4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons

Is going to be all about game balance.

Think about it:  the warning signs are all there.  Psionics is just the example we’ve been talking about lately, but you can apply it to many areas.

 Prestige classes, let’s face it, have become kits with requirements.

As G pointed out in a comment below, wizards are long overdue for an update.  As much as Gygax liked the “memorization” system, 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons was a halfway point between memorization and mana.  Psionics, plus the spell points system in Unearthed Arcana, prove it.

I’m not saying I want or need 4th edition.  I’m just saying that, by the time it does come around, some of the same reasons that people gave for wanting 3rd edition will be creeping up in support of 4th.

To be fair, part of the problem at the end of 2nd edition was the corporate environment.  Releasing gaming products without playtesting is like Ford or GM releasing vehicles without test driving them:  it’s stupid, at best.  At worst, it would destroy the company.  So, it isn’t exactly the same.  3rd Edtion D&D products have been through more quality testing than 2nd edition stuff was, at least in the final years.  But at this point, with more than 50 supplements, balance is going to be an issue soon.