Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
Can we all, as a community, agree to stop with the 4th Edition PHB reviews? I am fairly confident that everyone in the world has by now made up their mind about this book.
More words have been written about the PHB than are actually in the PHB. Review after review after review after review after review after review after review is sort of pointless.
Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
A pretty good review so far A few too many comparisons to MMORPGs, but at least they weren't ranty comparisons. A good structure to the review as a whole, although I wish the review stood alone and had a conclusion section.
One nitpick where you state:
Quote:
Warlock doesn't merely resemble the World of Warcraft "lock", it is such an obvious steal that Blizzard could easily sue Wizards
Do you realize Warlocks existed in D&D before WoW? Or, I guess, about the same time (Complete Arcane came out Nov 2004, same month as WoW). In fact that old Warlock class greatly inspired the construction of the 4E framework.
I look forward to reading the rest!
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Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
While I don't want to start the Pile On game, I agree with Aeonite. This was much more a summary than a review, with the reviewer's opinion summed in a few words every few paragraphs. The 4e PHB is too well reviewed at this point for this latest review to have any meaning.
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Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aeonite
Can we all, as a community, agree to stop with the 4th Edition PHB reviews? I am fairly confident that everyone in the world has by now made up their mind about this book.
More words have been written about the PHB than are actually in the PHB. Review after review after review after review after review after review after review is sort of pointless.
That seems kind of harsh and uncalled for. D&D is the biggest name in the industry; you'd expect it to get a lot of attention, and I don't think the deluge of reviews has been quite as enormous as you seem to be implying. (And even if it were, having "too many" reviews isn't hurting anyone.) Especially if the new reviews cover different ground than previous reviews, which I think this one did. Contrary to what Eryops said, I think this is the most useful review of the D&D 4E PHB I've seen here--at least, to me. The other reviews I've read here have focused too much (IMO) on what isn't in the book, or on how it compares with 3.5E. I'm already familiar with 3.5E; I don't need a reviewer to point out all the differences and tell me what he thinks of each one. Tell me what's in the book, and I can see for myself what's different, and make up my own mind what I think of it. (Which isn't to say there isn't a place for the reviewer's opinion, of course--that's what makes it a review, and not just a summary--but there does have to be some description of the product to back up that opinion, and in some of the previous reviews I haven't seen as much of that as I'd have liked. I think this review strikes the right balance.)
So... good review, Mr. Gillen. Looking forward to your reviews of the other two core books.
Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
This actually strikes me as a pretty good review. Even-handed and detailed. It could use a conclusion of its own rather than pointing us to the next review, even if you are reviewing the whole set.
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Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smeazel
That seems kind of harsh and uncalled for. D&D is the biggest name in the industry; you'd expect it to get a lot of attention, and I don't think the deluge of reviews has been quite as enormous as you seem to be implying.
I am not saying anything about the merits or shortcomings of this review in particular, just the fact that I don't think it benefits anyone to see a new 4th Edition review, or several, every week on RPGnet.
I think right now the only RPG that's been more reviewed than the 4th Edition PHB is the 3rd Edition PHB. I would personally much rather see folks reviewing games that have not gotten as much attention.
Tell me about something I haven't already heard about. Expand my horizons. Don't tell me that McDonald's has the best french fries. Chances are, I have already made up my mind about that.
Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aeonite
Tell me about something I haven't already heard about. Expand my horizons.
That's what my other reviews are for.
JG
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Re: [RPG]: Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook, reviewed by James Gillen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aeonite
Tell me about something I haven't already heard about. Expand my horizons.
Yes, but for me, this review did that. It did tell me things that weren't in other reviews, so I don't see it as superfluous.
OTOH, you do have a point in that it would be nice to see more reviews of other things; endless reviews of the same product do get old if they're just repeating the same criticisms. I just don't think that justifies going to the other extreme and saying that there's no room for further reviews of the D&D 4E PHB, period. This one did, IMO, bring some things to the table that other reviews had not, and it did give me some new information I had not been previously aware of.
But while I may think it a bit much to suggest the RPGnet community should "agree to stop with the 4th Edition PHB reviews" altogether, I will agree that at the very least would-be reviewers should think long and hard before posting yet another D&D 4E PHB review and make sure they really do have something new to say...
A few too many comparisons to MMORPGs, but at least they weren't ranty comparisons. A good structure to the review as a whole, although I wish the review stood alone and had a conclusion section. 
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