Essentials.
I want to buy it all, and I want it all now. This has been my relationship with D&D since the beginning. It if says “D&D” on it, I want it and will have it. If 5th Edition was announced instead of Essentials, I would actually be more excited. Not because I dislike 4e, but because I like NEW things and I would know what was in front of me. I want to have the latest and I want it now. New edition? Cool. Complete overhaul of the system? That’s fine, I will learn it.
But this is not 5th Edition. This is very much not 4.5… or 3.8, but it’s also not 4e… kind of… sort of. At least, this is what I see in every discussion on the topic. Maybe there is no reasonable or clear way to define it from that perspective, and I can understand that, but it obviously doesn’t help me know how this fits with 4e.
I have looked at previews here, and discussions there – I have a general idea of what is going on in Essentials, but full clarity still eludes me.
At this point, it almost feels to me that if I buy all the Essentials stuff, it would be kind of like buying all my 4e books over again… buying duplicates… duplicates of books I already don’t use because I have a DDI account. So of course, I ask myself, why would I do that? Well, it adds new options I’m told. That’s cool – I dig options (I REALLY dig options) but won’t I get those via DDI? Won’t I get all of this via DDI? I mean, based on the description of the “Heroes of the Fallen Lands” book, it seems like DDI crunch to me. There’s nothing wrong with that either, I’m just trying to establish whether that is the case, or if I am missing something.
I think what it comes down to is this…
I want to be excited about something new – I love new things. Essentials is the “newest” thing, but is it different enough (from 4e) to make it really that “new” to me, or is it (Essentials books) simply the “latest” 4e thing that really isn’t even meant to cater to me as a current DDI subscriber and owner of 4e books?
Anyway, this is probably a cluster of madness and rambling at this point. I think I will treat this post as kind of a “before the research” thing. I will look at the essentials stuff in closer detail now to determine whether it’s something I need to get into or not and then follow this up with a “decision” post. My assumption is most would say I don’t “need” to get into anything – but I’m speaking more to my own desire to have the latest/greatest toys 😉
If you have any thoughts on essentials that you think might help clarify things a bit for me, feel free to share them either here via a comment or via Twitter!
The Essentials collection kinda rubs me the wrong way too.
I have the 4e core books. I love my core books. Lots of options and very pretty look at. And yet I also get the same of feeling that you mentioned: that WotC is trying to get me to buy the same books over again, if they are intended be used concurrently. “Essentials PHB, Essentials DMG, Essentials MM, and so on…” It’s just a vibe that I’m feeling.
There was a lot of emphasis that Essentials was not 4.5, but there were enough changes to make it feel not 4e-ish. It’s somewhere between 4.1 and 4.3…it’s vaguely different enough to be irritating. I’m agreeing with you there.
More research to be done, and I’m interested to see your conclusions in your ‘decisions’ post.
I think we get too hung up on edition numbers. From what I understand, Essentials still runs on the same rails that 4e does, why worry about if it’s point-this or point-that?
I only own the Rules Compendium so far, for reference purposes, for two reasons. 1) Essentials is not supported in the DDI Tools yet. 2) I’m in the middle of running a campaign and don’t feel like dealing with the chaos of additional rules that, even if they run on the same rails, have obviously taken a different turn at the switch.
However, I definitely plan on buying at least the City tiles set, and will give the Monster Vault a look when it’s out.
If I was to use Essentials, I think I would use them separately from the rest of the core D&D books, and I wouldn’t even bother with the DDI Tools. I’d run it old-school, pencil-and-paper.
I bought the Compendium and first Heroes book. I regret the Heroes book, but think the Compendium is handy to have by when playing. Smaller format than the Core hardbacks and a great index.
Along with the re-release of some dungeon tiles (like the City one coming out in November), I will be picking up -some- Essentials items, but not much. The tiles, the Monster book and .. that’s about it probably.
The Rules Compendium is not a “new thing” – it is the already existing rules of the game, updated to include the errata and published in a more portable format handy for use at the game. If your criteria is “new and shiny”, it’s probably not the product for you. If your criteria is “useful and desirable” I’d say it is. Personally, it’s my most likely purchase.
The Heroes of the …. books are largely “new and shiny”. They contain what are essentially new classes for the game. Sure, they are sold as builds for the old classes, but in effect they are more akin to the sub-classes of old. Sure, a Slayer and a Knight share a lot of the mechanics of the Fighter (while still being solidly 4E) but they are also significantly different. Just as the 2ndAD&D illusionist was similar to, but different from the 2ndAD&D mage. For now, I’m holding off on purchasing this because I’m hoping it makes it into the character builder (as I did with the power source books).
The DM kit, from what I have heard, isn’t particularily “new and shiny” but if you have a use for its component parts I’ve heard others describe it as a good value for the money. In my case, it’s probably my least likely purchase. (If all you want is the DM Screen I think that will eventually be sold individually).
Carl
I understand and share many of your questions. I have purchased the new Red Box and the Essentials Dungeon Tiles, but I’m still on the fence as the other stuff is either new builds or errata’d duplicate information. It is hard to not impulse buy it all though…
It would be fine if it was 4.5… I’d be glad to have updated Clerics, Paladins and Warlocks with no multiple ability dependence, or updated MM1 monsters.
What I don’t want is going back to boring fighters and rogues with no interesting powers (“I hit it with my sword” repeated ad-infinitum) or different progression tables for each class.
This is not 4.5! It is 3.9!
These changes are, imho unnecessary and they seem solely designed to lure back the people who are now playing Pathfinder or Castles and Crusades… But I doubt that will work.