Something That Could Have Saved 4e D&D

I’m not suggesting Wizards of the Coast should have changed the rules to 4e at all. I actually really love the rules for 4e. I’m not suggesting they should have stuck closer to 3e. I loved that they went off the deep-end. I’m not suggesting that they should have gone with a different art style, or not messed with the cosmology, or anything of that sort. What could have saved 4e is something much simpler. It would have attracted new players, kept around old ones, and been seen as something completely revolutionary. D&D 4e could have been saved had they not named it D&D 4e.

I personally loved the dynamic combat system, the ability to watch as heroes pushed and pulled monsters around the battlefield, as monsters unleashed powerful powers of their own, how each monster felt different and unique mechanically. By calling D&D 4e the next version of D&D, you took a lot of players who didn’t want to see such dynamic changes and turned them into people who could barely look at a post about D&D without insisting that “You’re not playing real D&D!”

If D&D 4e had been named D&D Tactics, but still kept all of the roleplaying aspects to it, and released a product alongside it that was more akin to D&D Essentials for those who weren’t interested in the tactical rules, I think the game would have continued to last quite a while. D&D 4e felt more like a wargame, which, as a wargamer, was fine to me. I never had a problem with that. A lot of people weren’t looking for that, which I understand.

I think if people had looked at it from a different perspective, they would have seen what an in-depth and deep system it was, with all kinds of great opportunities to play as badass heroes who kicked ass, took names, and expended all of their daily powers

I love 5e, I love it a lot. It’s exactly what I’ve wanted out of D&D, but I just wish more people had given 4e a chance, and not left it by the wayside.