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tarsusc81
2010-10-25, 03:54 PM
All the usual apologies if this has been discussed before. This post is blatantly hopeful for a reply by Mr. Burlew (or someone who's already heard from him): The rules of the OotS world obviously hew close to D&D 3e, and I assume always will. I'm curious, though, whether Rich himself has played 4e much, whether he likes it, and whether he still prefers 3e.

JRKlein
2010-10-25, 04:32 PM
Oh boy, here comes the edition war. *rests his face firmly in both palms*

tarsusc81
2010-10-25, 04:41 PM
Oh boy, here comes the edition war. *rests his face firmly in both palms*

Wait, wait! No! I'm just curious!

Sigh. Of course, you are almost certainly right that that's what I've started whether I intended it or not.

So . . . can I safely assume Rich has never made comment on this, perhaps for that very reason?

DeltaEmil
2010-10-25, 04:41 PM
If you want to ask Rich Burlew a question himself, you'd better do it with a PM, I believe.

Oracle_Hunter
2010-10-25, 04:59 PM
The Giant did make a post sometime in the past in re OotS & 4E - can anyone dig up a link? I'm sure that would be worth posting in this here thread.

Tyndmyr
2010-10-25, 05:03 PM
Dunno, but I remember the gist of it being that Oots is not converting over to 4e. Though by now, that's probably obvious.

Dunno what, if anything, that says about 4th ed. It may simply be that 3.5 -> 4e conversion is sufficiently ugly that it would not lend itself well to the storyline.

Flickerdart
2010-10-25, 05:04 PM
The Giant did make a post sometime in the past in re OotS & 4E - can anyone dig up a link? I'm sure that would be worth posting in this here thread.
Can't find it right now, but it was something along the lines of "OotS will make both 4E and 3.5 jokes, but there won't be a 'hey, we converted' comic". Nothing on Rich's personal preference has been posted to my knowledge.

DeltaEmil
2010-10-25, 05:08 PM
It's actually in the "News"-section at the upper left side.


"5/20/2008

Those of you not currently involved in playing Dungeons & Dragons may or may not be aware that Wizards of the Coast is set to release a new version of the rules—the “Fourth Edition” rules—in less than a month. If the details of such things are of little interest to you, feel free to skip reading this overly verbose news post. You won’t miss much.

Ever since the announcement was made last August, I have gotten roughly 1.3 billion emails asking about whether The Order of the Stick will “convert” to the new system. It is a question I have deliberately avoided answering, much to the consternation of those who like to ask such questions. I will be answering it now: No.

But not in the way you might think. I’m not making some ideological stand about how the current 3.5 Edition is superior or any such thing. I’m simply saying that there will not be a conscious and visible change in the comic strip, wherein the characters convert to a new set of rules as they did in the very first strip. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is that the purpose of the comic has shifted away from its original goal of simply poking fun at a game to an actual story, and it is that story on which I would like to focus.

Equally important is the fact that the new edition departs radically from prior versions of the game in terms of what classes and races are initially described. Whether or not this is good for the game isn’t really my concern; I’m more interested in the fact that converting would introduce dozens of unnecessary changes in my story. At the very least, I would need to devote many strips to showing off the ways that characters have been changed by the new rules, strips I would rather devote to advancing the story. This sort of thing isn’t as crucial a problem for a gaming group considering the new game, but when switching would force several of my main characters to significantly change their powers and abilities—and some wouldn’t even have their new abilities defined yet for at least another year!—it becomes less palatable. Again, though, to be crystal clear: This is not a condemnation of the new rules by me. I have not read them yet, having failed to get my hands on an advance copy some time ago. They may well be the finest fantasy roleplaying rules ever written. I wouldn’t know. What I DO know is that they are not suited to my needs as a storyteller at this time.

However, this does NOT mean that I will stop making jokes about the fact that the characters exist within a world that operates like a roleplaying game. Nor will I limit myself to either jokes about 3.5 Edition or 4th Edition. I’ll go where the humor takes me, and if that happens to create gross inconsistencies, then so be it. As an added benefit, I expect it will drive the fans who try to figure out exactly what is occurring in each strip from a strict D&D rules perspective absolutely nuts. If it really bothers anyone, simply imagine that the OOTS world follows someone’s homebrewed hybridization of 3.5 and 4th Editions, using bits and pieces from whichever ruleset they think works better.

Ultimately, as I alluded to in my first paragraph, many (maybe even most) of my readers are not actively involved in playing the current D&D game. Many were players of older editions in their youth who simply enjoy following a story that reminds them of their own past experiences. Others have no interest in roleplaying at all, and just like reading a comedic fantasy comic. My job as an author is not to reflect the current trends, but to deliver the most entertaining story, and I feel I can best do that by continuing on as I have been. Besides, the difference between those playing one version of the rules and another is not really that important in the final analysis. We all either play the same game, or at least appreciate it, and it is to that sense of unity between those who enjoy the hobby (and the genre that it inhabits) that I hope The Order of the Stick will continue to speak."

