You Have Become Jaded, Continue? Y/N

[info_box]Update: This article is an editorial, not a review. I previously stated I wouldn’t be doing anymore 4e reviews – while at the time it seemed like a great idea in my agitated state I’ve decided against it. 4e D&D, regardless of whether or not it’s my current game of choice, has provided me with some of the best gaming years of my career and my renewed interest in tabletop RPG’s. I owe it to the game, myself, and all of my readers to continue giving thorough, honest reviews on these products . My actual review of Heroes of the Elemental Chaos may or may not happen, please read on with a grain of salt (as always).[/info_box]

I’ll still be talking about D&D here non stop, and I’ll still be reviewing other D&D products like Lords of Waterdeep and other cool things coming down the pipe. However since I’m no longer actively playing 4e, I don’t want to wind up feeling like a tool writing product reviews or content for a game I no longer play.

What can I say, I’m done playing 4e mostly, and I’m definitely done designing for it. This is not some fatalistic attitude or dissent-laden stance on the game, I am merely focusing on the future. I’ve been spending a lot of my time playing another game with my group. When the time comes for me to start discussing that game, I’ll let you guys know, trust me. Anyway, right now all of my creative energy is being poured into the future of D&D, in hopes that third party content may once again hold weight in the next edition. Regardless of that outcome, I’m still looking forward to the next age of the game moreso than trying to cling onto what is left of its present.

This is a strange transitional period for me, and I hope you’ll see me through it and help me knock the cobwebs off of this blog in the meantime. I’ll be posting some system neutral stuff, reviews of cool board games that are helping me pass the time, and of course editorials, as always. Now let’s talk about Heroes of the Elemental Whateversauce.

Earth! Fire! Wind! Whatever…

Heroes of the Elemental WhoCaresWhenIsThePlaytest (nickname courtesy of SkylandGames) is a book full of standard 4e fare, not much more I can say about it. There’s a bunch of kick ass artwork, some interesting story about primordials and a lots and lots of info on earth-fire-wind-watery shenanigans, but the book lacks heart. Yeah, that was a Captain Planet joke, so what? It is also filled with page upon page of 4e powers that look like every other power out there but with a new shuffle of elemental flavor keywords.

There is nothing interesting about this:

[titled_box title=”BoreStorm * At-Will” variation=”green” textColor=”#000000″]x[W] + MOD type damage and _______ until the end of your next turn.[/titled_box] Which is basically every 4e power ever, the novelty has wore out its welcome for this guy. I’m done. I refuse to spend time pretending to care any more. If you’re still playing 4e and are running an elemental themed game or want to run one, this is probably a solid book to pick up.

Keep in mind that this “review” is directly proportional to how compelled I felt to peruse its pages. With every 4e release I’m not sure if it is my own perception, the writers who wrote these books knowing they’d launch into D&D limbo, or a combination of both among many other factors, but each one has been progressively underwhelming for me. This is not a jab at either of the writers of this book, or any recent D&D titles and their respective authors in any way either, just an attempt to be candid. I’m not invested in the lore of D&D like some are, so all of the wonderful fluff written regarding the primordials and such falls on deaf ears for me, I know this review is harsh and perhaps a bit unfair, I’m just trying to be honest and frank here.

I don’t think that Heroes of the Elemental Chaos is a bad book, and I don’t think it will turn people off like it did me, I don’t think you should pass it up if you are even still slightly invested in 4e. I’m just stating that for me, at this moment in time there are undisclosed reasons for my falling out with the game. Hopefully I can blog more about them later. That’s about all I can and will say for now, so let’s move on.

Onward, To Waterdeep!

Next week I’ll have an in-depth review of a product that actually interests me – the D&D board game Lords of Waterdeep! I cannot stop playing it or gushing about it to everyone I know, even the non-gamer friends I have love this game. It is so compelling in fact, that my gamer (yet not net-addicted) best friend has decided he wants to help write a review AND got himself a twitter account. Now that says something!

I’ll also have a post on some ideas about running a campaign full of PC’s that are near identical and how to keep things fresh. I’ll also be covering some really old modules in the near future too (since that’s what I’ve been running lately – Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh anyone?) Anyway, in my strange state of gaming limbo if you guys have any suggestions or ideas for things you’d like me to write about please let me know also. I’d love to hear what you guys would like to hear from me. See ya’ next week!