Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition

I wast real happy with 4th edition and im glas i still i have my 3.5 books. my biggest complaint is that they took away my character, i play a half-orc barbarian when im not DMing, but neither that race or that class are currently in 4th edition. and i probably wont play any more 4th Edition games until WOTC corrects the "bugs" in the new system

I have played all of the versions of D&D. When Wizards of the Coast came out with the third edition it revolutioned pen and paper gaming. The new d20 system is close to perfection. What WOTC didn't think of, a good GM could. So why a 4th edition?? I bought the 4th edition with some hesitation. I was right to be hesitant. Yes, it is a new system. But it is as confusing as 3rd edition wasn't. I think WOTC put out this newest edition to line their pockets, not for the fans of the genre.

I have trouble dealing with personal favorites being excluded from the Players Handbook. No more bards, barbarians, or sorcerors. Yes there are new things to write up but the complicated manner in which to write up a new charater is quite the pain.

I DON'T recommend this series.

Wow! D&D finally won me back. The latest version has been slimmed down and made into something better than it has been in the last 2 incarnations. The motto K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) leaves more room for storytelling and playing as opposed to worrying about 9/10 cover or other minutia.

This set is beautiful. Why not buy all three at once and save a little money, not to mention get a sturdy cover for all three.

I started a 4e campaign several weeks ago as a GM with four first-level players. We used this set to get the ball rolling.

First, a note of caution. Unlike the 2nd and 3rd edition books, the ink does come off the pages of these books and onto your fingers. This doesn't happen with short contact, but using your fingers as place-markers is a big no-no. Use an eraser or something.

Now to the rules themselves... well, to sum it up, our group decided to abandon 4e after the 2nd session. The reasons were:

All characters get better at using weapons at the same rate, whether a wizard or a warrior. All skills, attacks, and... well, everything, are tied directly into a "1/2 your level" equation which advances everyone in every class at the same rate. This left a bitter taste in the mouth of those that chose to be fighting classes. The powers offered them did not help enough to make them much more powerful than a wizard with a sword.

The lack of multiple attacks in a round left a sour taste in our figher's mouths as well, and noting that this would never be corrected was a problem.

A wizard is... well, both made more powerful and rather seriously crippled. His options are greatly diminished (most spells have disappeared), but he can do the same small set of things all day long (magic missile at will).

Rogues didn't get their impressive bastion of skills to draw upon from 3e.

The lack of dice rolling in character level-ups makes for cookie-cutter perfect characters that all do exactly the same things. The lack of the element of chance to shape a character tends to push everyone to do the same things, rather than attempting to overcome a weak die roll or gliding through a fortunate die roll.

Beyond that, the idea of "powers" in these classes would be a good idea as a "supplement" to the earlier rules, not a "replacement".

I just want to go on record and say I love 4th edition d and d. It's a great system that plays extremely well, and is a lot of fun.