If you are bashing 4E for "not being an RPG," you have problems. The problem is not with the game, but with your DM or your players. I have played 4E, and it is done very well, when you have a good DM running your game (and we do). The point of role-playing is not in the combat, but in the extra stuff between encounters. If you aren't experiencing role-playing elements, you need to find a new dungeon master, and stop bashing a game that has been designed very well.

The new edition of Dungeons and Dragons boast some of the best art and layout in the industry. Many of the same artists and authors working here work for other companies such as Paizo and their talents, such as the covery by Paizo fan favorite Wayne, continue to shine.

This new edition drops some of the lesser appreicated races like the half-orc and gnome and replaces them with core races of Dragonborn, dragonic humanoids, and tielfings. Unlike previous editions, these tielflings are a true breeding race and have a flair for being like Elric in that they're from a fallen empire.

The game expands the core rules with 30 levels instead of twenty. Magic items, often often if not always used by the players, are found in this book.

The classes remove some old favorites like the bard and barbarian, but throw in new favorites like the warlock and the warlord.

Classes have power sources that indicate the nature of their power. For example, fighters, rangers and rogues are martial. All of their abilities come from being masters of their field. Others have arcane or divine. Future books expand upon this concept.

In essence though, this is flavor and not necessarily a huge difference between the abilities of the classes.

The game continues to maintain a high level of options to it as did 3.5. If you're looking for something that went back to old school in terms of amount of material to learn, while the conditions and other combat options aren't complex, they can be troublesome to recall in the heat of combat. Nothing new there as I remember refering to my 3.5 Player's Handbook all the time for grappling and sunder for item hardness and hit points.

Some have moaned that it's like a computer game. As an old player who started in 84' and saw the rise of computer games, they have it backward. Computer games yanked a lot of material FROM D&D and this edition clarifies how those roles and options can work in a tabletop game.

The biggest difference to me is that fighters and rogues no longer sink to insignifigance at 10th level. Now the fighter remains viable at all levels.

There are other bits scattered about that I enjoy. For example, death isn't at -10 now and doesn't require a flat 10% chance to stabalize. Character's don't tend to rely on magic items as much as they have in 3.5.

In my own playing experience, the role playing elements granted to the core of the game not only by the points of light setting, but by making the dragonborn and teifling races on opposite ends of two ancient warring empires provides a lot of potential seeds. Those who say that there is no possible role playing are playing the game in a way I can't fathom.

4e brings a lot of options to the campaign and finally makes a high level fighter worth playing.

This is a great resource for a tactical miniatures game. The system of powers and feats actually involve a lot of emergent complexity which only shows up when actually playing the game. In other words, the powers combine with each other in interesting tactical ways, and that's a fun (tm) part of 4e.

Beyond this? Nothing. Failure after failure.

Skill challenges suck. The role-playing advice sucks when it's provided at all. Magic items are included in the PHB instead of the DMG, so the players can shop to get the "best builds evar". The art is more dungeonpunk, off-the-roof Comic like, than ever. There's no ambiance in this game, no sense of wonder. It's instead "Koolz" World of Warcraft, Pokemon over-the-top Uber-Fantasy!!1!ONE!ELEVEN! Why? Because it seems "MOAR!" is ALWAYS Fun (tm), didn't you know?

It's all about tactical encounters and gaming the rules system. That's it. And it does that fairly well.

It would have been okay as a tactical miniatures game with strong role-playing elements. As a "role-playing game", it's alright, though it streches my suspension of disbelief more than once. As "Dungeons & Dragons", it fails miserably. As a gateway to the role-playing games hobby? God no, not this game.

1 star. Try again.

This isn't terrible. It isn't wonderful either. Honestly, the game just appeals to different tastes. If you thought that D&D needed a more cinematic, gamist approach then you will likely enjoy 4e.

I found some things that I really liked about the game. I started playing the game and I was really taken in by the balance and the easy DM prep. The powers were interesting the first few times through and I thought the rituals were rather nifty. As time wore on, I found I prefered a game D&D more in-line with what I grew up with. I definitely would have preferred a bit more simulation.

This version of D&D is different, but not terrible. The 2 star rating should be taken as an average review. There are things to like here and it might even provide a few houserules for 3.5 fans. But, $30 for a couple of houserules is far from worth it so don't buy it for that reason alone.

What has happened to D&D? Wasn't it once a roleplaying game?? This table top 'smash-em-up' battle game is not only a terrible copy of more established games but has very little to do with what Dungeons and Dragons is supposed to be. (also it smacks of street fighter and the pokey- mon dragon ball thingy games.) Stick to your 1st, 2nd or even 3rd edition D&D and instead of buying this unimaginative dross - get into Mordheim, Warhammer or Horde etc.

Is this the end of D&D as a RPG????

Okay, there is a lot of nerd rage crying reviews about 4th Edition.

Simple point of fact is that 4E makes combat fun again. Encounters are shorter, easier to manage for the DM, and the melee players themselves enjoy it more with the powers being used every round instead of the same old melee swings and cleaves.

People complain its like an MMORPG but this is one mechanic I do not mind they copied!

Roleplay is in the mind of the player and not in the rulebook. The rulebook is great in terms of crunch and combat. You create your own fluff and you are good to go.

Basically, what the title says. The rules are decent, if extremely different. Roleplaying is still possible depending on who is playing. The big problem, though, is that realism in the game is dead. The rules are no longer realistic, even from a "wizards and dragons" point of view.

Perhaps realism is the price of balance. If so, I'll take the realism.

All the things that bogged 3.5 are streamlined in 4. Whether it is a ROLE or ROLL playing game is up to the people at the table. CharGen takes a few minutes instead of an hour. Simply put, the game isn't in the way of playing. Use the framework to do what you want it to do. The beauty of the OGL or whatever they are calling it now, is that we can all adapt it to what we want.

always played at every edition of the game with proud and fun.
4th it's a boardgame with some rpg elements but looks like an easy edition for young people with nerdly addiction to wow....Hope to find renewed exitement in D&D with pathfinder...
Paizo keeps the faith alive

...but this isn't one.

The good: The rules. They are cleaner, simpler, and easier to run.

The bad: Incomplete. The druid should be here. The gnome should be here. And where is my 2nd controller? Stealth borked.

The ugly: Physical quality of the books is bad. Bendy spines, blotching ink, marginal bindings.

This could have been a knock-out. As it is, it is a flawed (and incomplete) presentation of a great system.