairly soon. It supposedly takes the game to a digital level by utilizing an advanced "Fantasy Grounds" interface so DM's can visually represent the scene without using erasers and dice to signify players and monsters. Also, the DM can edit on the fly if needed.

YouTube has some interesting presentation movies about it. (Not going to link them)
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Kellion · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:35 am Post subject:

OMFGWTFBBQ!!!!!111one!
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Kellion · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:38 am Post subject:

Actually, I'm not that excited about it, as I really don't play anymore. However, I would like to see the DM tools and see what they consist of.
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midget · Brigadier Veteran Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2263

May - PHB
June - MM
July - DMG

How the hell do you release the DMG after the MM? Maybe I will go to GenCon to win the D&D open again... damn I'm cool. I think that the DM tool is potentially cool, but if it limits your creativity AT ALL then it can GTFO. I hate that their major reasoning behind putting this out was that looking stuff up was SUCH a burden/slow down. Know the damn rules or don't play, is it that hard?
Everyone seems pretty pumped so far, but I have a wait and see attitude so far. Oh well, it's not like I play anymore anyway, but I would probably make a come back for GenCon and let some BEBers ride my coattails to a plaque, free books, a meet and greet and being the center of huge awards ceremony... such a cool experience
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Mongolio · Brigadier Elite Joined: 25 Mar 2005 Posts: 4976

D&D competition, eh? I can only assume it's like an ORSE for the Navy guys. You aren't being graded on your ability to make it through, but your ability to follow the rules, roleplay and for the DM to be creative and stay within the ruleset?
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Trassin · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:15 am Post subject:

I'll stick with my MnM.
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Kellion · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:59 am Post subject:

Like I said, I'm not an avid player anymore, but I've played D&D for over 20 years now. I've always liked the Fantasy set up that was pieced together by TSR back in the day.

I'm pretty interested in what the DM Tools are going to be able to do. Even if it's just for story writing or whatever.
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"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents." -Nathaniel Borenstein

midget · Brigadier Veteran Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2263

It was set over 3 parts (campaign was called "Finger of the Wind" btw). You received points for certain things and then the highest scores would advance. The points were based on completion, time, creativity, how you dealt with certain things and a few other factors. Myself and another or my party members came up with something that circumvented 75% of the second module, which only 10% of the participants even finished. They actually mentioned our creativity and that none of the people that worked (basically everyone behind D3 and a bunch of play testers and a few famous D&D authors) on this thought of what we came up with at the ceremony. It was a pretty surreal moment.
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"People really don’t like to hear success explained away as luck — especially successful people. As they age, and succeed, people feel their success was somehow inevitable. They don’t want to acknowledge the role played by accident in their lives. There is a reason for this: the world does not want to acknowledge it either." -- Michael Lewis

CrushFearSynth · Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:55 am Post subject:

I have to say I'm not excited one bit. Sure, I'll give 4th ed. a go. But I'm not buying all new versions of the same crap. I've been on this stuff since it was just a rumor, and some of it sounds promising. Most of it seems unnecessary, as we already got those ideas from other games and were using them anyway.
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Tzalik · Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 3:27 pm Post subject:

First off I'd have to say I can't wait to see the finished product and that I will be buying it. With that said though, I will point out a few of the drawbacks as far as I can see them.

The PHB will most likely not include the same starting character classes that were in 3rd and 3.5 editions. This means that classes like bard and monk may not make the cut into the first PHB.
There will be yearly updates to all three of the core rule books.
The DM tool everyone wants to take a look at is an "online" tool that is part of the pay-per month package of D&D insider.
D&D insider is Dragon magazine, Dungeon magazine and the DM toolbox ect and the cost will be between the price of one magazine and a MMORPG subscription, they are thinking between $10-$15 a month.
The Dungeon and Dragon magazines come in PDF format and can be downloaded and kept.

I love the fact that caster characters will still be able to function after they have used their "cooldown" abilities. It always seemed lame to have a mage that had to wack away with his staff after using his one first level spell for the day... instead now he will be able to "magic missle" each round, even after using his other cooler stuff.

I also love the idea of a warriors chosen weapon greatly affecting what they can do, and what they are good at.
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CrushFearSynth · Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 6:11 pm Post subject:

Hell if I'm paying a monthly fee for content that will be available the next day on P2P. Otherwise, things look interesting so far.
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midget · Brigadier Veteran Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2263

CrushFearSynth · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 9:07 am Post subject:

A measley cumulative plus 1 to attacks and\or damage isn't the same as the stuff they can do now when specializing.
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midget · Brigadier Veteran Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 2263

My friend, there is nothing more powerful in D3 than a warrior using a 2handed weapon.
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"People really don’t like to hear success explained away as luck — especially successful people. As they age, and succeed, people feel their success was somehow inevitable. They don’t want to acknowledge the role played by accident in their lives. There is a reason for this: the world does not want to acknowledge it either." -- Michael Lewis

CrushFearSynth · Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject:

In terms of straight melee, yes. Fighters have a very hard time meeting all situations, though, unless they're carrying weapons made from every type of material or very powerful magic weapons. Rogues deal the second highest damage from sneak attacks but can only affect living creatures and such, and magic users deal the greatest damage at high levels but eventually run out of spells. High level Warlocks, however, are monstrous compared to all of them. 9d6 untyped damage every round, bypasses all damage reduction and resistances, bypasses armor as a ranged touch attack, unlimited uses a day. Not including epic progression. Properly deployed and covered, no class is more powerful.

In any case, 4th ed. fighting classes own 3.5 fighting classes like nobody's business. So far.
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Tzalik · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:36 pm Post subject:

The lack of definites has pissed me off. Like which classes are/aren't making the cut.. I also think its piss poor to not include the classes from 3.5 in 4.0 right from the start.

So far I hear druid, monk, and bard are out...
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CrushFearSynth · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:06 am Post subject:

I'm hoping they aren't focusing on the online aspect to the detriment of everything else.
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Immyls · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:56 pm Post subject:

I'd just like to point out that you are all hyped up for a system that has yet to come out that has already admited that it will suck bad enough to have a rev system in place from the get go. What is next? You have to have your publications player check to make sure that everyone is using the latest rev of the system before each session? Really, what gives? I think I played second for like 15 years before third came out. Why not let 3 mature a bit? Oh, yeah, I forgot, geeks are suckers for shiny things, and will shell out good money for them. In this case, a subscription fee...

/rant off
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CrushFearSynth · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject:

Who's hyping exactly? I know I'm pretty critical of it so far. I like a lot of the stuff they've been touting, but I'm still a skeptic. In any case, there's no reason not to try to fix something if it's broken. 3.5 is still pretty unfriendly and unnecessarily complicated, so I see no problem with simplify it. Letting 3rd mature is exactly what they're doing - 4th is the same game with apparently better rules....a matured 3rd. Besides, 2nd edition blew hard. We used it because it was all there was at the time. I agree with your criticisms of the new system, but with 2nd it took 15 years to develop 3rd because no one played DnD for those 15 years, not nearly the numbers they've had during the resurgence of the past few. Bigger business, more focus on development to expand their demographic and capitalize on said surge.

I'm not subscribing to crap. Screw that.
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Resheph · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 7:56 pm Post subject:

Dorks.
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