Yeah, and the latest update also upgraded some of the background, so that the cyberpunk aspects are no longer as Gibson-oriented and integrate concepts such as Enhanced Reality, Virtual Tagging and aspects of Make culture with Desktop Forges, modding and pirated virtual plans...

I also love that they addressed a problem that they had throughout the first 3 eds: storage memory.

In 2nd and 3rd there was a whole stupid formula for how much storage you need, how much it cost blah blah blah...

In 4th Ed they just went "storage is so cheap these days that, for game purposes, it's free. Just take as much as you want. Fuck."

Yeah, but friggin' cloud computing is going to make some aspects of the rules difficult to pull off. If google and amazon will rent out clock cycles to anyone with CC now, imagine +60 years?

I did some work on the tech manual, and I had to spend a couple days convincing the editors that including desktop forges/fabbers was necessary to keep the arc of future tech realistic and wouldn't break the rules. Cloud Computing means that the rules for hacking/cracking may need some additional handwaving...

Enhanced Reality, Virtual Tagging and aspects of Make culture with Desktop Forges

I apparently need to do some reading, as I really don't know what most of this means.

Not quite what you're asking but this really describes my reaction to 4E so far. I'm sure it's a fine game, but everything I hear about the system just sets my teeth on edge

I've liked much of what I've seen but I've also seen a few things recently that really gave me pause. However, I have seen more than one review now that says that you just can't judge the snippets accurately and that when you've read the whole thing it begins to sync much more and plays really well. I guess I'll find out soon.

In 4th Ed they just went "storage is so cheap these days that, for game purposes, it's free. Just take as much as you want. Fuck."

Heh. A nice dose of common sense there.

As for the art, I am fairly unfazed as it explains the dwindling assignments recently.

I did some work on the tech manual, and I had to spend a couple days convincing the editors that including desktop forges/fabbers was necessary to keep the arc of future tech realistic and wouldn't break the rules. Cloud Computing means that the rules for hacking/cracking may need some additional handwaving...

This is the fundamental problem with near-future (under a century) predictions, especially with technology. Some things never materialize, and some things that seem like a dream can become commonplace in under five years.

ION, Magic is reducing the number of cards (but not sets) it produces a year. It's also added a new rarity level though the way they're re-engineering the card mix means it won't take much more to collect a set. It does, however, mean they need maybe 15 to 20% less card art per year so less money spent on art. Less work for artists. Bit of a mess really.

That sucks Pete. I have a complete set of revised edition cards from ages ago. Does that mean I have one of yours?

I've liked much of what I've seen but I've also seen a few things recently that really gave me pause.

Even the things that seem okay are coming across as incredibly bland to me. That having been said...

I have seen more than one review now that says that you just can't judge the snippets accurately and that when you've read the whole thing it begins to sync much more and plays really well.

I do plan on reserving final judgement until I read the PHB all the way through. Now having said that....

I already know 4e is not the game for me for one primary reason -- I wanted to see d20 revamped, and made more generic, I guess. Particularly in ways that gave me much, much different options for magic and magic items. I wanted these things to make it easier to adapt the system to my ideas for homebrew worlds. It is painfully clear from even the little snippents I've seen that they have, in fact, done the opposite. If anything, they've added even more stuff I'd have to gut, change or ignore in order to run the homebrew ideas I'd really like to run.

Near future tech is hard. I mean, hot fusion tech has seemed right around the corner for decades, and now it looks like people are having more luck with some of the bubble fusion techniques. Traditional nanotech still seems a long way off, but bio-nanotech (think cyborg cells) is starting to get close. And quantum computing could be tomorrow or never, depending if the physicists ever agree...

If anything, they've added even more stuff I'd have to gut, change or ignore in order to run the homebrew ideas I'd really like to run.

True, but as you said that's your needs. The game needed to focus, I think. Becoming broader would have made for a momentous page count and a lot of compromises that would have left no one happy.

Megan, yes, probably, though I'm going to refrain from mentioning any card titles as I try to keep my B.org presence from showing up on typical Magic card searches.

CaBil, any recommendations for where I can read up on a bunch of this stuff?

True, but as you said that's your needs.

Yeah, it's kind of tough. To really do some of my homebrew ideas justice, it would require a system more or less of my own creation, which requires work I ultimately don't want to do all that much.

Savage Worlds shows promise, but I'd still be creating a lot of my own stuff, in order to keep people from having to shell out good money for yet more gaming books.