D&D 4th Edition Goes Online

June 7th is slowly approaching and with it the impending release of D&D 4th Edition. I am concerned that simplification of the rule set will not take the richness out of the games and the various settings that rely on them.

The most exciting part of the release it the coming D&D Insider:

To start with, the digital initiative, which is called Dungeons & Dragons Insider, will, for the first time, make it feasible to play a game of D&D with your friends over the Internet and without having to pull out the thick, iconic, hardcover books that have for so long been an essential element to the experience.

That makes my whole body go woo! I would love to run some of these games. There are no details about pricing or game mechanics as yet, but the idea of setting up stories that can be played online is a thrill. I have tried several virtual table tops, but none of them have been worth the price.

The images I have seen from the D&D Insider character generator are exciting and the reported customization options thrill me. I am curious to see how easy the dungeon maker is to use, and what level of control and how time consuming the DM tools are to use. I wonder if it with have a voice chat built in or if Skype or something else along with it.

I signed up for the game which in not available for download yet.

Finally, something in gaming to get excited about.

(via Crave)