4th edition!

[Matthew]

Just in:

http://www.kenzerco.com/forums/showp...&postcount=157

This was posted on ENWORLD


Wizards of the Coast is announcing at GenCon today that it will release the 4th Edition of its category-leading Dungeons and Dragon roleplaying game in 2008, the first full new edition in eight years. The three core books will be released next summer on a monthly schedule: Player's Handbook in May, Monster Manual in June, and Dungeon Master's Guide in July. Pricing and page counts of the new products will be consistent with current packaging. Graphics have been updated, art will be used on the covers, and interior design has been opened up to make the books less intimidating to new players.


Green Dragon by Wayne Reynolds


Lead-in products, Wizards Presents: Classes and Races and Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters, will be released in December. An April release, Keep of the Shadowfell, will include a set of quickstart rules for 4E.



While there are changes in play (such as incorporating "epic-level play," with 30 levels instead of 20), they are described as "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary." Other changes include new power sources, changes in resource management, and new encounter design, and more clearly defined monster roles. Changes will speed play, make the game easier to learn, and make DM-ing easier. Concepts for 4th Edition gameplay were tested in the new Star Wars RPG, and the Book of 9 Swords.



What the company does describe as revolutionary is the method of product delivery, which will incorporate online play for the first time. WotC is incorporating online components into the game through a new Website, DnDInsider.com. Each paper product will include codes to unlock digital versions on the site for a "nominal" activation fee. Players will also be able to use DnDInsider tools and access regular new content similar to the material that was previously released in Dragon and Dungeon magazines (see "Interview with Liz Schuh") for a monthly fee (as yet undetermined) greater than the old subscription price, but less than a MMORPG subscription. Magazine-style content will be added to the site three times a week and compiled into digital "issues" monthly.




Halfling Male Cleric Concept Sketch


Gameplay features on the Web will include a digital D&D game table, and voice chat and text messaging, to allow online players to communicate with each other. The online play is designed to "supplement, not replace" meatspace play.



The Open Gaming License will continue as it has in the past, allowing the use of the rules in other publishers' games.



Work on the new edition began in 2005, with the major work all accomplished in the last year.



D&D products released between now and the launch of 4th Edition will fall into three groups. Edition-proof products (which are mostly story) will not include mechanics that are edition-specific. Some products will be "enhanced" to 4th Edition mechanics after release through DnDInsider, and a couple of series will end as 3.5 products.



The setting for the core books are campaign neutral. Forgotten Realms will be the first campaign setting to be updated (in August 2008). Other campaign settings will be updated at a rate of one per year.


Marketing support will initially focus on migrating the existing player base, and then move to an acquisition strategy to re-activate lapsed players and acquire new ones. Midnight launch parties will be used to kick off sales of the first new release in May.

Source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/11123.html

[horseboy]

I too am terrified of D&D for morons.

Isn't that redundant?

Whilst I admit that the magic system needs a complete overhaul, and diplomacy needs to better tolerate high level characters (along with things like grapple etc), I don't think the basic mechanics are flawed. Seeing a reversion to AD&D would suck all the fun out of the game.

You get used to it, after a while.

The only thing I can see its that they're trying to sell to a wider audience (Lookie everyone! Simple mechanics and brightly coloured minis) but I just can't see D&D going mainstream enough to make it worthwhile.

That's what we said about 3.0.

[Arbitrarity]

XPH, TOB, TOM, MOI must be optional core

[blue_fenix]

4th edition? If it is so, may God have mercy on our collective souls.

[Fax Celestis]

Well in case you needed any more official confirmations, Silver Stars (the Israeli Roleplaying publisher) has made an official announcement about 4E just now.

They have also given the following release dates for the English editions of the core books.

The Player's Handbook will be released at May 2008,
Each month after that another book will be released,
The Monster Manual will be released second and the Dungeon Master's Guide will be released third, it also seems there will be 7 (!) core books this time around, but 4 of them are optional and Silver Stars refused to tell us about them, speculations are that one of them is the new Psioncs Handbook.

