| I second the Dork

I picked up my set yesterday at Borders. I had a 30% off poopon, combined with some 15% for doing a 5 minute survey, it all worked out nicely.

It really looks fun! I might be caught up in the whole 3e hoopla feeling, but this seems like a FUN system. Definitely streamlined and I won't say dumbed down, but certainly more accessible. Sure, it is minis heavy, and yes it is totally influenced by WoW, but it seems like it will be more fun, for more people than 3e ever was.

I liked 3e, or rather I liked our campaigns of 3e because I never really played after that. I am equally excited to play this for a single, short campaign, and then never pick it up again, if that is how it all plays out, too.

The web features seem cool, but unnecessary for the most part. The virtual table is really no more than a regulated 3d version of the minis game, but with 4e rules. And you can customize the way your 'figure' appears. Nothing wrong with that, infact, it is kinda cool. There is a character builder and tracker, and will be a repository of most, if not all, D&D articles and releases (except for hardback books, I think) that will be online too.

The rules read fun, and each player gets powers that can be useful, and used often throughout a play session, so no more 1rst level wiznards being left in the cold cause their magic missiles are all used up. Also, leveling has been unified across all classes.

The traditionalist/mean-old-man in me is disgruntled, sure. I can complain all I want and miss the old days, and miss Unearthed Arcana and how amazingly cool it was, and how I actually liked 2nd edition a lot, and all that, but this just an evolution and one that I can get behind. It is certainly much less imposing than that initial read of 3e was at Gencon. I remember thinking I would never read through all this, and I never really did. This version feels like it has sunk to my mental level and I will be able to grok it and have some fun!