Apparently the thing most people want for Rock Band is to be able to have a Jam Mode where you can create, play, and share your own songs. “More Cowbell!” came in second, so I have no doubts there will be a cowbell mod for the microphone very soon (if there isn’t one already). We also asked people to list any songs they’d thought of that they’d like to see put into Rock Band, with some really good ones being mentioned that we all hope we’ll have the chance to play.
Now that it is getting into late January the clock is beginning to tick for me, I don’t know if I should be excited that D&D 4th Edition is coming out within 6 months or if I’m scared because that means the end of Dave’s campaign. Probably one of the big changes to the system that I’m looking at is what core classes will be presented in the PHB. I was thrilled when I first looked at 3rd Ed. and saw additions like the Barbarian, Monk, and Sorcerer, but these were all additions to what had already been established in 2nd Edition. Now, with the advent of 4th Ed, there are a lot of classes that are in danger of not being released for a while (if at all).
[poll id=”62″]
I voted for Monk because I felt that more than the other classes it would be tougher to replicate with role playing choices from other classes. You can play a savage fighter (barbarian) a nature cleric (druid) or a flavorful wizard (sorcerer). Bards just suck, so I don’t care about them.
The druid is one of those Vestigial D&D icons that I hope remains.
I could definitively live with Spec. Wizards or Bards hitting the dustbin.
I don’t like any of those classes! Good riddance.
I always liked the jack-of-all-trades idea behind the Bard, which despite sucking in every previous edition, I want to see in 4e. However, it sounds like they’re moving away from that concept and going more towards the “Music Mage” concept.
“Music Mage” prestige class == “Rock Star”
Monks and bards seem to have the most unique exception abilities, the kinds of things not really replicated by feats. I’m playing a monk now, so I vote monk.
One word:
Conan
I mean come on Loose Barbarians? wasnt that a D&D founding class?
It looks as though the entire feel of the 4e can be summed up with a couple of words: Power gaming. Each of the classes that there are now are more geared towards the roll playing rather than the role playing. What happened to the bard class being an essential part of the game through them being a key to the role playing aspects of the world’s happenings? Or, as in Steve’s comments above me, the barbarians being a primary class in that they have a mass popularity through the role playing aspect of being the people outside of the civilizations reach that have survived.
I will have to say that the mass changes with magic, and the complete restructuring and loss of deities is saddening (Forgotten Realms future almost makes me cry). The classes are in a state of which one can give the character more damage it seems. Do not even start with the races… why would anyone want to be a 1st level human fighter when you can be a 1st level dragonborn. How the heck is that going to work out for balancing? Also… just a side note… notice that there seems to be more of a push towards the characters being somewhat dark or evil? Notice no aasimars to the tiefling question? Does seem to show that the powers of light and dark are a bit in a skew of direction.
Or this could all just be to conservative…
I’d very heavily argue that a Monk can be created using a base of a Fighter. In fact, it probably SHOULD be used like that because otherwise there is no viable option to play a Fighter who doesn’t use weapons. That could lead to more variation in the Monk type, which could either be really good or completely unbalancing.
I should really let our current party speak for this, but from what I’ve heard if you think that Bards suck or are useless you just haven’t played in a game with a good Bard.
Really any of these classes can be made as a variation:
Barbarian, Monk = Fighter
Druid = Cleric (of Nature)
Sorcerer = Wizard
Bard = Warlord
I do agree with Dave and think the Bard should be more towards the Jack-of-all-Trades and shy away from the “musical mage” idea.
RAGE MAGE! BWAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!…
But in all seriousness, we can afford to lose all of those…
I think from a player’s perspective perhaps the only troubling thing is for ongoing campaigns and evolving campaign worlds that the total absence of certain classes will make for some irritating and nonsensical “retcons” to explain how things happened in a new 4.0 world.