(heck, if others can do it, why not me?)
Player's Handbook:
Incomplete: especially classes and races. Yeah, they're gonna come out later (I hope) but I wanted to see the full range of standard PC races and classes in the PH. Tieflings: not as cool as they were. Dragonborn: reasonable replacement of Aasimar.
Combat: That looks like it will be awesomely fun. Forget doing it all in your imagination though. Position IS everything.
Power Selection: annoyingly limited. I want more options to choose from at the start, and more versatility. And I want a power for every level. or two of them at least. No I don't care that there are tons of them. I don't care that all classes have equal chances to use them. If I have a first level wizard who can choose from 30+ spells to start with just from the PH in 3e, I want him to have that many choices in 4e. And Vancian magic can go its own way. It's about time D&D moved on without it. I like it, but sometimes it's just not as fun as being able to do it a different way.
Rituals: excellent. I love this change.
Dungeonmaster's Guide:
This is the best book of it's type I have ever read. For any game system.
I was impressed from page 1. I liked the acknowledgments to the creators of the previous editions. The chapter on how to set up an encounter was excellent. So was the one on setting up an adventure, and the one on setting up a campaign. Heck, it was all good. This book will be of great use in my 3.5e campaigns. It's that good.
Monster Manual
didn't excite me, didn't strike me as bad either. Whatever. Not special. Necessary. I can add my own flavor. I can get flavor from older books. I can get used to the format. Yeah, it takes me longer to figure out what a monster can do now. It won't once I get used to it.
Overall it looks like a great system. I wanted to not like it, really I did. I like it. Really, I do. Will I ever play it? Probably not, at least for a while. I don't want to start with a game for which part of the core (a part I feel important: some classes and races) is missing. I'm the only one in my group who is interested in it. They're all (as am I) happy with 3.5e and they see no reason to change. I'd rather play 3.5e with them than try and find a new group to play 4e with (after all, we're having fun.) In time, maybe they'll come around. Until then it's online or using DDI. I did convince them to try Keep on the Shadowfell since it doesn't require them to spend money. We'll see how that goes and hope it gains some converts.
Sacred cows: don't miss anything that's gone. Don't hate anything that's been added. I will have to see how it works in actual play before I can say that. Does it feel like D&D to me? Well it doesn't feel like 3e, AD&D, or OD&D. It does feel like 4e. Since that's D&D too, it feels like D&D to me.
Kadh, who prefers to play Amber Diceless anyway.
Player's Handbook:
Incomplete: especially classes and races. Yeah, they're gonna come out later (I hope) but I wanted to see the full range of standard PC races and classes in the PH. Tieflings: not as cool as they were. Dragonborn: reasonable replacement of Aasimar.
Combat: That looks like it will be awesomely fun. Forget doing it all in your imagination though. Position IS everything.
Power Selection: annoyingly limited. I want more options to choose from at the start, and more versatility. And I want a power for every level. or two of them at least. No I don't care that there are tons of them. I don't care that all classes have equal chances to use them. If I have a first level wizard who can choose from 30+ spells to start with just from the PH in 3e, I want him to have that many choices in 4e. And Vancian magic can go its own way. It's about time D&D moved on without it. I like it, but sometimes it's just not as fun as being able to do it a different way.
Rituals: excellent. I love this change.
Dungeonmaster's Guide:
This is the best book of it's type I have ever read. For any game system.
I was impressed from page 1. I liked the acknowledgments to the creators of the previous editions. The chapter on how to set up an encounter was excellent. So was the one on setting up an adventure, and the one on setting up a campaign. Heck, it was all good. This book will be of great use in my 3.5e campaigns. It's that good.
Monster Manual
didn't excite me, didn't strike me as bad either. Whatever. Not special. Necessary. I can add my own flavor. I can get flavor from older books. I can get used to the format. Yeah, it takes me longer to figure out what a monster can do now. It won't once I get used to it.
Overall it looks like a great system. I wanted to not like it, really I did. I like it. Really, I do. Will I ever play it? Probably not, at least for a while. I don't want to start with a game for which part of the core (a part I feel important: some classes and races) is missing. I'm the only one in my group who is interested in it. They're all (as am I) happy with 3.5e and they see no reason to change. I'd rather play 3.5e with them than try and find a new group to play 4e with (after all, we're having fun.) In time, maybe they'll come around. Until then it's online or using DDI. I did convince them to try Keep on the Shadowfell since it doesn't require them to spend money. We'll see how that goes and hope it gains some converts.
Sacred cows: don't miss anything that's gone. Don't hate anything that's been added. I will have to see how it works in actual play before I can say that. Does it feel like D&D to me? Well it doesn't feel like 3e, AD&D, or OD&D. It does feel like 4e. Since that's D&D too, it feels like D&D to me.
Kadh, who prefers to play Amber Diceless anyway.