Reluctance
2010-10-25, 05:12 PM
If you look at the second page of news, there's an entry on 5/20/08 that lists his stance. Long story short, all the "holy crap, new edition update" comics would detract from the plot. There have been references and jokes, and I'm sure there will be more, but it won't be anything more than a throwaway.

Doubly so because the SRD is amazingly permissive. The 4e equivalent is not. Mind Flayers and Beholders get only a jokey cameo to the effect of "we're not allowed to use these". I'm drawing a blank as to what latestage 3.5 stuff is mentioned by name, and wondering what you could do with 4e that didn't trip over WotC copyrights.

Neither of these say anything about The Giant's personal take on 3.5 vs. 4, or any other game systems for that matter. If you want to know, ask him. Don't expect a response, as edition wars are a persistent bane of gaming message boards.

Tyndmyr
2010-10-25, 05:12 PM
I feel fairly safe in saying that there's been no significant references to 4e so far. Anyone with more 4e knowledge than I catch any in-jokes that might be hidden somewhere?

Yuki Akuma
2010-10-25, 05:19 PM
Durkon once claimed Elan's power source was "Ignorance".

That's the only 4e joke I ever caught.

Dr.Epic
2010-10-25, 05:21 PM
If you want to ask Rich Burlew a question himself, you'd better do it with a PM, I believe.

Rich responds to those? I'd imagine he gets them a lot (some probably asking pointless questions), and he just ignores the vast majority. I'm not judging Rich, I'm just going by that celebrities get a lot of fan mail and they can't possibly answer them all. I've never PM'd him (never had a reason and didn't want to bother the guy) but has anyone ever sent him a message and heard back?

The Rose Dragon
2010-10-25, 05:22 PM
Also, Kubota was once seen reading 4th Edition sourcebooks, so there is that.

137beth
2010-10-25, 05:25 PM
There have been very minimal 4e references. Take, for example, "logical conclusions"...which came out over a year after 4e. They joke about skill points, which do not exist in 4e. Oh, and the spell system evident when Varsuvius was soul-spliced is distinctly 3e.

Tyndmyr
2010-10-25, 05:25 PM
Also, Kubota was once seen reading 4th Edition sourcebooks, so there is that.

Heh, that's a vote for evil, I suspect, though probably a lighthearted one.

Zeta Kai
2010-10-25, 05:28 PM
Durkon once claimed Elan's power source was "Ignorance".

That's the only 4e joke I ever caught.

Even that could be interpreted as a 3.X joke; seeing as a bard's spells are arcane in nature, one could say that their power source is "Arcane." I remeber have a conversation with a new player (who had not previously played any edition) about this, as they had somehow gotten the impression that bards casted divine spells (madness).

DeltaEmil
2010-10-25, 05:32 PM
There was a subtle reference about how the orcs from that island had resorted to worshipping the island itself after their bull-god didn't respond to their prayers anymore, after the orks found a crater full of yummy hamburger... Referencing about sacred cows being slaughtered.

Ah yes, and shaman Vurkle talking in disgust about Therkla's "very ugly backstory" of her half-orcish (or rather half-humanish) heritage. :smallbiggrin:

kyoryu
2010-10-25, 05:36 PM
I think there was a shirt that made a 4e joke...

Kurald Galain
2010-10-25, 05:43 PM
Ah yes, and shaman Vurkle talking in disgust about Therkla's "very ugly backstory" of her half-orcish (or rather half-humanish) heritage. :smallbiggrin:
That's not 4E, that applies to every edition that has half-orcs.

A more likely 4E reference is the lizardfolk prostitute with implants.

DeltaEmil
2010-10-25, 05:47 PM
I think there was a shirt that made a 4e joke...
That might be that one
http://logo.cafepress.com/4/1221917.6985724.jpg


That's not 4E, that applies to every edition that has half-orcs.It was shortly after a few 4th edition developers explained why they didn't include half-orcs in the 1st player's handbook.

Tyndmyr
2010-10-25, 05:50 PM
Yeah...that's an old topic round gaming tables. Any system with half orcs, or other half (wierd race) gets squicky.

Then of course, you have someone bring up exactly how THEY think an owlbear happened, and it's all downhill from there.

Definitely not a 4e reference. Or at least, not specific to it.

DeltaEmil
2010-10-25, 05:52 PM
Not a 4th-edition only-reference, yes, but it was made in response to that for sure.

Coidzor
2010-10-25, 05:53 PM
Have you checked his old newsposts? I imagine that's the best way to find out if he's ever played 4e.

Edit: Ok. That was an interesting internet hiccup.


Then of course, you have someone bring up exactly how THEY think an owlbear happened, and it's all downhill from there.

What's the downside of having Transmuters creating species as part of their doctoral theses? :smallbiggrin:

Roland St. Jude
2010-10-25, 06:02 PM
Sheriff of Moddingham: The bulk of this thread is about the comic and should be in the OotS subforum. But as I'm confident there is either an active thread about this or it's been done to death over there already (not to mention that the comic transition question has been clearly answered by Rich), I'm going to lock this. Whether Rich plays much 4e or whether he plays only 5e now is not something either answerable or particularly relevant.