D&D 4th Edition

Yes, apparently, it's official.

D&D 4th Edition is coming.

Confirmation was found on The Miniatures Page and on ICv2.

On the whole, if there hadn't been a D&D 3.5, I'd have accepted the news of a 4th edition with equanimity. I mean, yes, as long as there was Dungeons and Dragons, there would likely be a 4th edition. However, I was thoroughly disgusted with the release of 3.5--I've thought that either they should have waited longer to release 3.0, or they should have offered the changes from 3.0 to 3.5 as a free online document to their fans who had already bought up a slew of products.

And now there will be a 4th edition.

Ultimately, I can only shrug and walk away. I'm barely interested. Like many in the hobby, I started way back when with AD&D (I actually bought the Monster Manual first, at Toys R Us no less, before I realized it was a game--I thought it was just a book of cool monsters!) and Red Box D&D. But over the years, I've felt more and more alienated by the increasing rules glut and, from what I've experienced, the lack of elegance in rules design, and corresponding lack of smooth gameplay, I've found in the 3.X editions.

As a fan, a hobbyist, a player, a GM, and a consumer, I've felt let down by D&D. I don't think I'll follow it into its 4th iteration. Which is too bad, because I still want to enjoy it. I still want to play and DM and find the same joy in it that I discovered when I was young.

But there are plenty of games out there, and plenty of gamers to run them with, so I think I'll be okay.

P.S.: A bit of humor, stolen from my friend Michael's blog:



Update: From Wizards--a brief 4e blurb.