Wik
First Post
So, in another thread, I started off with a simple question: Does 4e impose a limit on the scope of a non-"core" campaign that is larger that it has been? And, what are those limits? I argued it did, and some others agreed with me. Others did not.
Which is cool. But some people took it personally, and it turned into an EditionWarz thread. Which is weird, because I *like* 4e. Most of us arguing that 4e had some restrictions liked 4e.
I've had the topic on my head, though, and I think I want to broaden it a bit. Here's the big question:
What campaign styles/themes are covered by each edition? What does each edition do well? What can it cover if it is "tweaked" a bit? And what is really hard to do?
And, a somewhat related question:
Pick one of the following campaign types, and explain which edition would be best suited to run it Rules-As-Written, and explain why. Then, explain which edition you would enjoy using the most if you could tweak the system, and why.
The campaign types:
1) An Investigative, Non-combat game (Murder mysteries, CSI, X-Files, etc.)
2) Survival Horror (Zombies attack, Resident Evil)
3) A heroic army-based game (The first twenty minutes of Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan)
4) A "historical" fantasy (Mythic Greece, IMperial Rome, the Celts)
5) Slapstick comedy (Three Stooges, Piers Anthony)
6) Cthuloid Horror ("Oh god, it's eating my face from the cyclopean ruins beyond time!")
7) Gritty, survival-based game (Dark Sun, post-apocalyptic, Survivorman)
8) Epic, pot-based Fantasy (Lord of the Rings)
One big rule: If you're going to disagree with someone else, be polite about it, and if he disagrees, don't bring up your original points. Keep changing the debate. It shouldn't be a case of:
Guy A: "I like Dark Sun."
Guy B: "But deserts are too bland in the long run! You need a forest!"
Guy A: "But Deserts add to the game's overall theme."
Guy B: "Theme? Themes have to change. And deserts are too bland in the long run...!"
Let's not turn this into Edition Warz.
Which is cool. But some people took it personally, and it turned into an EditionWarz thread. Which is weird, because I *like* 4e. Most of us arguing that 4e had some restrictions liked 4e.
I've had the topic on my head, though, and I think I want to broaden it a bit. Here's the big question:
What campaign styles/themes are covered by each edition? What does each edition do well? What can it cover if it is "tweaked" a bit? And what is really hard to do?
And, a somewhat related question:
Pick one of the following campaign types, and explain which edition would be best suited to run it Rules-As-Written, and explain why. Then, explain which edition you would enjoy using the most if you could tweak the system, and why.
The campaign types:
1) An Investigative, Non-combat game (Murder mysteries, CSI, X-Files, etc.)
2) Survival Horror (Zombies attack, Resident Evil)
3) A heroic army-based game (The first twenty minutes of Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan)
4) A "historical" fantasy (Mythic Greece, IMperial Rome, the Celts)
5) Slapstick comedy (Three Stooges, Piers Anthony)
6) Cthuloid Horror ("Oh god, it's eating my face from the cyclopean ruins beyond time!")
7) Gritty, survival-based game (Dark Sun, post-apocalyptic, Survivorman)
8) Epic, pot-based Fantasy (Lord of the Rings)
One big rule: If you're going to disagree with someone else, be polite about it, and if he disagrees, don't bring up your original points. Keep changing the debate. It shouldn't be a case of:
Guy A: "I like Dark Sun."
Guy B: "But deserts are too bland in the long run! You need a forest!"
Guy A: "But Deserts add to the game's overall theme."
Guy B: "Theme? Themes have to change. And deserts are too bland in the long run...!"
Let's not turn this into Edition Warz.