The system will stay D20, OGL, and will have a new SRD constructed for it within half a year of its release.

Money says: Core: PHB, MM, DMG

Expanded Core: XPH, MoI, ToM, ToB

[RTGoodman]

Well in case you needed any more official confirmations, Silver Stars (the Israeli Roleplaying publisher) has made an official announcement about 4E just now.

They have also given the following release dates for the English editions of the core books.

The Player's Handbook will be released at May 2008,
Each month after that another book will be released,
The Monster Manual will be released second and the Dungeon Master's Guide will be released third, it also seems there will be 7 (!) core books this time around, but 4 of them are optional and Silver Stars refused to tell us about them, speculations are that one of them is the new Psioncs Handbook.

The system will stay D20, OGL, and will have a new SRD constructed for it within half a year of its release.

Do you have a link for that? I'd like to check it out (assuming it's in English).

[Matthew]

Read it in full above (#211) or check here: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/11123.html

Looks like ToB will be Core. That should polarise the community.

[SoulCatcher78]

I'm hoping for something between SWSE and C&C but I don't know if I would be that tempted to buy into another new system past a PhB. Since I purchased C&C, I really don't need a streamlined game but additional source info that's already streamlined might be nice. Let's face it, the monster books haven't really been that original since the early 90s (if even then) and unless there're some radical differences, most of us wont be rushing to purchase a DMG (if you haven't figured it out by now, another book isn't going to help you). I think this is just following the normal cycle of new gamers not wanting to purchase 5 years worth of material to be current so we restart with the core and build up the bloat from there.

[Lord Herman]

Personally, I'm not too worried about 4th edition. Sure, I've spent a lot of money on 3.5e books, but I do feel the system is in need of an overhaul. I just hope they overhaul it in the right direction...

[RTGoodman]

Thanks, but I was looking for something that mentioned seven Core books. That just seems excessive to me (even if some are optional), and I wanted to see if there was any reasoning behind it.

[Grey Paladin]

Do you have a link for that? I'd like to check it out (assuming it's in English).

Sadly its in Hebrew.


Also, I pretty much summed up exactly what they've said, they gave very little information beside this and some forum in-jokes.

Hopefully they've messed up the terms and there are only 3 core books.

[banjo1985]

Thanks, but I was looking for something that mentioned seven Core books. That just seems excessive to me (even if some are optional), and I wanted to see if there was any reasoning behind it.

7 core books = more money, that's about all the reason they need...

[Porthos]

Read it in full above (#211) or check here: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/11123.html

Looks like ToB will be Core. That should polarise the community.

It's "Optional" Core.

That single word is going to cause more arguments in the DnD world that anything that has come before it.

[Ichneumon]

7 is really insane.

Isn't the whole idea of non-core material that it is optional?

[RTGoodman]

7 core books = more money, that's about all the reason they need...

Oh, of course. I just meant I reason that I support.

Grey Paladin, thanks anyway. I imagine some American or British site will find out about it and tell us all about it. Probably in the next couple of hours.

Unfortunately, I'll be working this evening at the official announcement time (in a place with no internet access, even!) so I'll have to wait about 3 1/2 hours after the GenCon announcement before I find anything out.

EDIT: Huh... it seems all this excitement and posting about 4E has turned me from a halfling into a dwarf!

[Leon]

Well, Bugger

[Arbitrarity]

It's "Optional" Core.

That single word is going to cause more arguments in the DnD world that anything that has come before it.

*To the DM*: ToB will be core in 4.0! Allow it! It's revolutionary design, and also full of win!

