"Gaming In All It's Forms 4.0" or "Time to Cover the RPG Side of This Blog"

I would like to apologize in advance to two people whom I know greatly disagree with my feelings on the topic of this blog post. First is my girlfriend (I love you :)), second is a good friend downstate (nothing but respect for you man)... I just don't see your point of view on this and I hope you don't get too angry with me.

I have swung heavily towards the videogame side of my worldview in this blog, that seems to end today as I cover something that has bugged me a great deal as of late, Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition. I had to do A LOT of research for this post which is why it has taken me so long to get up.

For those not in the know, Dungeons and Dragons, or DnD for short, is a table top pencil and paper game originally birthed from table top squad combat games of the early 70s. In 1971 Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren created the table top game Chainmail, a combat game where each figure on the board represented 20 men, a squad of soldiers. The squads were divided into classes as follows: light foot, heavy foot, armored foot, light horse, medium horse, and heavy horse. Combat played out like so: Melee is resolved by rolling six-sided dice, for example, when heavy horse is attacking light foot, the attacker is allowed to roll 4 dice per figure, with each 5 or 6 denoting a kill. On the other hand, when light foot is attacking heavy horse, the attacker is allowed only 1 die per 4 figures, with a 6 denoting a kill.

Eventually Chainmail was whittled down, spawning DnD, a game where each player is in control of one single character. The original version of DnD, released in 1974 by TSR Inc., assumed players had access to Chainmail miniatures and rules, and used the same measurement systems and combat systems. However there was a secondary combat system included with DnD that would eventually become the system used in all subsequent releases (with some modifications).

The initial Dungeons and Dragons offering by Gygax and David Arneson was somewhat sparse: 3 character classes (fighting-man, magic-user, cleric), 4 races (human, dwarf, elf, hobbit), and 3 alignments (lawful, neutral, chaotic). DnD at this time had no rules for outdoor exploration and general adventuring, only combat for the most part. The game also assumed players owned Outdoor Survival, a game by Avalon Hill, which had rules for exploration and such. DnD did include some adventures in the first edition in the booklet entitled Underworld & Wilderness Adventures.

Supplemental Material for the first version of DnD was plentiful, with Greyhawk being the first (which facilitated the removal of the some of the Chainmail systems), Blackmoor followed, and Gods,Demi-Gods, and Heroes also released. Several unofficial supplments were also created, some of which ended up being incorporated into later official versions of DnD.

Dungeons and Dragons Version 2 was published in 1977 as the first Basic Set known as a Blue Box set. This was a more basic and easily comprehensible version of the original rules made for players not familiar with the wargaming history of DnD. This version of DnD was arguably the most popular with the mainstream audience until later systems. The Blue Box set only covered characters from level 1-3, that's it. The Blue Box was the first DnD system to have only 5 alignments as opposed to the 3 of the original, or the 9 of the subsequent versions. Once players completed the Blue Box set they were supposed to continue in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

1977 also saw the release of the aforementioned Advanced Dungeons and Dragons which was published with the Monster Manual in 1997, followed by the Player's Handbook in 1978, and the Dungeon Master's Guide in 1979 by TSR from rules compiled by Gary Gygax. This revision saw the complete abandonment of the Chainmail rule set, as well as the inclusion of new classes for players to use (Bard, Illusionist, Ranger, Paladin, Thief, Assassin, Monk, and Druid) This was also the first time the three core rules books were used, and sold separately. It was also the first version to have more than three core books when Monster Manual II came out.

In 1981 Dungeons and Dragons Version 3 was released. The Basic set of the 3rd version was known as the Magenta Box, and still only covered levels 1-3, but also released was the Light Blue box a.k.a. the Expert Set, which covered from 4-14.

Dungeons and Dragons Version 4 was released in 1983 with the Basic set (Red Box), Expert Set (Blue Box, and last colored box), and Companion set (levels 15-25). In 1984 the Master Set was released which covered 26-36. !985 saw the release of the Immortal's Set which was for levels 36 and up (hard core nerds ;)).

In 1987 a group started working on a new version of ADnD, which was finally published in 1989 as Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition. This version saw the classes grouped according to abilties, as well as the more prevalent use of THAC0 of To Hit Armor Class 0 (this was introduced in ADnD, but wasn't as prevalent). Essentially the lower a characters Armor Class or AC, the harder they were to kill. The idea that a creature is harder to hit when its armor class nears zero was felt by some players to be counterintuitive and yet other players foudn it logical. It produced mathematical inconsistencies in the game system though. Magical armors have a modifier that is always denoted with a "+" although it was actually to be subtracted from the AC .

Also in ADnD 2nd ed. players saw the time measurements encounters were split into change drastically. Initially each round was to be 6 seconds of in game time, however ADnD 2 changed everything with turns being 10 minutes of game time, or 10 rounds of one minute each. eventually another timing system was introduced where one "melee round" was 12-15 seconds as opposed to the 6 seconds.

Descriptions of artifacts were removed from the Dungeon Masters Guide, tables for the random generation of dungeons were removed, exchange rates for choins in the game were changed drastically, The Monster Manual was removed with the Monsterous Compendium coming out as a looseleaf spiral bound book. Angels and Demons were removed from the monster listings.

Despite all this chaos and confusion surrounding ADnD 2nd Ed is seen by some to be the best version. Personally I can't see how that can be with things like the counterintuitive THAC0, the wonky timing system, but it still had what made DnD DnD, party based combat and a lot of room for user creativity.

