I'm very uncomfortable with a pen, paper and dice game saying that minis are not optional, for the reason you just stated -- money. I remember playing games with 1 inch square cardboard cut outs (think Villains and Vigilantes), which was fine.

Another issue I have with this is Hasbro of the Coast is forcing people to play the game their way, which seems to be fairly war-gamey for some. I like war gaming, and do table top games like Warhammer, but I think it should be possible to ignore all the crunchy bits if you are so inclined.

Minis can be nice because they help you to get a visual on your character’s surroundings, but I will agree that a role-playing game should be designed to be playable without them.

The only thing I could find about D&D 4e was this obvious joke post from WotC.

"Following on the heels of its successful, yearlong "Countdown to Third Edition" promotion for the new version of its Dungeons & Dragons game, Wizards of the Coast announced today that it would begin the "Countdown to Fourth Edition," which is due out April 1, 2011. A Wizards spokesperson, citing continuing strong sales of third edition D&D, said the company decided that "ten times the countdown," should result in "ten times higher" sales of Fourth Edition. Though initially reticent on the issue, former D&D Brand Manager Bryan Rancey admitted (after we poured salt on his wounds) that the Fourth Edition countdown was beginning. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever," said Rancey. "Let me go." Sources say that the new edition will use the revolutionary d30 system, but this is, as yet, unconfirmed."

If they eventually come out with a real 4e I'm not likely to buy it, whatever it does.

Here's a thought, why don't they let DM's, players, and the creativity both bring to the game revolutionize it? Do we really need a fourth edition? As I recall, second was created when people had a lot of legitimate problems wiht first. It was a streamlining and expansion after years of play (the late 70's to the mid 80's I think was the heyday of first) revealed it's flaws and oversights. Then second ed lasted until the buyout, in which WOTC couldn't just take a successful product and sell it, they had to remake it in thier own image so it was 'theres', then remake it again(3.5), and apparently remake it yet again.

People often tout 3/3.5 as bringing in new gamers and revitalizing it, but I"ve played with several of these new gamers, and they don't think. THey let the rulebooks think for them, just like a video game, and it makes me wonder, what is the point? I fell in love with tabletop gaming because I got to be creative, try things outside set options, and interact with a 'living world' via the dm, not a static book. I REALLY hope that my experience with the new gamers everyone is saying this edition brings to the genre is the exception to the rule, not the general rule. Maybe it's just my area, but the more I study the new edition the more the rules do pigeonhole rather than expand what a player can do.

And making minatures non-optional is idiotic. I've played in mini and non-mini campaigns, and the non-mini campaigns in my experience were a lot more fun and less down time while things were being set up. Complicated battles brought out dice taht we got to kill. LOL Cheap, easy, and moved right along. And where in hell would I store a ton of miniatures? Are they going to get me a 15% discount iwth a contractor to expand my house too?

Gah. I bet fifth ed comes jut a couple years after fourth, just like they saturated the Magic the Gathering market with too many expansions.

That's funny. I have been having a blast with 3.5 and some occasional 3.0 hangers on (Swashbuckling d20). I doubt very seriously if they gank the system I am currently enjoying if I will convert. I use minatures and a huge map now, so maybe this will not be that big a deal.