Biggest difference for me is that combat just feels different. The bad guys stay up longer, the good guys do less damage, there are power cards, there are healing surges, there is non-magical healing, there is a lot more pushing the bad guys around, healing isn't as intense or efficient as it used to be, everyone has daily powers. So, yeah, combat. It just feels a whole lot different. Much more different in
4e vs.
3e than
3e was vs. 2e.
On a separate note, on the speed issue, my two cents: in con games, in home games, and in my school club,
4e and
3e take about the same amount of time to run a combat, with
3e longer per turn by a bit and
4e having more rounds by a bit.
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