1991 saw the final release of the original DnD line with Dungeons and Dragons Version 5 version. It released as the Rules Cyclopedia which encompassed all previous books (except the Immortal's Set) and was for levels 1-36. The following year Wrath of the Immortals (a revising of the original Immortal's Set) would be the final supplement in the original DnD line and would take players from level 36 onward.

In 2000 Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition was released. However the heading of Advanced was dropped as ADnD and DnD were finally merged with this edition. This was a major upgrade to DnD and saw many many changes. This version saw the creation of the D20 system, the confusing THAC0 system was replaced with a simple Attack Bonus system, Ability scores simplified and no longer had a cap of 25. Saving Throws were reduced from 5 to 3 types. Feats were introduced to allow character more special abilities and customization. Prestige classes were introduced, which allowed character to take on specialized classes and roles. Any race could now be any class (a few prestige classes are the exception). Initiative was simplified and followed a cyclical system where once determined play moved along the same order until the encounter was over. Diagonal movement and range are simplified. Barbarians, Monks, and Half-Orcs are brought back to the player's handbook.

DnD 3rd Edition however wasn't the only 3rd edition, as 2003 saw Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 come out. More an update and revision this edition saw a balancing of the Ranger and Druid classes. The Player's Handbook was also modified to focus more on grid based movement and combat, bringing back the originals DnDs combat roots.

Last year saw Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition released. Thhsi most recent version fo DnD made many changes, movement in the books is now given in squares (a continuation fo 3.5s section in the Player's Handbook on grid movement), numerous races and classes from 30/3.5 were removed or altered, and new ones added. New races were introduced as player races (Dragonborn, Tiefling, Deva, Goliaths, and Shifters), and Elves were split into three different sub-races. The Core books now encompass up to Level 30, which brought epic level character play BACK to DnD since the Master Set of the original DnD. Character between Level 11 and 20 now choose a path for their character to follow, bringing more advanced role playing and thought into 3.0's prestige classes. This version also saw a revision to the healing system (character are given healing surges as well as other mild healing powers), as well as a change in how spells are handled.

$th Edition saw a few major revisions to magic: Changes in spells and other per-encounter resourcing, giving all classes a similar number of at-will, per-encounter and per-day power types. (This applies to all classes, in contrast to previous editions where each spell was cast on a daily basis while non-casters were more likely to receive combat and noncombat bonuses than any specific powers.) Many non-combat spells (such as Knock, Raise Dead, Tenser's Floating Disc, Water Breathing, etc.) have been replaced by rituals. All rituals have a financial cost in the form of material components, such as herbs and alchemical reagents. Item creation feats are also replaced by rituals.




So where does this leave us? Many old school DnD players have begrudgingly accepted the new system. Many eventually are won over by it, though obviously not all of them are. In my mind it doesn't make sense why people don't like the new system. Every version of DnD is a great system, but as time goes on, each version the game becomes simpler to play, which is a good thing. It also brings more order to the game, leaving players free to worry about what their character does, not the arbitrary numbers that the game was based on for so long (which in turn led to unnecessary complexity). It shouldn't matter if I roll for reflex or if the attacker does, in the end, it's still random... does the fact you don't roll the die change the chances? Unless someone is using loaded dice it most certainly does not.

What 4th edition did was take the mindless rolling out of the player's hands. It brought back the DnD Version 2-5 five alignment system which was a popular and simple system, and also changed the way spells are done. Combining class specific powers with the rituals can make for some great combination and creativity, but unlike 3.0 and 3.5, people seem to just want a freaking huge spell list to get lost in, which in the end is counter productive and confusing for many players (myself included as ther number of spells is too much in 3.5).

DnD 4.0 has been the fastest selling version of the franchise, the initial print run sold out on pre-orders alone, something not done before. Purists who are blinded by their view of 4.0 not being for them should remember that in the end, a game is not the rules, it's who you play with, and how you play, you can ignore and change the rules at will after all. In the end, you get what you bring to the gaming table, if you come with a feeling of "this game sucks" you will get "this game sucks" back, regardless of how objective you think you are. You have to come wanting to play, and in the end, if you don't want to play, why are you gaming?

Addendum:
Many people have claimed that the square based combat system used in 4.0 is just a way for Wizard's of the Coast to make money selling miniatures. I think these people forget that the Original DnD was designed to use miniatures and rules that you had to buy separately, and even now they are not a requirement to play at all. It should also be noted that there was a version of Chainmail made in 2000, which was eventually morphed into the Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures Game.

Also of note is that people complain about DnD now being released in yearly core books (Player's Handbook II has just come out in fact) and yet, like Advanced DnD, these supplements are not required to play. All you still need to play DnD is three books, a few friends, some dice, and imagination. That hasn't changed, the only thing that has is how easy it will be for new people to play.

I would also like to point out that in my mind, people who rag on 4.0 for changing so many things sound exactly like gamers when the Wii was first unveiled in 2006. They snickered and stuck up their nose. It started to do very well in the market, and they cried foul, claiming it was the end of gaming. Yet here we are two and a half years later with some great Wii titles on the horizon as developers and gamers FINALLY start to wake up to the fact that pretty graphics do NOT a game make. I just hope the purist DnD crowd can be smarter and wake up a little faster to a paradigm shift in their industry that is for the betterment of their industry.

My Girlfriend's Response: 20 Sided Woman -- Why I'm Sticking to 3.5 -- A Long Analogy