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(He’s more on the Defender side now)
What a difference a year makes! Wizards of the Coast launched the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons one year ago, and gamers’ heads exploded in both good and bad ways. Some people (including yours truly) loved instantly the blend of opening and closing traditional D&D design spaces. Others, well…some have converted. Others are having fun where they are.
The game has grown very quickly in that time, in terms of actual products and community. One year later, what better action to take then but to bring people responsible for the product together with people in the RPG blogging community? Our friend Jeff Greiner of the Tome Show did just that. James Wyatt and Chris Perkins from Wizard were flanked by a mob of bloggers, and answered questions at-will. It was a great time, and you really need to check it out if you want:
- teasers for the campaign setting released next year
- How the D&DI is planning to refocus and grow (exciting stuff)
- What tools DMs can expect in the future
- Which edition of D&D has arms growing out of its butt (really)
and more!
It was a really great time, and makes me even more excited for yet another year of 4th edition. Personal highlights of the year include:
- The blog –I was so excited about 4th edition that I started the humble blog you’re reading now just to talk about this great game. It’s been fantastic in so many ways it would take another post of its own to discuss.
- Straight play from level 1 to paragon –After a year of play, my players are just about to enter the paragon tier. Watching how the game grows and changes over the levels gives me great respect for everything that went into this game. The more I learn about 4th, the more I learn to like it.
- Online play –I’ve met some great folks via Twitter, and our online game is just awesome. It’s very different from the weekly game, with dimension-hopping and archaeological digs, but every bit as entertaining. People say 4th edition is all combat, and this game proves the naysayers wrong every session.
- Character Builder –The best character generator I’ve ever used. This program is a complete obsession for me. Over one hundred characters sit on my hard drive for the unbelieving!
Looking to the future, one thing that excites me is that Dragon is becoming more player-focused and Dungeon is becoming DM-focused. Combined with exclusive D&DI races and classes, and you have a reason for players to get D&DI. I’m sure some will balk at the price, but for what you’ll be able to get each month with the re-organization I still think it will be worth it. I find myself constantly in the middle of arguments about the value of D&DI, and while I have always found tremendous value from it, I feel like the next year will make my arguments for it much, much easier.
Mention was also made of an Adventure Tools Suite. A specific tool mentioned was a more detailed monster creator, basically a character builder for DMs. I’m not looking forward to this one so much…why? Did you read how much time I’ve spent on the Character Builder? And I almost never actually play. Pelor forbid I get my grubby little mitts on something that’s in my job description! I dread/covet this above all else.
My takeaway from the podcast: D&DI is becoming a core part of the D&D experience. By re-organizing and expanding the content provided in an Insider subscription, WotC will make Insider a compelling “must-buy” product for anyone who is seriously into D&D.
Thanks again to Jeff for organizing this, and thanks James Wyatt and Chris Perkins for taking the time to answer our questions!
Want to hear more about the podcast? check out the posts at:
A Jack of All Trades ,or if you prefer, an extreme example of multi-classing, Gamefiend, a.k.a Quinn Murphy has been discussing, playing and designing games straight out of the womb. He is the owner and Editor-in-Chief of this site in addition to being an aspiring game designer. As you would assume, he is a huge fan of 4e.
By day he is a technologist.
Follow gamefiend on 
This will probably be one of my favorite Tome Shows for quite some time. 4e reflects the great level of experience gamers have collected in RPGs across several different media. It’s easier to learn, easier to play, and doesn’t lose any of its potential for complexity and customization that players and DMs love.
I also have to give a nod to WotC for embracing DDI and a subscription based, online publishing model. A subscriber base will give them a much sounder financial foundation for producing new content than the standard print and pray distribution method.
Yeah this was a great episode.
I totally agree with you on the subrscriber model btw. It’s good stuff in concept, and all they need to do is to flesh out properly what you get.