DnD4 Countdown 1 - Almost there!

About a year ago, wizards posted a semi-cryptic message on their website, hinting at something big was to be announced. They even had a big countdown-clock on the site.

We all know what happened: They announced that 4th edition of DnD was in the works (and also that their servers crashed right after the counter reached 0:0:0).

Since that day, there have been rumours, speculations, previews, simple playtests etc. Of course, we saw allegations that 4th ed is a dumbed-down version to cater for the WoW-infected children of today. There's also the usual "DnD has turned into a miniatures game" and similar complaints.

This is exactly the things that was said when 3.0 and 3.5 was released, and I guess we will hear it again when a hypothetical 5th ed is released.

Yes, you can use it as a boardgame/ miniatures game. There are propably some elements from WoW in DnD4. But, at it's core, I still believe that DnD4 can cater to different tastes and can be played in a multitude of ways.

During the year, Wizards have given us lots of previews, statements and hints. They have made some hefty claims about how the game will play, and I for one am looking forward to see how these claims are met.

One point which is met with a lot of scepticism is the dnd insidier application. I guess no-one really knows how it will turn out in the end. It's definately something I will look into though.

To sum up: We know a lot about the game already, but tomorrow is when we (or at least I) can start get a more complete picture. Some questions will be answered directly from reading the rules, and others will require a few sessions of gaming to figure out. Either way, the wait is very soon over, and we can start to enjoy this new game.

.. as long as I can stop myself from getting Trail of Cthulhu, which I also saw on one of the shelves of my DFGS (distant friendly gaming store). If I fail my will save, my next post may as well be about that game.

DnD4 Countdown 2 - 5 additions I hope for

While the books will containg many hours of joy, there are still things I hope to see in the future.

• Rules on mass combat. Sooner or later, the characters can grow and become leaders of armies, waging wars against other kingdoms. I see no problem why the basic rules wouldn't scale so that you have troops of different classes. Each troop can have at-will powers, encounter powers and "daily" powers (maybe changing the terms slightly). The all out attack with the big cannon is a daily power, while an ordinary volley of arrows is an at will power. This and the rules for swarms should make the addition of mass combat rules quite easy.
• Castles and Courts. I'd like to se a sourcebook on how to build castles and how to do courtly intrigue. It doesn't have to be extremely detailed, but just guidelines on how a castle looks, what defences it can have etc. This way I can play Sir Huffin, brave knight. I'd save damstrels in distress, excell in tournament games and be blessed by the king himself
• More specialised magic users. Instead of just a wizard, I'd like to see intersting takes on Necromancers, Illusionists or perhaps even some kind of artificers.
• Martial arts. Let's hope for classes and powers that simulate ninjas, shaolin monks and karate experts. Come on, don't stop with just the monk, give us over-the-top action.
• The Deep Dark - Imagine underwater andventures with hidden ruins and ancient secrets. Sects of deep ones worship the horror hidden deep beneath the ocean waves, in temples with astec and incan influences.
  

DnD4 Countdown 3 - Five characters I want to play

• Any kind of warlord. The more I read about the warlord, the more fun it seems. I want to shout orders to the fighters, telling them to push on and to shake that measily flesh wound of. See my post about Warlords/ sergeants for more info.

• Half-elven Ranger. I know, this is a bit cliché, but so far the different editions of DnD have failed me in making it possible to play a decent flashy, rapier wielding swashbuckler type. I will be very interested in seeing if DnD4 can accomplish this.
• A human Paladin. You know, I want to ride in full plate armour, wielding my lance, bracing my shield and fighting for all that's good and decent. Lancelot and Ivanhoe, here I come!
• Dragonborn or Tiefling Warlock. I'm intrigued by the idea of a dark character that is basically good, but that flirts with evil powers to get stronger. Does the end really justify the means?
• The angry axe. That is, a large axe with an angry dwarven fighter attached to the non-sharp end. I know it's trite and way to old, but there's something primal and simple with a dwarven warrior.
  

