Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition | Wizards RPG Team

Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition | Wizards RPG Team | Great!

books:

Dungeons and Drago...

	Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition Wizards RPG Team Wizards of the Coast, 2008 - 832 pages average customer review:based on 171 reviews view larger image
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Good for you and your friends

These books are extremely interesting, but are not meant to be read alone. They are, in fact, the rulebooks for the Dungeons & Dragons game, which is best played with five or six people. If you don't have that many friends, look into stores where you can meet up with new people and play.

Great!

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition is a great system. The books are beautifully constructed, with the best art D&D has seen yet.

The system is wonderfully balanced. It's fun to play, the combat system is set up very well, and all the rules are much easier to follow.

Reviews on Amazon claim that the book is overbalanced, or that it's too simplified. The simple fact is that some people like to min/max out their characters so that they can overpower the rest of the party, and D&D4e doesn't allow that. Of course people will be angry that they can't exploit a well-balanced system. For the rest of those who just want to play a good game, I highly recommend it.

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radical redesign emphasizing fun and ease of play

This is a more radical rules overhaul than D&D has ever received in its 35 year history. The game mechanics have been rethought and reshaped into a streamlined, uniform system.

Notable features:

1. The dichotomy of fighting v. spellcasting has been replaced by a system of combat-focused "powers" that are treated uniformly for all classes. Non-combat-related spells have become rituals.

2. The complex skill system has been reduced to a lean assortment of skills that are all relevant to adventuring, and all of which will be frequently used in play.

3. Combat is unapologetically focused on tactical miniatures gaming, with lots of powers and rules having very specific reference to the battle grid.

4. The primary mechanic for non-combat encounters is the skill challenge, in which different players use their skills in different ways to achieve a common goal.

5. The system puts a strong emphasis on maintaining balance (between character classes, and between PCs and the challenges they face) throughout the 30-level range of the game.

6. XP, treasure, adventure structure, and level advancement are now all tied together very explicitly and efficiently.

7. Play is smooth and focused on fun; there is less likelihood of getting bogged down by rules searches and overly complex mechanics than in previous editions.

A general observation is that this version of the game plays extremely well, and is a joy to work with as a DM. Compared with previous editions, the core books feel lacking in the kind of depth and detail that made earlier versions fun to read and "get into". This can give the impression that it's become a very un-nuanced tactical game with fewer and less atmospheric options available. What has happened is that there is now a lot less interpenetration of rules and flavor; the boundaries are cleaner, and the books are for the rules, and the players are responsible for the flavor. It takes some getting used to, but I think it is an improved approach.

There is lots of instruction in the DMG to help DMs actually design campaigns, adventures, and encounters, and run games. Rather than being a collection of rules the players are supposed to be unaware of, this DMG is actually teaches one how to DM, and provides lots of good recipes for different parts the job.

I'm enjoying the new game a lot; it's got me psyched to play and to design adventures and campaigns with an enthusiasm I haven't felt since playing AD&D in the 1970s. I'd give it 5 stars, were it not for a few pretty important issues:

1. The skill challenge system as published doesn't work right, unless the DM fudges a lot. The designers didn't do their homework in working through the probabilities involved. As published, skill challenges are way too difficult. Errata was released, but swings too far in the opposite direction and still doesn't handle skill challenge complexity well.

2. The published rules for stealth are ambiguous and sometimes self-contradictory. Prepare for a lot of house rules. Again, a revised version was posted on the publisher's web site, but how many people will see it?

The system as a whole is very good and soundly designed, but it's dismaying to have some of these basic pieces make it into the books half-baked. Future printings will rectify these problems, but the potential for confusion and frustration is great enough that I feel I need to withhold a 5 rating.

Some reviewers object because a favorite class or race is missing or different, or a particular monster has changed. For me, these are tangential matters (and many will be addressed in future publications). The main point is that the new system actually works better than the old one. It's more fun to play, it's MUCH easier to DM, and it actually opens up a cleaner space for role-playing and player creativity, since the mechanics are streamlined and do not bleed over into every minor detail of noncombat play.

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Better than you think

I'm assuming that anyone looking at this product has read the reviews. They know the changes and they already have a pre-disposition toward this new edition.

Briefly, this new game is really, REALLY fun. I was hesitant about the changes, but once my group got together and ran through a couple sample scenarios, I was won over completely.

D&D is a game of heroic combat, and finally it feels that way. Fighting is fast, intuitive, and FUN. All classes have multiple special moves and options each turn, and it makes fighting FEEL like a real melee brawl. The new combat is movement-oriented and exciting to take part in. Goblins leap and dodge, Rangers and Rogues tumble across the field, and Warlords direct allies and enemies like pawns.

Seriously, we were VERY skeptical of this new system, but YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT A CHANCE. I know there's a lot missing, and a lot has changed, but just sit down at the table and give it a try. Reading the rulebooks is NOT enough, you have to see these changes in action to get a feel for the new game.

It's really, truly, a lot of fun.

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Good deal on the three books

This deal saved me some dough over buying separately. The slip case itself - however - is not useful to me, as I like to be able to easily grab the appropriate book off the shelf. With the books in the case, I'd need two hands to separate book from case.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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