4th edition!

[Overlord]

Well, it makes sense. I mean, why would you release a Rules Compendium if you weren't about done publishing rules?

I'm also sure they intend to keep supporting 3.5, possibly even releasing books.

A Compendium of Rules that are about to become obsolete?

This leads me to believe that either A: 4th Ed is going to be pretty compatible with 3.5, or B: More likely, they're trying to milk as much money as they can out of 3.5 before dropping it like a turd and beginning to crank out new 4th edition products.

By the way, I accidentally discovered that if you hold down the Shift key, 4th edition becomes $TH EDITION. Coincidence? You decide!

[Rachel Lorelei]

A Compendium of Rules that are about to become obsolete?

Yes. It's a valuable resource for people who, oh, decide that a new edition is just an eeeeeevil ploy to make money and stick with the old one.

[nagora]

On the other hand, I really don't want to shell out 90 bucks for three more rulebooks.

You don't need to do that; the 1st edition books can be got for a lot less on eBay.

[Rachel Lorelei]

You don't need to do that; the 1st edition books can be got for a lot less on eBay.

Edit: that was a little blunt.
So I'll just say that anyone who has ever considered 1st edition could already have it. They've even likely tried it and decided they didn't like it. It's pretty obvious that someone remotely interested in 4E won't be interested in 1st ed.

[Overlord]

Yes. It's a valuable resource for people who, oh, decide that a new edition is just an eeeeeevil ploy to make money and stick with the old one.

Good point.

But I considered the Rules Compendium to be a somewhat less eeevil ploy to make money. And I didn't like the idea of paying for errata, which is exactly what the Rules Compendium 4th Edition is going to be.

Okay, just kidding on that last one. That was a cheap shot.

[Costantinov]

As long as they make Kobolds a PC race i'll be happy. >_>

Ehhhh...I think that already exists :P

[Rachel Lorelei]

Good point.

But I considered the Rules Compendium to be a somewhat less eeevil ploy to make money. And I didn't like the idea of paying for errata, which is exactly what the Rules Compendium 4th Edition is going to be.

Okay, just kidding on that last one. That was a cheap shot.

From what I've heard, the Rules Compendium contains either no or very little errata.

[Overlord]

From what I've heard, the Rules Compendium contains either no or very little errata.

Quiet, you!

You're stifling my hissy fit!

...Okay, if what you're saying is accurate, the Rules Compendium now rates a 3 out of 10 on the evil scale, and a 7 out of 10 on my "Personally Useless" scale.

[Destro_Yersul]

*shrug*

Gencon, which starts Thursday, is four days long. Wizards of the Coast is a co-sponser of said con. Coincedence? You decide!

My guess is that it's a countdown to Gencon. Course, I could be horribly wrong about that, and it really is 4th ed. In which case I shall cry.
Isn't this just the sort of thing Wizards would do to promote that?

[nagora]

Edit: that was a little blunt.
So I'll just say that anyone who has ever considered 1st edition could already have it. They've even likely tried it and decided they didn't like it. It's pretty obvious that someone remotely interested in 4E won't be interested in 1st ed.

I have to admit that I only posted that because I knew you would see it. I'm a bad man ()

[Reinboom]

*shrug*

Gencon, which starts Thursday, is four days long. Wizards of the Coast is a co-sponser of said con. Coincedence? You decide!

My guess is that it's a countdown to Gencon. Course, I could be horribly wrong about that, and it really is 4th ed. In which case I shall cry.
Isn't this just the sort of thing Wizards would do to promote that?

It would be a bad business move to promote it without saying it's gencon _ being that Thursday is today. GenCon is something one normally plans for, and 'announcing it' (even though so many people already know of it) in such a way, especially since the announcement happens for a long period of time afterwards, is quite silly.
Also, GenCon isn't just D&D for wizards - there is magic (their main money raking engine - though i still love it) - and the magic page doesn't have this stop sign of a countdown on it. If it was wizards counting towards it - I would imagine it would be on their whole website - not just D&D.

Finally, there's the forums that was up for only a short minute showing topic discussions of 4th edition, that was quickly closed. Official, WotC forums. That still exist. (You can tell because you can't access them - not a missing page, no, you just can't access the page that is there).

*pats your back* it'll be ok... *hands handkerchief*

[Matthew]

Yep, I just read that topic as well. Looks like it really may be 4e! Oh how I have waited for this day... apparently they're bringing back Kits...

I wonder if this has anything to do with them loosing Dragonlance.

eh?

Spoiler

Show

Thank you Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Hilarious.

[Lord Tirian]

Finally, there's the forums that was up for only a short minute showing topic discussions of 4th edition, that was quickly closed. Official, WotC forums. That still exist. (You can tell because you can't access them - not a missing page, no, you just can't access the page that is there).

Yep... In this post, there's a link to a screenshot.

Looks pretty real (if that was 'shopping, it was quick, besides, several people have seen the same... and the links work).

Cheers, LT.

[illathid]

I don't know how legit this is, but I found this link.

And to all those that are saying that 4E is going to be purely electronic, I'm sorry to bust your bubble, but in various places WotC employees have flat out said that print books will not go the way of the dodo for some time. I'll try and find the quotes after I sleep.

[The White Knight]

Heh, I enjoy the "Hallelujah!" and "Doomsday" Threads in that screenshot - they're actually giving people an official place to praise or whine.

