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QuoteTraveling Show

by Bill Slavicsek
04/30/2008


You may have noticed that my column is a little late this month. That's because things have been even crazier as we get closer and closer to the launch of D&D 4th Edition. I spent a lot of this past month on the road. It started in early April with a trip to I-CON at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. Mike Mearls and I gave a 4E Preview Seminar to a packed hall, ran a bunch of demos, and talked to very enthusiastic fans. We had a wonderful time, met lots of wonderful people, and had a lot of fun showing off the new game system.

Then I traveled to Los Angeles with The Rouse and Chris Youngs, to hold a series of press conferences with various media outlets including the gang from G4's MMO Report. We talked all about 4th Edition, including the physical products and the digital offerings, and showed off the latest versions of the D&D Game Table and D&D Character Visualizer. These components are getting closer and closer to completion with each iteration, and I can't wait to start playing for real with the release versions. Soon, soon.

Finally, last week I was at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas, showing off the first production copies of the three core rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual), H1: Keep on the Shadowfell, and the new D&D Dungeon Master's Screen. I'm happy with the finished products, and everyone who came by and spoke to me seemed enthusiastic and excited as well.

This month, I also ordered the D&D Insider team to ramp up the preview content and show off the system. We've been releasing artwork and key sections of the core rulebooks three times a week, and the response continues to be great. We're closing in on D&D 4E Release Day (June 6th) and D&D Game Day (June 7th) -- and I can't wait for the products to hit the stores and for people to start playing! Soon, soon.
Campaign Settings

I wanted to take a few moments to clarify what I said at GTS last week. In regards to campaign settings, our goal for this edition is to make each setting we release unique and exciting on its own while still making it usable in any D&D campaign. Now, what exactly does that mean?

You wouldn't believe how many times over the years I've heard people say "I play in [insert favorite campaign setting here] so product X is of no use to me," or "I only play Core D&D (whatever that means) so I can't use that [insert campaign setting here] product." I plan to change that under 4th Edition by getting the word out that it's okay to mix and match. Go ahead. Get peanut butter in the chocolate. Some of the best campaigns I ever ran or had the pleasure to play in had a little bit of [insert campaign setting here] mixed with a smattering of [insert other campaign setting here] and combined all that with homebrew ideas to create something totally new and different.

So under 4th Edition, we're making every product look like a core product. The Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide releasing in August, for example, is a separate and unique setting on one hand, while being totally core D&D on the other. That means you can play a strictly Forgotten Realms campaign, or you can borrow the bits you like best to use in whatever D&D campaign you're playing in. This has always been true, but you wouldn't believe how many players were reluctant to cross the streams like that. I say cross away! (At least as far as your personal campaigns are concerned.) Why not use the best ideas, powers, feats, monsters, villains, and plot hooks from any product -- regardless of the campaign world your game is set in?

This means we won't be producing campaign lines, per se. For the Forgotten Realms, for example, you'll get the Campaign Guide, Player's Guide, and an adventure as physical products, as well as our ongoing line of bestselling novels, and plenty of ongoing support via D&D Insider. If a product idea comes along later that makes sense, we'll do it, but there won't be an ongoing regular release schedule of Forgotten Realms game products. Why not? Because every D&D product we do is a Forgotten Realms [or insert your favorite campaign setting here] game product. This is a subtle but significant change in philosophy geared toward making all players D&D players. It just makes the products and the brand stronger if every player is using the same material.

This is significantly different than what has occurred in the past. We won't be making the mistakes of line proliferation that helped sink TSR, and we won't be actively segmenting our audience. Instead we'll be providing all kinds of options and ideas through the core line of D&D RPG products. It's all D&D, all the time.

The model described above will be used every year, and we'll focus on a different campaign setting. Next year, we'll give this treatment to Eberron. After that? Well, we'll be exploring the best worlds from our vault, as well as creating new worlds as warranted. I can't guarantee which worlds will see this treatment as of yet, but chances are that your favorite campaign setting is on my list for consideration. And for all of them, in addition to the physical products we do, you'll see novels and novel lines (as appropriate), and ongoing support that continues to explore the worlds through D&D Insider. This plan makes D&D stronger, without sacrificing the heart of any campaign setting.

Next month... H1: Keep on the Shadowfell releases, complete with D&D Quick Start Rules and ready-to-play characters. Everyone will be able to start playing 4E!

Keep playing!

--Bill Slavicsek

Discuss.

It is the absolute right thing to do.

I think some of the past reluctance to mix settings books was warranted.  FR tends to be slightly munchkin - allowing material from it can negatively impact campaigns.  Dark Sun was high powered and weird.  If magic systems are slightly different, than any magic heavy books from one setting won't apply to another without tweaking.
 
