Coding Well Forum

No, you're eyes are not deceiving you. You have not misinterpreted the title of this thread. D&D fourth Edition will be announced some time tomorrow.

I've got a blog post that will tell you more.

(I got this stuff from EN world. Access to the site is sporadic at best right now as way too many people are trying to access it)

4th Edition is Coming
o The big announcement will be made at GenCon shortly.
o Specific 4e forums have been created at the Wizards site
o Yes, there will be a "Player's Handbook", "Dungeon Master's Guide" and "Monster Manual" in 4e. (Source)
o There will be at least 7 books of D&D 4 on 2008. (Source)
From theminiaturespage.net:
August 16, 2007 (Renton, WA) – Whether you storm a mad wizard's tower every week or haven't delved into a dungeon since you had a mullet and a mean pair of parachute pants, one thing is certain - millions of D&D players worldwide have anticipated the coming of 4th Edition for many years. Today, Wizards of the Coast confirms that the new edition will launch in May 2008 with the release of the D&D Player's Handbook. A pop culture icon, Dungeons & Dragons is the #1 tabletop roleplaying game in the world, and is revered by legions of gamers of all ages.

The 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game includes elements familiar to current D&D players, including illustrated rulebooks and pre-painted plastic miniatures. Also releasing next year will be new web-based tools and online community forums through the brand-new Dungeons & Dragons Insider (D&D Insider) digital offering. D&D Insider lowers the barriers of entry for new players while simultaneously offering the depth of play that appeals to veteran players.

The 4th Edition rules emphasize faster game play, offer exciting new character options, and reduce the amount of "prep time" needed to run the game. D&D Insider includes a character creator that lets players design and equip their D&D characters, dungeon- and adventure-building tools for Dungeon Masters, online magazine content, and a digital game table that lets you play 24/7 on the internet — the perfect option for anyone who can't find time to get together.

"We've been gathering player feedback for eight years," said Bill Slavicsek, R&D Director of Roleplaying and Miniatures Games at Wizards of the Coast. "Fourth Edition streamlines parts of the D&D game that are too complex, while enhancing the overall play experience. At its heart, it's still a tabletop game experience. However, D&D Insider makes it easier for players to create characters, run their games, and interact with the rest of the D&D community."

Wizards of the Coast will release two 4th Edition preview books in December and January — Wizards Presents: Classes and Races and Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters. The first live demos of 4th Edition will happen at the D&D Experience gaming convention in Washington D.C. in February 2008. The full scope of 4th Edition books, miniatures, and adventures will be available in the spring and summer of 2008.

Since its first release in 1974, the fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons has taken millions of players on imaginary adventures of epic scale. Today, D&D is universally regarded as the original game that created the roleplaying game category, and the inspiration for generations of game designers. D&D is enjoyed by millions of players worldwide, while countless more remember it with fond nostalgia.

Player's Handbook 4e: May 2008 (Source)

Dungeon Master's Guide 4e: June 2008 (Source)

Monster Manual 4e: July 2008 (Source)

D&D Insider
o This is the "D&D Online" section of Gleemax
o It contains a "Dungeon Master's Kit" that includes the following:
+ dungeon builder (map tool)
+ adventure builder
+ PC generator
+ other things (Source)
o "Character Generator"
+ character sheets
+ character visualizer (Source)
o "My Campaign"
o "My Character" (Source)
o "D&D Game Table" (Source)
o "Dungeon & Dragon Magazines" (Source)
Open Gaming Licence
o 3rd party publishers will be able to get licenses to create 4e material from Wizards. (source)
o Fans will be able to publish material on Gleemax under (free) license from Wizards. (This material will be available to Wizards to republish; see discussion on Gleemax TOS).
o The OGL/SRD/d20 Licenses will still exist - details still to come (Source)


Last night, WotC announced 4th Edition at a special media dinner. The big announcement to the public takes place today at GenCon at 6.30pm.

Unfortunately, I missed the dinner - I was stuck in the Border Protection line at Dulles Airport, Washington DC at the time, and didn't arrive in Indy until nearly 2am, seven hours behind schedule. However, WotC were kind enough to meet with me this morning to fill me in on what I missed and answer a few questions. In addition, they provided me with a "press pack" which includes various fact sheets and images, some of which I've posted below.

A lot of the information has already made it onto the net, and much is presented above.

The very first thing they said to me was that the core rulebooks will span levels 1-30. Not only that, but those levels are supposed to extend the "sweet spot" of D&D, which WotC guesstimated at currently being levels 4-14ish. They have also tried to ensure that every class gets something new and exciting at every level. They did not list the core classes (although indicated that psionics will be supplementary, and not core), and they pointed to the front cover for the 4e PHB where is referred to (if I recall correctly), where it says "Arcane, divine and martial characters". I asked about the Rogue, and was told that the Rogue is a "martial character".

They spoke also of character "roles", and about how different classes would have different roles more explicitly predefined than at present. Continuing the concept of every class receiving cool new stuff at each level I asked if this meant that they were spreading the magic around more than at present; their response was "yes, to an extent", but that, for example, the Fighter would have maneuvers and so forth.

The release schedule is as follows: in April 2008, a quick-start adventure called "Adventure H1: Keep on the Shadowfell" will be released. This will include pregenerated characters. May 2008 sees the 4th Edition Player's Handbook and Character Record Sheet, June 2008 sees the Monster Manual, and July 2008 brings us the Dungeon Master's Guide and DM's Screen.

