What do you want to change, what do you fear will change?
I want a nice fresh take on D&D with new ideas and a new perspective. I want a complete game, where I don't have to decide what it is, with a nice big expansive core setting and loads of options for taking your game to other settings or for making your own. I want books full of new races, classes, background nations, gear and magic items every year that can fold seamlessly into the games I'm playing without having to jam them into a pre-existing setting where they don't belong.
I fear that this version of D&D will be really wargamey. I fear that they don't know what their setting is, and that they're going to be painting a fun world with one hand, while undermining their efforts with the other--fusing in a bunch of stuff from existing settings (like Warforged, or the Temple of Elemental Evil) that just don't belong there. I fear that their yearly suppliments will not be full of awesome new races and classes, but will instead be mostly gamebreaking or niche-specific feats and spells and dumb optional rules on things I don't care about. I fear all their settings getting hit with the World of Warcraft ray and all the nice flavor D&D has had getting lost in all the epic ubermagical hoorah.
My only fear is a kind of lack of immersion, and I dont mean during combat, but outside. I know some people are touting that the game is being reduced to a "glorified minis game", but I dont think thats true. Many people used minis before 3rd Edition, and many more during 3rd Edition.
Combat has more or less been the same (move and/or attacks), but since many people use mats it allows them to employ mechanics that utilize that aspect to add a tactical edge that really wasnt there before 3E.
Basically all I want is for social-RP to remain about as stable as it is now, but for combat to be more dynamic, efficient, and interesting.
So far, they appear to have succeeded on all fronts.
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I don't fear anything from 4e itself -- I am not interested in switching, and all the information that has come thus far has 100% turned me off leaving my 3.5 game. I am content to keep with 3.5 and all my shelf of WOTC books I currently enjoy.
What I fear indirectly is the 3.5 community and support I have enjoyed will vanish in its entirety. Quality companies like Paizo and Green Ronin will choose to switch to 4e, leaving me no quality input or material into my game.
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I am afraid that 4E will have no challenge for me and therefore not be any "fun".
If you start will lots of hps, can heal yourself with Healing surges and by punching someone in the face, can go deep into negative hit points and if you do die and you are high enough level, you can even raise yourself (and nothing says "video game" more than extra lives), where is the challenge?
As I see more actual 4E content, the more simplified it looks to me. Look at the 4E spells, where Prismatic Ray has 7 effects, Prismatic Beam only has three. The monster stats look more like a miniature card that an Monster Manual entry and the magic items all seemed "blah"; +1 to this and +1 to that. That is not my definition of a Wonderous Item.
I am also afraid that 3E will fall aside and be lost. Even if there are companies that support it, I would not put it by WotC to start going after them if 4E does not sell well.
I am afraid that it will divide the gaming community even more than it already has. I no longer feel welcome at ENWorld, they are fast becoming a 4E only board. If it wasn't for their news page, I might not even visit there any more.
I am afraid that 4E will have no challenge for me and therefore not be any "fun".
If you start will lots of hps, can heal yourself with Healing surges and by punching someone in the face, can go deep into negative hit points and if you do die and you are high enough level, you can even raise yourself (and nothing says "video game" more than extra lives), where is the challenge?
As I see more actual 4E content, the more simplified it looks to me. Look at the 4E spells, where Prismatic Ray has 7 effects, Prismatic Beam only has three. The monster stats look more like a miniature card that an Monster Manual entry and the magic items all seemed "blah"; +1 to this and +1 to that. That is not my definition of a Wonderous Item.
I am also afraid that 3E will fall aside and be lost. Even if there are companies that support it, I would not put it by WotC to start going after them if 4E does not sell well.
I am afraid that it will divide the gaming community even more than it already has. I no longer feel welcome at ENWorld, they are fast becoming a 4E only board. If it wasn't for their news page, I might not even visit there any more.
i feel that pretty hard man i love enworld but its become very pro 4e
they've got a little better at stopping the pro-guys from threadcrapping in every anti4e thread but i have seen a lot get closed for say negitive things about 4e or evn suggesting its not the best thing sence like the beginning of time. so its fast becomeing a hostil place for folks who arnt 4anboys sad to say. and that my friends is a big fear of mine lose of community
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I fear that emphasis on 4e to make life easier for the DM will be the downfall of 3.5.
I really get the feeling that 4e is a huge step backwards towards Basic D&D.
The game has some ground breaking things to offer but is all aimed at making the DMs life MUCH easier. this isn't a bad thing in principle but if it affects the enjoyment of the game on the players side then perhaps its gone a little too far.
The lack of realism and overall generic feel of the classes leads me to believe that the game is not only being developed for a digital age but also for a much younger age than previous editions of D&D. troublesome mechanics seem to have been left out of the game (bard and druid is a good example), others which could not be left out have been simplified by making them less realistic (movement rules).
The general feel of the game from the D&D Experience is that its too simple and this will likely hinder the players experience. There seems to be no difference between playing a fighter and a wizard now, you both get the same at will/encounter/per day abilities just with a different name. the only solid difference is the roles. A strikers damage is single target while a controllers is area target, the power curve remains the same however. sure it makes for easier balancing but does it make it more fun?
4e may seem new and shiny right now but in 6 months time I can see players getting bored, I actually look forward to my fighter getting 2 attacks per round at 6th level but in 4e thats gone. They may say you get something cool at every level now but you don't get anything that makes you stand out from the rest. The problem for me is that DMs are unlikely to take a step backwards to 3.5 if 4e is that much easier to run.
Will 4e be like 3.5? Wheres the familiars, animal companions, polymorphing, wildshapes? why is thievery a catch all skill for the wealth of rogue abilities? wheres the customization beyond combat?