Dungeons & Dragons Core Rulebook Collection by Andy Collins, James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo, Stephen Schubert, Wizards Rpg Team (2008, Hardcover)

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition is the 2008 "Hot New Game"... good enough for me to get it, since I'll need to know it and how it shapes my potential player base. It is actually the latest of 9 distinct rulesets bearing the Dungeons and Dragons name. ([1]Little-box, [2]Blue Basic, [3]Red Basic/Blue Expert, [4]Advanced D&D 1E, [5]Advanced D&D 2E, [6] 2nd Red Basic/2nd blue Expert/teal Companion/black Master/gold Immortal and Black Basic and Cyclopedia, [7] D&D 3E [8] D&D 3.5E)

The visual look and feel of the books is a sold, visually uncluttered, reference oriented series of manuals. The art is excellent, but not always a good fit to the location. The pages are text on white, and color is used extensively for classification and clarity of headers.

The game itself is a solid character scale tactical boardgame with light roleplaying rules added. This approach to a Role-Playing Game is not new, nor even new to the D&D brand, but was not the mainstream approach with D&D.

The system for skills is flexible, simple, and very unlike the cumulation approach in prior editions. The skill system provides a number of skills with bonuses, but essentially, all skills advance at the same rate for all characters.

The majority of the game, however, is the powers system. Unlike prior editions, all classes now have powers, and each class' powers are unique. The downside is that the emphasis on combat has left the vast majority of these powers being attack or defense powers, with few non-combat powers.

Likewise, the combat system is very streamlined in and of itself. The vast array of powers can slow combat, and there is considerable bookkeeping of what has been used, but overall, the system is clean and straightforward.

Gone is experience tables by class (went away in 3rd), experience for treasure acquired, experience for roleplaying well. Difficulties now can be assigned to skill challenges based upn the target numbers needed, and used as direct measures of an encounter's difficulty. Damages and Hitpoints are higher than prior editions, and healing much faster; damage represents far less damage to flesh and far more accumulation of combat Fatigue. Gone are the distinctions of how different character types gain their magic; all character have powers, which while defined as to source, are handled much the same. There is a certain CCG/anime type feel to the names and natures of the various powers; this drastically alters the feel. Also gone is the helplessness of low level spell-casters: all classes have at-will powers, and wizards are no exception.

For those looking for an "Old-School" feel, the "gee-whiz" factor of all the powers will be a distraction. For those looking for a combat centered ruleset that repays tactical thinking, and has anime and CCG overtones, this is it.

Having played every prior major D&D ruleset, it does not feel much like them. Combat is less abstract, and far more tactical. The game is written to teach itself, and may be off-putting to grognards, but it is a fairly solid ruleset. Approach it as a whole new game, not a new edition of your favorite D&D flavor, and you will have a better view of it.

Bottom Line: Solid writing, suitable for new players, radical departure from prior editions, tactical combat focus permeates ruleset.