I'd rush right out and buy that. Except I'm saving my money for next month's 400 page+ Player's Guide to Sitting Politely at the Gaming Table. Between that and the must have Ranger's Guide to Plucking Turkeys, it's an exciting time for young gamers.

This used to be a Dragon Magazine column in early 3.0, no?

Also, it's not really CRPGLand until they start selling hint books for modules.

There are players that read modules beforehand...

I like computer game strategy guides, and I don't even play computer games. Some of those books are gorgeous, full of concept art (vice versa the often mediocre pixelized versions as they appear on the screen), and dungeon and/or town maps (Elder Scrolls!) that can be salvaged for tabletop RPGs.

I wonder what a traditional RPG would look like if a publisher chose to mimic the general layout and writing style of those books.

This sounds a lot like the 3E "Hero Builder's Guidebook", which was released a few months after the 3E D&D core books were first released.  (It was the first or second splatbook released by WotC for 3E D&D).

http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/868960000

A 4E "Player's Strategy Guide" book probably would have been more effective if it was released shortly after the 4E core books were first released (ie. during the summer of 2008).

I'm not entirely sure why such a book is being released two years after the release of the original 4E core books.  The more conspiracy minded people many argue that the purpose of a "Player's Strategy Guide" this late in an edition's lifetime, is that WotC is desperate to attract more of the video game and MMORPG crowd and/or they have been previously ineffective at attracting and retaining such a crowd.  

Nevertheless, I think this 4E "Player's Strategy Guide" would have a better chance of selling if it's one of those 64 or 96 pages softcover books and not as a hardcover.  The more experience 4E players may possibly skip over this book as being superfluous.

Quote from: Settembrini;320853There are players that read modules beforehand...

Thus the brilliance of doing it all with random charts

Oooh... this is genius.  The next step is to sell individual strategy guides for each module that comes out with a complete walkthru of the dungeons and tips on how to beat each monster and where the best loot is.

Quote from: mhensley;320881Oooh... this is genius.  The next step is to sell individual strategy guides for each module that comes out with a complete walkthru of the dungeons and tips on how to beat each monster and where the best loot is.

Walkthrough of WotC modules H1->E3 in one easy step.  

For 2010, it looks like they're only releasing one module so far.  Maybe the D&D cash cow is in the hardcover splatbooks, and not the adventure modules.

Quote from: ggroy;320885For 2010, it looks like they're only releasing one module so far.  Maybe the D&D cash cow is in the hardcover splatbooks, and not the adventure modules.

It'd be a bit surprising if that hadn't changed from 3.X.

Quote from: 1989;320783Nooooo . . . we're not trying to appeal to the MMO market, nooooo.... No influence from MMOs . . . nope.

Discuss.

It's always been clear to me that they would like to draw in some of the MMO market (no idea if they've been successful), and that they did draw some inspiration from MMOs, quite intentionally.

Some may argue otherwise, but it's pretty clearly true from my point of view. It's also not inherently a bad thing.

If there are (say) ten ways to make a character, but one of them makes a way more effective character, and the modules are created assuming you made that choice, *and* there's a strategy guide which tells you to make that choice - then it's not really a choice. There's really one way to do it, and nine ways to make the DM tell you you're doing it wrong.

Most theories about how to make an interesting game say that having the work of a choice, but not the interesting consequences of a choice, makes that part of the game un-fun. You're supposed to either eliminate the work, or make the choice a real choice.

So, unless they can make all ten choices balanced - and they've been trying for balance for a long time without any apparent reduction in the complaints about lack of balance - surely it'd be better to eliminate the choice, and turn it into an element of the particular class?

It is a bit strange that they're releasing this book - 4E is designed to lack sub-par choices, in terms of mechanical effectiveness. They already have suggested builds in many books. Seems a bit redundant.

Whatever, I certainly won't be buying it. No skin off my nose.

Quote from: Fifth Element;320893It is a bit strange that they're releasing this book - 4E is designed to lack sub-par choices, in terms of mechanical effectiveness. They already have suggested builds in many books. Seems a bit redundant.

Does the PHB spell it out in sufficient detail for total RPG newbies? Or does it kind of suggest some stuff, and leave the "obvious" conclusions to the reader?

Not a loaded question there; I read the PHB about a year ago, but I can't remember very much now. Just the basics of the classes, races, skills, some feats and fewer powers.

Quote from: paris80;320897Does the PHB spell it out in sufficient detail for total RPG newbies? Or does it kind of suggest some stuff, and leave the "obvious" conclusions to the reader?

It spells things out very specifically for first level. I suppose there might be some value in suggesting builds at higher levels as well. Particularly tying them into paragon paths? I could see that.

Quote from: Fifth Element;320898It spells things out very specifically for first level. I suppose there might be some value in suggesting builds at higher levels as well. Particularly tying them into paragon paths? I could see that.

Right. Does seem a bit odd then. The only thing I stumbled on that was what this sounds like, is the warrior's and the spellcaster's optimisation guides for 3rd edition, put out by Goodman Games I believe. Wasn't anything I thought I'd need or want, so I let it sit there in the shop. Might still be there!

But yes, they could be providing guidelines for optimal paths to uh, paragon paths, and epic... destinies, was it? Those things, anyway. That could make sense. How hard is it to figure out that stuff though - anything like 3rd edition multiclassing and prestige classes?