It sounds like a good idea but we'll have to see how well it really works and how long until the power creep sets in.

Quote from: NicephorusI think some of the past reluctance to mix settings books was warranted.  FR tends to be slightly munchkin - allowing material from it can negatively impact campaigns.  Dark Sun was high powered and weird.  If magic systems are slightly different, than any magic heavy books from one setting won't apply to another without tweaking.
 
It sounds like a good idea but we'll have to see how well it really works and how long until the power creep sets in.

I'd be a bit more concerned the other way. To accomplish the feat (haha) might they homogenate the individual settings further? Hrmm.


P.S.  Other than that I'm surprised no one has linked to the new multiclassing exert. Oh yeah, this in the board of people a minimum of 4 weeks behind the rest of the world, and then the hate will come seething out about things that have long been clarified elsewhere. :keke:

Quote from: DwightI'd be a bit more concerned the other way. To accomplish the feat (haha) might they homogenate the individual settings further? Hrmm.

If it's just the mechanics, it might be ok.  I'll wait and see.
 
Already saw the multiclassing bit, not sure what to think yet without seeing it in context of the whole ruleset.

Quote from: NicephorusAlready saw the multiclassing bit, not sure what to think yet without seeing it in context of the whole ruleset.

If I grokked it right they got rid of multiclassing per say. Sounds more like build you own class out of class elements? Sorta. Sounds interesting but I agree that it is different enough that seeing the whole thing in the rules is a requirement.

At least they seem to have a good handle on the bad effects of prior multi/dual classing.

I've seen the multiclassing article, but without the full rules it's a bit complicated to really have an opinion of the option.

Don't they run the risk of all the various settings just becoming kind of generic?

From what I gathered on multiclassing, you can only multiclass at level 11 and 21.  Instead of going paragon at 11, you choose another class to become a secondary class, and at 21 you can do the same thing to have a tietiary class.  You won't be able to pick up 4 levels of fighter and switch out, you'll have to wait until level 11.

On the topic at hand, I don't think it'll work.  Telling people they're free to mix greyhawk with faerun isn't going to get anyone else to do it than normal.  I'm not even sure how many times I'd wanna mix two settings.  When I'm playing Ravenloft, I don't want a Faerun element mixed in there... it would probably stick out.

I've played with a lot of non-core material in 3.x.  Lately, I've only played with core books.  This is mainly because of the power creep.  There's no reason for me to believe this will not be the case in 4e, but I won't discount the non-core from the start.

Quote from: walkerpDon't they run the risk of all the various settings just becoming kind of generic?

Well, that's possible.  

For my tastes, I think that GURPS handles this pretty well.  They do try to promote some mix-and-match of their sourcebooks (i.e. how to use GURPS Martial Arts with GURPS Japan and also with GURPS Special Ops).  Still, most of their worldbooks are quite distinctive.  

The trickier issue is with adventures.  Making adventures not specific to a given setting seems like it will rob them of their flavor.

Quote from: KingSpoomFrom what I gathered on multiclassing, you can only multiclass at level 11 and 21.  Instead of going paragon at 11, you choose another class to become a secondary class, and at 21 you can do the same thing to have a tietiary class.  You won't be able to pick up 4 levels of fighter and switch out, you'll have to wait until level 11.

There's also something about a set of feats that let you grab powers from other classes, and take non-base-class-specific feats.

I'm sort of intrigued by the whole bringing-back-old settings idea, mostly because I never got to play any of them. More than a couple look cool. Whether I actually use any of the material they put out probably comes down to execution; I can see how it could go good or bad.

I think the detail on how they will handle the settings is the most positive thing I have read on 4e so far. It should encourage more players to be willing to mix and match elements. Don;t want Dragonborn in your game well just dump them maybe mix in Kinder or from the .
We never played a campaign setting but we used bits from all of them. The GreyHawk Map (from the old boxed set) some of the gods from forgotten realms, some of the spells and the Djinn from Arabian adventures, the martial arts system from Oriental adventures. An Elven monk with style of Lau Gar and a loyal Djinn... lovely.

Sounds good to me. I've mixed and matched before and will probably do it again. It'll be much easier if the system is designed to allow it.

:eyepop:

Why even bother to call them settings anymore?  It's all just one big D&DLand Fun Park now.

EDIT: I think some of you aren't getting what Bill is saying.  There will be player's guides that say you can use them in any setting.  Don't want dragonborn in your campaign?  Tough, your player does, and the rules as written are on his side.  Don't want warforged?  Tough, once the eberron book comes out (unless they made warforged core).  Don't want Kender?  Pray they don't release a Dragonlance combo.

4E is killing the DM's ability to set limits on his or her campaign.

4e sounds increasingly like a giant vanilla blancmange.