This is also a line I joined. Not because I particularly wanted a Forgotten Realms paperback, but because I'd snagged my copy of GAZ8 off the bookshelf as I headed out the door this morning.
My copy of GAZ8 is now defaced. :D Ed mentioned that it was a product he'd "had a lot of fun writing" and pointed out the songs and poetry in the back as works he could perform "if you were drunk enough".
So yeah, not much... but hey! more attention than either Dragonlance or Dark Sun got! :P
GP
Any thoughts?
There did appear to be options in the rules for first-level PCs to easily 'splash' abilities from another class, which is good news for the elven fighter-wizards in a sense (though less good news to explain why elves commonly go fighter-wizard rather than, say, ranger-warlord, or why halflings and dwarves don't bother to multiclass). Magic items are rarer and more multiuse than in 3E, so high-level NPCs that have just a sword, armor and maybe a couple of signature wondrous items maybe become more reasonable again. Beyond that, the only stuff I got to look at was the intro first-level game, which is about as relevant to Mystara campaigning as reading just Chapter 1 from the 3.x PHB.
There did appear to be options in the rules for first-level PCs to easily 'splash' abilities from another class, which is good news for the elven fighter-wizards in a sense (though less good news to explain why elves commonly go fighter-wizard rather than, say, ranger-warlord, or why halflings and dwarves don't bother to multiclass).
Well, that's not bad. Considering that both rangers and warlords seem comparable to some extent with OD&D fighters (i.e., non-thieving characters without magic, clerical or wizardly), all those classes might be good for Mystaran elves, assuming that they mix in a sufficient amount of wizard.
Also, I'd say that it is more difficult to make a functional elf-clone in 3e (especially one that can evolve in both the elf-lord and elf-wizard ways but stays fairly balanced until 10th level) than to avoid making a dwarf multiclass (you just don't multiclass, or multiclass in meaningful ways, like the Dwarf Cleric).
The problem may be keeping players from making odd choices (which has always been one of my major qualms with 3e), but I don't feel it is a problem with NPCs/the general dwarven (or halfling, etc.) population.
OTOH, it's bad to hear that the game is even more min-maxing oriented than 3e
GP
And, if there wasn't anything Mystara related actually for 4e, why don't we chuck our own toghether. If we are going to introduce new players to Mystara, how would you all suggest we started? Introductory scenarios? When the rules come out, we could produce our own online line. A sort of amateur Living Mystara?
Any thoughts?
It all depends on whether the game is actually more interesting than what people are currently playing.
If it is not as good, then it might be better to go the way Havard was proposing in a thread on the OOP board -- use OD&D adding interesting/streamlining features from the newer editions (like, say, reverse AC, roll-high skills, or Con as base HPs).
As to how to get players from a new edition crowd, I'm not that convinced it would ever work -- how many of us did start playing in Mystara with 3e? I suppose a fairly small number. And I also think the same goes for the other dead settings, except perhaps those that received official coverage (DL and RL). It seems most interest in 4e here is by people who are interested in the Points of Light setting (i.e., a older-style, PC-focused world), so likely "old guard" people (for me it's a different matter -- I'm somewhat interested in 4e because I dislike 3e so much that anything that pushes it out of production is welcome :devil
.GP
And, if there wasn't anything Mystara related actually for 4e, why don't we chuck our own toghether. If we are going to introduce new players to Mystara, how would you all suggest we started? Introductory scenarios? When the rules come out, we could produce our own online line. A sort of amateur Living Mystara?
Any thoughts?
The Mystara community has produced a few things designed for introducing new players to the setting.
One of them is the Mystara System-Neutral Document. It gives information on the setting without reference to any rules from any system, so it is useful regardless of D&D edition or other system you plan on using.
Another very good resource is the Newbie Guide (also available in pdf format). It also does not reference any rules system.
He mentioned it plays very differently, in some ways like Magic the Gathering, where a player builds a set of powers that interact just like a player in Magic builds a deck.
He also mentioned that he doesn't think 4E will support the myriad of campaign worlds that D&D saw in previous editions, and that converting a campaign world to 4E will be a lot of work and hacking.
Chris Pramas has his thoughts up on his blog after trying out the D&D 4E rules in play.
He mentioned it plays very differently, in some ways like Magic the Gathering, where a player builds a set of powers that interact just like a player in Magic builds a deck.
He also mentioned that he doesn't think 4E will support the myriad of campaign worlds that D&D saw in previous editions, and that converting a campaign world to 4E will be a lot of work and hacking.
Here is the link, BTW.
http://www.chrispramas.com/2008/03/4e-test-drive.html
It's an interesting analysis, indeed.
GP
http://www.critical-hits.com/2008/02/28/dd-xp-seminar/
And I found the following interesting-
During the presentation-
Some brand new campaigns coming, some old friends, should talk more later in the year. Every campaign setting ever produced has at least one champion somewhere in R&D.
Followup Q&A-
Q: Will there be a point when you say you won’t do a setting?
A: “We’ll only announce what we’re doing.” Don’t want to shut any doors. Hollow Earth and Red Steel probably won’t be released next year. Don’t want to create a plethora of competing product lines. No campaign should be a “sub-bookshelf” of products. Everything is on the table, will have conversations about what to release. Magazines will showcase all campaign settings.
I am very skeptical that there are advocates in the R&D department for Lankhmar and the Mystara sub-settings like Hollow World(not Earth). But we shall see.
Hopefully if they do decide to showcase Mystara in their online materials it won't be with a lame sidebar that provides two sentences of how to fit the article/adventure into Mystara written by someone who never read any of the setting materials.
And, if there wasn't anything Mystara related actually for 4e, why don't we chuck our own toghether. If we are going to introduce new players to Mystara, how would you all suggest we started? Introductory scenarios? When the rules come out, we could produce our own online line. A sort of amateur Living Mystara?
Any thoughts?
I think it's a good idea. However, there will probably be some resistance to it unless you are clear in your objectives. When we started the Mystara3e project in 1999, there was a large debate about whether to make the project descriptive or prescriptive. The final consensus was to try to be totally descriptive, so most of the project was trying to shoehorn OD&D rules into 3rd edition and the project found that it was a monumentally difficult task and eventually fizzled. There was also the side effect of taking a totally customizable rules system and placing arbitrary and artificial limits on it (from the perspective of the system, not the game setting).
If you do this with 4th edition, be aware of the fact that rewriting OD&D rules into 4th edition will be difficult and that you will occasionally have to choose between the rules and the setting.