[Reinboom]

Heh, I enjoy the "Hallelujah!" and "Doomsday" Threads in that screenshot - they're actually giving people an official place to praise or whine.

Well, given the reactions before this event (we've seen it lately here as well - and it's been longer running in the wotc community forums), I would imagine it's more of WotC trying to prevent the two from flaming each other relentlessly.

[Matthew]

Does anyone else here read Knights of the Dinner Table? A while ago, they did an arc about rushing a new edition out the door to boost flagging sales... along the lines of promising "33% more content" by bumping up the font size 22% and adding redundant sidebars and tables for the other 11%. The predictive powers of satire are astonishing...

That was a comment on the 2e revision in 1995, this would just be history repeating itself. So, one year to go.

[Charity]

I for one welcome our new masters.

[Matthew]

Whatever, Charity! You never even made the switch from 3.0 to 3.5!

[albertstoop]

If it is the 4th edition then i think it will come out next year.

4e still uses miniatures

next year there will be a new starter set of miniatures with random + 4 standard figures.

Let me guess around then the 4e is coming out and there are only 4 main classes. fighter/cleric/mage/rogue????

[Dhavaer]

The "streamlines parts...that are too complex" quote worries me somehow.

[Premier]

As an enthusiastic 2E player, this news does not effect me in the least. Although I am vastly amused to know that in the near future, there will be such a thing as a '3E grognard.'

There won't be, no matter how many kids declare themselves such on ENWorld. Even 2E is not fully and 100% grognard yet, 3E players will have to wait at least one more decade for the title of grognardry.

If ever.

[Jarlax]

the fact the PHB comes "packaged with pre-painted miniatures" according to that article hints that they will be making a definite move to miniature heavy combat, which is probably a bad sign for those hoping for more roleplay emphasis in the new edition but hardly surprising considering the popularity that miniature games are having at the moment.

however it looks like 4ed with its miniature focus will make online games more available through the wizards website that will let DMs Build adventures online for their players to play over the net.

i can definitely see how an emphasis on model combat will also "streamline parts of D&D that are too complex", like Combat and reach, flanking, tac-5 steps, etc.

[Aotrs Commander]

The "streamlines parts...that are too complex" quote worries me somehow.

That worries me too.

My biggest concern is this May 2008 release date. I'm not sure whether or not to trust that. If it is, then I think we have a problem. WotC have, for months, answered every query about 4E with a denial that they were considering it. So either they were lying to their cutomer base (real smart) or they are planning on putting something out without mcuh play testing. I suspect, if true, they may have been 'stealth designing' using Saga and such as a base. However, even Saga's not been out very long, and I find it hard to believe they feel they've got enough feedback on that yet. So it may be that they have already decided (perhaps unofficially, so they could lie to us) to use some or all of Saga in 4th. (Which I personally I think is a big step back in a lot of respects, though Saga did have a few clever ideas). As Saga is simiplified a great deal, it leads me to beleive this even more.

Not to menton the pointlessness of the Rules Compendium. I suspect that will sell very few copies now, since many of the border-liners will probably not bother with it, or at least wait until they see what 4E is like.

On the other hand, it they are just announcing and preparing well in advance (12-24 months, say), to get a suitable amount of serious feedback (not idle speculation) then they are to be commended. If this is the case, then I shall look forward to 4E, confident they've thoguh enough about it. But, sadly, I very much doubt that.

And blocking the main D&D site was just childishly annoying.

Fortunately for me, I'll be up late enough to have a gander when it goes down, since it'll only be half-one when the timer expires.

[Malek]

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Seriously though I have two things I'd like to see in 4e:

1) NOT using Star Wars Saga Edition system like some people on WotC boards suggested - seriously it *sucked*

2) Some thing simmilar to (not necessarily identical) ToB maneuvers for fighter classes.

[YPU]

I am going to make a wild guess as an option not mentioned yet. What if this 4E does not make 3.5 dnd obsolete, but works besides it? perhaps its entirely digital, perhaps its even a special program for playing DnD online. (this going on on many forums, it would seem like a good market to explore for them) this of course is falls hope. But hope anyway.

Also, I have a faint feeling of dread, fear and expectation about this, strange, I will probably be awake to see what it is anyway

[Citizen Joe]

It's going to include collectible cards. I think they were already doing something like that for some classes and special abilities and stuff, but people just ignored the cards and played as if they had them.

It's going to suck... nobody will buy it... then they will can some people or pull out some expensive ingredient and repackage it as DND 3.9 Classic and sell all the books again.

[Jarlax]

2) Some thing simmilar to (not necessarily identical) ToB maneuvers for fighter classes.

you wont see those for fighters because fighters are supposed to be the easy learner class (and there really would not be space for maneuvers in a PBH already crowded with spells).

however i wouldn't mind a variation on Maneuvers for casters, throw away the old spells per day for a more spells per combat style that means wizards can go all day instead of being the deciding factor for when the party rests.

[Dhavaer]

I've heard it's going to be closer to a 3.75 than a full blown 4.0, but I don't know how accurate that is.

[Dausuul]

The "streamlines parts...that are too complex" quote worries me somehow.

Really? That's my number one desire for 4E. Right now, combat at any level higher than about 6 or 7 involves far, far too much time spent adding up modifiers, tracking durations, looking up spell effects, trying to remember which debuff affects which stats, calculating the effect of 5 points of Strength damage on a monster's secondary natural weapon, and hunting for that last +1 under the couch.

And the grapple rules need a major fix, too.