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the changes are bit in this revision of the rules so i suggest that even if your a veteran of adnd or 3.5 that you read these books thoroughly so as not to skip any changes made. the books are worth of the dnd logo that covers them, well done wizards. Dungeons and Dragons Core Rulebook Gift Set, 4th Edition is a great set that contains all you need to start playing dnd. the package is strong and soothes the eyes.
this is simple and beginner friendly. and amazon has the best price. i haven't really had any issues with it, but i'm not a hardcore gamer. it is a lot more user friendly for people just starting out in gaming. but aside from having to send mine back twice to get one with a good box. i don't know what it is with amazon and smashing everything that comes in a box that i order. i love these. i game on the weekends for fun.
In actual play, the new always replaced the old. Automated systems, however, need to have a built-in structure that enforces balance. I love calling out "Into the Fray Attack" or deciding that "Chains of Sorrow" is the better course. In 4.0 games, I watch fighters and wizards alike franticly scanning their character pages during combat for the next best action and strategizing when to use this or that once-per-day super thing. Occasionally the DM might find one idea particularly worthy and grant some bonus. Also, playing the highly planned, dual-class balance with the splash of something is just plain eliminated form 4.0.
In 4.0, a fighter is only better at fighting than a wizard if the fighter CHOOSES to, for example, launch a dizzying barrage of thrusts at the enemy (a "Covering Arrack") or decides to strike at one foe and allow his or her momentum to carry forward into a second strike against a second foe ("Passing Attack), or to weave the weapon in a graceful figure-eight, and then to lash out with a sudden attack ("Dance of Steal Attack") or to focus all strength into a blow designed to break through the enemy's armor and deal a painful bleeding wound ("Crack the Shell Attack") or any one of many other options. In 3.5, players would often call out such descriptions, but mostly for effect. However, 4.0, I am keeping side-by-side with 3.5 as a different game for different groups on different days.While I agree that 4.0 makes level progression simpler, playing an effective fighter, for example, in 4.0 is much more complex. It is a very different system than "real" Dungeons and Dragons, but it is nice to have something new and different. However, there is no place in 4.0 for the player who does not want to make many decisions during combat or who wants to keep his character sheet to a single page. This makes it much harder to mix players with different levels of game experience, different ages and different levels of player intelligence.Contrariwise, playing a wizard has been greatly simplified with many less options.
I find the deep planning, balancing and the many mistakes to be great fun. With past new editions from the original to 3.5, I have only kept my old books for memorabilia. 4.0 is a clear move toward video games such as World of Warcraft. Some folks "humph" and "good riddens" and call this powergamming. In a human moderated game, if a simple fighter is getting left behind by the powergamer, then the moderator can just let the fighter find a +8 greatsword that does 3d6 points of fire damage and grants the wielder spell resistance of 32: simple fighter and powergamer are now toe-to-toe.I like 4.0. However, it was "assumed" that higher level fighters were doing these things all the time and appropriately for the situation by AUTOMATICALLY granting the fighter a higher base attack, and more attacks per round.
I would rather see it called a different name than a higher number. In 3.5 and earlier the fighter continued the attack by just rolling a d20, then rolling the damage. Personally, I think a 4.0 fighter is much more fun to play than the old tank. I just hope the "real" Dungeons and Dragons is not killed by it. I am going to have a lot of fun with it. There is much that I like about this new game.
In 4.0, a fighter who simply rolls and attack has the same chance of hitting and does the same damage as does a wizard. Players like me really miss this.
Thank goodness for Paizo and keeping D&D alive. During D&D's evolution, each system had enough similarities so you knew you were still playing D&D when the new system came out. The real Dungeons and Dragons is now under the creation of Paizo with 3.75 coming out in August 2009. I have played D&D for 30 years and 4e is simply not D&D. From D&D Basic, AD&D, AD&D 2nd Edition, D&D 3rd edition, to D&D v.3.5 you always felt like you were still playing D&D, but with 4th edition that has changed for me.
I'm so glad I bought them. I have no complaints at all. These books are excellent. they arrived in a timely manner, and in fine condition.
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