[Rob Knotts]

I'm fine with waiting to see how it turns out, I've got some hope 4e will streamline the system as much as d20 Modern did. In any case, I sold most of my 3x collection* on ebay a couple months ago, so I don't have a problem with buying new books. Of course, I kept the Draconomicon and Lords of Madness. I may be burnt out on D&D 3x, but I'm not stupid

[Matthew]

*To the Player* Will you ever shut up about this you stupid Fan Boy? No means no (yes, even in this context).

[Evil DM Mark3]

The only downside is that they woun't have shot the lame duck that is Forgotten Realms.

Ah well, I can dream.

Still WotC can expect a massive plunge in sales untill May.

That is to say anyone even vaugley aware of what they are doing will drop out of buying new material.

[Arbitrarity]

yes

Out of context quotes for the win

[Porthos]

Thanks, but I was looking for something that mentioned seven Core books. That just seems excessive to me (even if some are optional), and I wanted to see if there was any reasoning behind it.

Well, let's face it, the Psionic Handbook has been a defacto "Optional" Core Book for years now. I figure that WotC looked at which books got Extreme Chatter/Use and decided to make them semi-Core. They couldn't go all out and make them all Core, as then they would have a minor revolt on their hands. But if they called them "Optional" Core (which means almost nothing), then they probably feel that they can have their cake and eat it too.

And if it looks like most people are using the "Optional" Core as "Real" Core, then all seven books will be Core when 5E eventually comes out.

[Ichneumon]

That is to say anyone even vaugley aware of what they are doing will drop out of buying new material.

That is so true.

[The Demented One]

Oh great...now they want us to subscribe online to get content? Explains why the pulled Dragon and Dungeon out of print.

[Evil DM Mark3]

Oh great...now they want us to subscribe online to get content? Explains why the pulled Dragon and Dungeon out of print.

Wait you werent expecting that? This is the Information age, of course they are going to want to ramp up Online content. Now I understand what Gleemax was the infiltration force. But in order to prode people onwards you have to shoot the packbeast they are allready using with a hammergun.

Signing off now before this grill of a metaphore gets even more mixed.

[Malic]

Lame I just got into 3.5 edition and now there's a new one. Why does this happen with every hobby I start

[RTGoodman]

Oh great...now they want us to subscribe online to get content? Explains why the pulled Dragon and Dungeon out of print.

Yeah, that bothers me a little. I quit playing WoW after two or three months because I despise anything that I have to pay by-the-month to play. Well, that and WoW sucks. A lot.

That's not saying that you'll be forced to pay to play D&D 4E, but the stuff mentioned above makes it seem like updates, errata, and web enhancements (you know, stuff we should and currently do get for free) will cost a "nominal fee." I'm betting it'll be around $8-10 US.

[Grey Paladin]

Just to expand on my edit in the last post, The announcement can be read in two completely different ways , and while the other 4 books were called optional they WERE grouped together with the first three core books and dubbed core by this part: "The first core book (the Player's handbook) will be released in may 2008, and another book in the series will be released each month, there are plans for seven books in total although 4 are optional"

The more I read it the more it strikes me as if they simply misunderstood, as hard as it is to believe Silver Stars edit/word worse then WotC despite only having to translate . . .

[Dragonmuncher]

Money says: Core: PHB, MM, DMG

Expanded Core: XPH, MoI, ToM, ToB

MoI? Really? It's a neat enough system, but I was under the impression that after it was released, WotC didn't give it a second look. No support in additional boards, or anything. In fact, weren't there some outcries over on the Wizards board that Incarnum didn't have its own message board? (I don't know, I don't go on those boards much)



I wasn't around for the 2e-3e switch, or even the 3-3.5 switch, so this is all new to me. Are you saying that books like ToB, or XPH, will just be retroactively become 4e books? Or that they'll write new, 4e-compatible versions of these books? Or make a few web guidelines instructing players on how to convert these books into 4e?

[ALOR]

Well I guess we should have seen this coming
If it's not something completly diffrent than 3e, i can't see my self buying it.
The only thing that sounded a little bit interesting was the online gaming table.