[momealey]

Nice review! It's good to see a review from someone who has both read the rules and at least played once. So far, most of the objections I've seen online are from people complaining that it's not 3.x. I for one couldn't be happier that it's a new game rather than a simple minor evolution of the last version. Second biggest complaint seems to be reliance on tactical combat resolution. WotC can't be faulted for trying to sell minis, but counters, poker chips, coins, etc. can also be used, so the only real complaint is if you just are adamant about not using tactical maps for combat. I've never had a problem using them and D&D is one of the games where every time I've played (any version) they were used, so no big deal to me. I've never used minis in WoD games, but some games seem more slanted towards tactical combat resolution and for me, D&D has always been one of them.

I've honestly never been a big fan of D&D although I own and have played BD&D, AD&D 1e & 2e, and D&D 3 (although I took a pass on 3.5). There are certain elements of D&D that just never worked for me and Wizards spell memorization and reliance on magical items instead of innate abilities/skills were always two biggies. D&D 4 is the first version that I'm actually excited about playing since it seems to have finally addressed the things I never liked about the older versions. If that makes it a different game or a new game and is D&D in name only, I say "congratulations WotC for finally making a game called D&D that I might actually enjoy playing!"

I just got the PH today and am slowly working my way through it, but I like what I see so far. As with Savage Worlds, it seems D&D 4 may be a game where you really have to play it to appreciate it. I look forward to having my group create some characters and giving it a test drive soon.