Raith5
Adventurer
When I play 5e I really miss the four static defenses. I think the attacker rolling is more elegant and intuitive - one of those things where 4e was ahead of the curve.
I also love the tactical depth of 4e because it rewarded synergistic play where you had to cooperate as a team. I liked the way there were mechanics for things like quarrying and markings - things that made narrative sense in the sense that the actions of rangers doing damage and fighters defending has been part of party style adventuring. Sure it all had the clear potential to make combats drag (especially with the hp of some monsters in 4e).
I also voted for healing surges, for the way it made healing proportional which just makes sense to me but especially because that second winding made clerics and magical healing non-essential.
I did not vote for the edition war point. But yes the debates around 4e concepts in 4e (and 5e for that matter) have clarified my thoughts in respect to what counts as an innovation in RPGs and what I look for in a game. Even debates about hp and alignment where , lets face it, people rarely change their minds I have learnt things. I have been playing D&D for over 30 and 4e challenged my thinking about gaming and I think 4e was the edition that D&D needed to have, in terms of bring some fresh air and new concepts into the game , even if some of these were not fully thought out or gained much traction.
I also love the tactical depth of 4e because it rewarded synergistic play where you had to cooperate as a team. I liked the way there were mechanics for things like quarrying and markings - things that made narrative sense in the sense that the actions of rangers doing damage and fighters defending has been part of party style adventuring. Sure it all had the clear potential to make combats drag (especially with the hp of some monsters in 4e).
I also voted for healing surges, for the way it made healing proportional which just makes sense to me but especially because that second winding made clerics and magical healing non-essential.
I did not vote for the edition war point. But yes the debates around 4e concepts in 4e (and 5e for that matter) have clarified my thoughts in respect to what counts as an innovation in RPGs and what I look for in a game. Even debates about hp and alignment where , lets face it, people rarely change their minds I have learnt things. I have been playing D&D for over 30 and 4e challenged my thinking about gaming and I think 4e was the edition that D&D needed to have, in terms of bring some fresh air and new concepts into the game , even if some of these were not fully thought out or gained much traction.