Old_Skool
Explorer
There are a lot of threads floating around about the upcoming 4E, and opinions of the new edition range from deliriously ecstatic to biliously nasty and everything in between. This is the Internet, after all.
Well, I like cars...to an unhealthy degree, I think. So I thought I would express my thoughts on the upcoming 4th Edition with the metaphors I am most familiar with. At the very least, it will be more entertaining and insightful than the usual dreck.
I pre-ordered the 4E books on Amazon, and I can't wait to read them...but I have no plans to switch to the 4E system, certainly not while my group still loves playing the 3.5E game. You don't mess with group synergy, people. When you've got a good gaming group...one that works together, one that can't wait for the next session, one that spends the work week e-mailing each other back and forth about character builds and plot hooks...well, you have something rare. You shouldn't screw around with that.
In car-speak, that would be like overhauling the engine just to change the oil.
When it comes to 4E, some people sound like auto mechanics...all they want to talk about is how much my car sucks and why. Look at all of the work that needs to be done on it, they say, just to make it run as well as the next car. This part is broken, that one is worn out, and nobody uses that one anymore. Blah, blah.
Other people talk like pushy car salesmen. This newer model is so much better, so much faster, so much more efficient, only a crazy person would ever settle for less. The new model is a sublime machine, perfect in every way...any kinks or flaws in it are "features." Just...just look how shiny it is!
Some folks sound like an extremist environmentalist group...all cars are bad; people should ditch their rides and go back to bicycles. Ever since the internal combustion engine was developed in AD&D, pollution of the game has been rampant, our gaming sessions are gridlocked with congestion, and our legal system is clogged by unnecessary regulations. Not only should I not buy the new car, I should sell my old one and pedal my way to work everyday.
The thing is, my car isn't broken and I love to drive her. She runs great, gets good gas mileage, and takes me and my friends everywhere we need to go. The seats are broken-in, the wheels are custom, the paint is cherry, and the sound system rocks. When I turn the key she purrs like a kitten; when I press the throttle she roars like a tiger.
I've spent years tricking out the body and tuning the engine. Parts that I could not find at the store, I have fabricated myself in my own shop. I've bought only the upgrades that I like, tweaking the horsepower and speed without sacrificing the handling. My custom 3.5E will take the Pepsi Challenge against anyone's ride, anytime.
Now, I've seen the new model on the showroom floor and man, it sure looks sweet. It looks low and fast and tight, with all the latest gadgets and high-efficiency equipment installed standard, man. They say it will go from zero to sixty in three-point-three, and they say it gets a hundred miles to the gallon to boot. The engineers spent years developing it, tuning it, revising it, and test-driving it, and it tops every rating list for safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
There is no denying that 4E is a sweet machine, and has earned every single accolade that it has been given. I can't wait to test-drive it.
But there is no way I'm trading in my car, man. Sorry...no sale.
Well, I like cars...to an unhealthy degree, I think. So I thought I would express my thoughts on the upcoming 4th Edition with the metaphors I am most familiar with. At the very least, it will be more entertaining and insightful than the usual dreck.
I pre-ordered the 4E books on Amazon, and I can't wait to read them...but I have no plans to switch to the 4E system, certainly not while my group still loves playing the 3.5E game. You don't mess with group synergy, people. When you've got a good gaming group...one that works together, one that can't wait for the next session, one that spends the work week e-mailing each other back and forth about character builds and plot hooks...well, you have something rare. You shouldn't screw around with that.
In car-speak, that would be like overhauling the engine just to change the oil.
When it comes to 4E, some people sound like auto mechanics...all they want to talk about is how much my car sucks and why. Look at all of the work that needs to be done on it, they say, just to make it run as well as the next car. This part is broken, that one is worn out, and nobody uses that one anymore. Blah, blah.
Other people talk like pushy car salesmen. This newer model is so much better, so much faster, so much more efficient, only a crazy person would ever settle for less. The new model is a sublime machine, perfect in every way...any kinks or flaws in it are "features." Just...just look how shiny it is!
Some folks sound like an extremist environmentalist group...all cars are bad; people should ditch their rides and go back to bicycles. Ever since the internal combustion engine was developed in AD&D, pollution of the game has been rampant, our gaming sessions are gridlocked with congestion, and our legal system is clogged by unnecessary regulations. Not only should I not buy the new car, I should sell my old one and pedal my way to work everyday.
The thing is, my car isn't broken and I love to drive her. She runs great, gets good gas mileage, and takes me and my friends everywhere we need to go. The seats are broken-in, the wheels are custom, the paint is cherry, and the sound system rocks. When I turn the key she purrs like a kitten; when I press the throttle she roars like a tiger.
I've spent years tricking out the body and tuning the engine. Parts that I could not find at the store, I have fabricated myself in my own shop. I've bought only the upgrades that I like, tweaking the horsepower and speed without sacrificing the handling. My custom 3.5E will take the Pepsi Challenge against anyone's ride, anytime.
Now, I've seen the new model on the showroom floor and man, it sure looks sweet. It looks low and fast and tight, with all the latest gadgets and high-efficiency equipment installed standard, man. They say it will go from zero to sixty in three-point-three, and they say it gets a hundred miles to the gallon to boot. The engineers spent years developing it, tuning it, revising it, and test-driving it, and it tops every rating list for safety, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
There is no denying that 4E is a sweet machine, and has earned every single accolade that it has been given. I can't wait to test-drive it.
But there is no way I'm trading in my car, man. Sorry...no sale.
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