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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
Brainstorming a "Phil. of 4e 101" resource
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6695474" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>Just a quick thought while I have a few moments. Any 4e Philosophy should canvass the below:</p><p><em><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong></strong></span></em></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>What is it that makes 4e combat unique?</strong></span></em></p><p></p><p>Unlike all other editions of D&D before and after it, the combat engine was designed with a very specific/focused intent with respect to theme/genre emulation. That intent is to consistently and reliably achieve two tropes:</p><p></p><p>1) The classic action/adventure trope of over-the-top swashbuckling which ranges all over the field of battle. For this you need dynamic participants, dynamic teamwork, and a dynamic/interactive battlefield. 4e checks all three boxes.</p><p></p><p>2) The classic heroic/romantic fantasy trope of <strong><em>The Rally</em></strong>. For this you need front-loaded monsters that can put the heroes on the ropes, heroes who are robust to that "team monster nova" because they can call upon resources of resolve/will/fortitude/inspiration which allows them to pull themselves/each other from the brink of defeat, heroes who possess the resources necessary to finish the rally with a decisive blow against the spent/fading team monster. 4e checks all three boxes.</p><p></p><p>Those are the narratives that 4e combat is predicated upon and tightly designed around. The PC roles, the specificity of the healing surge infrastructure, encounter powers, daily powers, the specific combat resolution mechanics (rampant forced movement, terrain features/hazards, stunting, shifting + the OA mechanics, stunting), the monster mechanics, the precision in the encounter budget system. These are all tightly synthesized to reliably bring about 1 and 2. Remove or perturb any one mechanical component and those 2 narratives either become unreliable or outright cease to exist.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6695474, member: 6696971"] Just a quick thought while I have a few moments. Any 4e Philosophy should canvass the below: [I][SIZE=3][B] What is it that makes 4e combat unique?[/B][/SIZE][/I][SIZE=3][B][/B][/SIZE] Unlike all other editions of D&D before and after it, the combat engine was designed with a very specific/focused intent with respect to theme/genre emulation. That intent is to consistently and reliably achieve two tropes: 1) The classic action/adventure trope of over-the-top swashbuckling which ranges all over the field of battle. For this you need dynamic participants, dynamic teamwork, and a dynamic/interactive battlefield. 4e checks all three boxes. 2) The classic heroic/romantic fantasy trope of [B][I]The Rally[/I][/B]. For this you need front-loaded monsters that can put the heroes on the ropes, heroes who are robust to that "team monster nova" because they can call upon resources of resolve/will/fortitude/inspiration which allows them to pull themselves/each other from the brink of defeat, heroes who possess the resources necessary to finish the rally with a decisive blow against the spent/fading team monster. 4e checks all three boxes. Those are the narratives that 4e combat is predicated upon and tightly designed around. The PC roles, the specificity of the healing surge infrastructure, encounter powers, daily powers, the specific combat resolution mechanics (rampant forced movement, terrain features/hazards, stunting, shifting + the OA mechanics, stunting), the monster mechanics, the precision in the encounter budget system. These are all tightly synthesized to reliably bring about 1 and 2. Remove or perturb any one mechanical component and those 2 narratives either become unreliable or outright cease to exist. [/QUOTE]
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