Tuesday, December 8, 2009

4th Edition; Positive or Negative Addition to the D&D Realm?

Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to experience Dungeons and Dragons Basic, nor Advanced, nor 2nd Edition. My career with the game began about five years ago in the early days of 3.5. I remember very distinctly the associations of Satanism (which still strike me as unfounded and ludicrous) and its labeling as the quintessential nerd pastime (which… well… never mind). But surpassing all of that by miles and miles was the sheer limitless imagination and creativity involved with not only ‘playing’ the game, but ‘living’ it. Sitting down at the table and rolling a few dice was not only a minor escape from the so called real world, but also a fun, healthy exercise in entertainment, social skills, and teamwork. 3.5 will always hold a special place in my gaming heart for those reasons and many, many more. Now that that’s out of the way, we move to the conflict.

Clearly, anyone who utilizes the internet and has any interest in Dungeons and Dragons in its current form understands that a very divisive, and often patronizing, battle exists between the diehard 3rd edition players and the newer, 4th edition crowd. Clearly, this rift is easily understandable. Much of what made 3.5 such an amazing game has, admittedly, changed. But is it truly for the worse? And what of this floating claim that 4th edition is simply a certain, painfully popular MMORPG disguised as a pen and paper tabletop RPG? I hope to lay forth my own opinions concerning the matter.

I think it would be prudent to begin with the comparison between 4th edition and ‘World of Warcraft’. A certain part of me would like to automatically profess that such a claim is ludicrous and insulting, but unfortunately reason and truth demand that I obey their teachings. Without a doubt, 4th edition is the rule set which most closely resembles the video game and MMORPG era. But this is understandable in and of itself, for the previous editions were not published during the WoW boom. Yes, classes are broken down into certain pre-set roles to aid in the players utilizing them ‘correctly’, similar to those of many MMORPGs (Here listed as Strikers, Controllers, Defenders and Leaders). Yes, the combat system has evolved into a focus on placement and visual representation as opposed to pure imagination. But in my opinion, the comparisons stop there. I’ve heard some say that the game has no roleplaying devices, that it’s just like WoW where you hack and slash your way to bigger baddies to, undoubtedly, hack and slash some more. I wholeheartedly disagree. For one point, WoW has a rich and inviting roleplaying community if you choose to seek it out. For the second, roleplaying has always been, and will always be, fueled by the DM. No amount of text explaining the power and necessity of roleplaying is going to make a DM who dislikes the notion automatically include it. Similarly, those DM’s who respect and desire roleplaying in their campaigns will seek to implement it at every turn. Just because the PH doesn’t go into forty page detail does not mean it doesn’t exist (I can vouch for that from firsthand experience).

On another, more economically leaning, note, I would completely understand the idea of attempting to tailor a new system for the WoW populous. Let’s be honest here… there’re a lot of people who love that game, and I don’t for a second question whether WotC would like to cut into that lucrative pie. But the employees of WotC are not stupid. They would never purposefully attempt to neglect their entire 3rd edition fan base simply to bring in some fresh blood, and I think here is where we find the true issue. By going in a new direction, and retaining some of the facets of the past, they unintentionally alienated both parties. I know I love 4th edition, and I’ll get into why in the next few paragraphs, but it saddens me that so many people hold such deep seated hatred for the thing.

I suppose that leads me to the final question; is 4th edition worth playing? Does it bring positives to the table or is it simply a fetid mass of negativity? I think one must approach that question from the standpoint of a new player first, and a returning player second. So let’s get to it.

As a new player to the series, and I know this as a very personal friend just started, 4th edition appears an ominous mass of text and numbers. We must try and think logically here. Did we all memorize and learn, to the best of our abilities, the massive rules concerning 3rd edition and 3.5? Of course. But to a new player to Dungeons and Dragons or, God forbid, a new player to tabletop RPGs in general, imagine how daunting a 300 page core rulebook must seem. Imagine how they feel when you tell them that every month or two an additional 200 pages will be piled on top of that. It’s truly horrifying, in terms of both time and money. But clearly, 4th edition ‘is’ a streamlined version of its predecessor. And one, I find, that runs rather nicely, most especially for DMs like myself and new players to the series. There are a large amount of rules, but they’re learnable in an afternoon session. And it’s this ease of access and slick, thinner rule set which shines as 4th edition’s brightest praise. I know that they succeeded in their goal; I know that they produced a game capable of amassing new and veteran players to a table where everyone can enjoy themselves… but some would assuredly disagree.

Veterans, grognards… we don’t judge here. They love their thousand page tomes to flip through for that one, special rule that everyone seems to have forgotten. Of course they do… those laws and masses of knowledge are theirs. They learned them and made them their own. How do we expect them to give that up? The answer, of course, is quite simple. We don’t. In the end, we’ll all end up playing whatever makes us the happiest, and that’s what really makes the world go round. At my University, the gaming club plays both 4th edition and 3.5. Why? Because they have two groups looking for different experiences from games.

And that is where I must end. To be asked whether or not 4th edition is worth playing, I would of course say yes. Roleplaying exists as far as you desire it to, combat is exciting, fast paced and understandable, and the simplification for the DM to craft a thrilling adventure is literally a godsend. But it does have flaws, as does every system created. Even with its relative simplification, some areas like rituals and combat statuses become so complicated or unsavory that they aren’t used at all. Nothing is perfect. But if you’re looking for an enjoyable, engaging evening and have some friends to bring along, the journey can still be found at the same old address… it’s just the number that’s changed.

2 comments:

  1. I will echo your sentiment that 4E is a fun game, with some flaws, but still a solid edition. I also think this version is one of the easiest to DM and run. As for the players, I like them being able to do cool stuff, all the time. It seems 4E fits my group well.

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  2. @ Geek Ken:

    Especially concerning the ease of DMing. It truly amazes me how much simpler it is to spontaneously craft a random encounter or story arc in order to adjust to the PC's choices. As for the cool stuff... absolutely. 4e certainly offers the opportunity for numerous instances of heroism and, for lack of a better term, pure awesomeness. Thanks for the comment.

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