DnD4 Countdown 4 - A week of fives

This final week before the release, I'll be presenting a number of lists concerning DnD4. Todays list is "Five things I'm excited about in DnD4". I know I have written a few posts that seem fairly critical to the game, so I thought I'd make up for that in presenting what I'm looking forward to in DnD4. So, here goes

1. Fantastic worlds
   
• It seems DnD4 is going back to a more simple, straightforward setting that opens up for more freedom and creativity for the DM. The basic setting, as described, doesn't contain lot's of history, politics or civilisation. It just is. This makes it easier for me to just slot in whatever incoherent and fun story I want. If I want there to be ruins that hold the secrets about who is the rightful heir to the "old kingdom" (whatever that is), there is ruins.. and an old kingdom.. and an heir. Also, take a look at my post Starting settings simple
  
2. Ease of preparation
• It seems like DnD4 will be a lot easier to prepare modules for. Take the above example. I want the ruins to be populated by goblins that are ruled by a warlock. He has a personal guard of undead around him. All these things are readily prepared in the Monster Manual, and even if I wanted to flesh the Warlock out in detail that won't take long. Focus is on the story and excitement, not adding modifiers.
3. More group tactics.
• One thing that I have noticed is that there are a lot more rules that encourages group tactics (or at least some sort of coorperation). This holds mostly true for the leader-types, but the rest of the classes also get their share of powers and attacks that can be used to good effect when used in conjunction with others.
4. Reaching lvl 30.
• This is a long term plan, but still. I like that they have added the quest for immortality in the end. It doesn't just end with "the characters settle down and become a barkeep", but the character can actually be a demi-god, influencing millions of people in the future.
5. An interesting setting publishing model
• Some time ago WotC presented a model for publishing settings. Actually, it's nothing remarkable, but that's what I find remarkable. Instead of having a small number of settings that will be bloated with sourcebooks, they will have a larger number of settings (there's even rumours of Spelljammer... yay!) with a limited series of books. Basically one GM Guid and one Players Guide for each setting, and that's it. There are those that doesn't like that, but it's a model I very much approve of.

Look forward to other lists later this week.

DnD4 Countdown 5 - Editing 101

Todays post is not so much about DnD4 as it's an observation on a trend in rpg-writing in general. Earlier today, I saw this text describing the new game from White Wolfe called Hunter: the Vigil. Although I'm excited about the game, something about the text didn't click at all.

Now, let me first point you to the writers guidelines at Steve Jackson games. In this case, take a look at #6. It's about overuse of words and long sentences. In the guidelines it's said that a lot of words can be taken away without losing the intended meaning. I will add to that, and say that in some cases you can actually add feeling and intensity through removing "padding text". I have encounterd (and read about it) numerous times.

So, today I actually sat down and trimmed the text. Partly this was to actually understand it better myself. I'm aware that it's not perfect, but I think that the trimmed text conveys the message and substance across better than the original one.

Around the world, the vast majority of hunters face the supernatural armed with little more than their wits, willpower, and whatever supplies they can gather from the local sporting goods store.
Some hunters, though, by dint of powerful backers or stores of ancient relics or a supposed fallen angel in the family tree, have access to tools beyond those that ordinary men and women can acquire. Some would argue that these tools make them every bit as unnatural as the things they profess to hate—how much difference is there, really, between a witch who calls down lightning from the sky and a man who has implanted a swarm of insect monsters into his body to use as a weapon?
Others counter that, to destroy the monsters that hide in the shadows with any chance of success, a hunter needs every edge he can get. Endowments, unlike the powers of supernatural beings, are not their own category of Trait. They are simply a new category of Merit, and are purchased with Merit dots just like any other.

And the trimmed version:

Hunters face the supernatural armed with wits, willpower, and whatever supplies they find in a sporting goods store.
Some hunters, though have access to tools beyond those that ordinary men and women can acquire. Some would argue that these tools make them just as unnatural as the things they hunt—how much difference is there between a witch who calls down lightning from the sky and a man who has implanted a swarm of insect monsters into his body?
Others counter that, to destroy the monsters a hunter needs every edge he can get. Endowment are not their own category of Trait. They are simply a new category of Merit, and are purchased with Merit dots just like any other.

It might need additional work, but overall, this text is clearer and has more punch than the first one. One could argue that some info on the origins of these powers should be added (the "stores of ancient relics..."-part), but in this case I would make it a separate paragraph, rather than making an already long sentence even longer.

As I said, I have seen this trend in RPG-publishing some time now (with my fellow countrymen being major offenders here. Swedish RPG's are often written horribly bad). My hopes are that DnD4 will be written clearly and elegantly but not all to dry or formal.