On magic, they touched briefly on the PHB containing various "power sources", expanding the concept of arcane and divine sources.

The look of 4th Edition, they said, would be much less"textbook" and much more "magazine"; they felt this would be friendlier, clearer and more accessible. Expect to see a higher reliance on images and diagrams.

You've already heard about dndinsider.com, which is due to go live soon. This i their digital content. I saw examples of the Dragon and Dungeon pages (it looked a lot like the magazines). The intention is to provide subscriber services alongside the current free content, although some free content will move over.

The whole digitial thing is heavily linked in to the physical product line. They empasized that they were marrying to two together. D&D books will have a code in them which, when entered into the online service, will provide digital access to that content. The digital game table was a large part of the conversation, with screenshots on how you generat a character online using the physical books you own, customize its appearance, and then generate a "virtual miniature" for use in the online game experience. The online game is tool, not a game in itself - a mapping system with battlemaps, generators and so forth, all run by a DM. I saw a few screenshots, showing overhead and isometric views, and virtual miniatures including a PC and a green dragon.

Regarding the OGL and the d20 System - both will continue to be actively supported. There WILL be a 4th Edition SRD; some publishers will get access to it early, just like with the 3 rollout.

The public announcement is tonight at 6.30pm (just over an hour from now), with videos, screens and so forth.

PDF Files

The press pack contained various PDF files on a CD. I have uploaded them here:

About 4e
4e core rulebooks fact sheet
4e DND Insider
4e DND Minis
Keep on Shadowfell
4e Product Release Schedule
*
Wizards has handed out free flash drives prior to the announcement. Upon plugging it into the system two new images where found! Here they are

*
The 4th Edition announcement event has just finished. It took place in a massive ballroom filled with hundreds of people. A large screen flashed images and videos; full-size models of a beholder and a troll decorated the floor before the stage. The event was presented by Bill Slavicsek and Chris Perkins.

1) History of the editions video - 1e, 2e, 3e and then 4e. A comical video looking at the improvements over the years, finishing wih 4E presented as a 21st Century hi-tech combination of digital media and physical product. Also, jokes were made of clunky rules, such as the grappling rules - to which we are assured, we can say goodbye!

2) Covers revealed for the core rules - the covers of the PHB, MM and DMG were revealed. The MM shows Orcus (in my earlier meeting, I was told that the MM would range from CR 1-30 critters). THe DMG had a dragon fighting an adventuring party on it.

3) Character advancement is meaningful at each level - touched on earlier, each level will provide new abilities and challenges.

4) High level play as fun and meaningful as low level - and as easy to run. The "sweet point" concept was reiterated, illustrated as levels 7-14. This is the game experience that the whole game should be providing.

5) Resource Management overhauled - the game will keep going even when the caster
is out of spells, or when the cleric has run out of healing.

6) Monster roles are being redefined - DM will have easier time finding right monster for the right job. Statblocks are simplified.

7) Four parts to 4E - physical product (core rules, adventures, supplements, tiles, miniatures); Organized Play (Living Campaigns, convention play, special events, connecting players and DMs in new ways); Community (Gleemax.com, a suite of social ntworking tools, ways for players to communicate with each other and with WotC, organise characters); Digital Offerings (DND Insider: collection of online tools for DMs, character creation, editorial game content, online expanded content for books, behind the scenes content for books, designer commentaries -much of this was analogous to the second disc in a DVD box set: every physical product will have a code which can be entered into D&D Insider which will
unlock the product's digital version for you online, along with extra content).

Dragon/Dungeon - Online content will be added every few days (Dragon and Dungeon content), and colated into monthly issues.

9) Digital tabletop - a wireframe of a dragon was shown, an online dice roller (very pretty) , the ability to use purchased digital tiles or to draw on the tabletop. It's not a game, just a toolbox - you still provide the DM, the players and the adventure.

10) DNDInsider.com was apparently set to go live right after the announcement. It will be live in preview form. It's not available as I type this, but it's worth checking periodically.

11) Playtesters! If you want to be a 4th Edition playtester, selections are going to be made from RPGA members and people who sign up to DNDInsider.com.

We asked a couple of questions right at the end. The iconics will remain as a mix of old and new iconics. Also, the "christmas tree" effect, whereby characters are loaded down with magic items, buff spells and other magical effects was one of the designers' goals to remove.

Oooh, I forgot. There's some pics on ENWorld too.











Seems too busy right now, I'll get to work on it.

This one's from inquest:

This a pic of a Tiefling PC. Yes, you can play one right out of the players handbook. Word on the street says that Gnomes got punted out.

I was wrong Toast, Terresques are abominations now, and therefore are in the abomination section. They were not left out as I had informed you before.

i just made a Doppleganger Warlock.
he his so cool... he even has a background history and everything... too bad i'll never be able to play 'im...

Where did you get the books?

where did i get the books... don't make me laugh. ha ha ha.

I suspected that.

i am going to buy them eventually... it is just i don't think it is a good investment right now... as i only have 2 WEEKS...

I was reading an article on the D&D website and ya know what it had stats for?
Kobold Ratmaster.
A Kobold that trains rats to use as a form of attack. Trained Rats.

Geeze, of all the ideas I've had, it never occurred to me that would be the one that Wizards ripped off.