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D&D 4E fans: what do you like about 4E?
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<blockquote data-quote="Randomthoughts" data-source="post: 9102998" data-attributes="member: 6681248"><p>Much has already been written that I agree with. But here are a few highlights/additional comments:</p><p>(NB: I skipped 3e so if these first appeared there, kudos!)</p><p></p><p><strong>Joy to GM: </strong> I took a hiatus away from D&D after 2e (skipped 3e due to RL being super busy at the time) but wanted to come back and try out the new edition. I largely ran a homebrewed Dark Sun (more on that) and loved it! Prep was fast, especially monster creation and encounter development. The rules seemed to "get out of the way", allowing me to be in the moment and focus on the PCs and what they were doing.</p><p></p><p>4e also hit the sweet spot for me in terms of PC lethality. I never liked "save or suck" mechanics. But the robustness of PCs and the death save mechanic (which I toyed around with to increase mortality as well) encouraged me to "go all out" during tactical battles as I do enjoy the wargaming aspect of RPGs.</p><p></p><p>Speaking of which, the AEDU structure also allowed me to play around with the resting mechanics to accommodate periods of frequent recharging (like dungeon crawling) vs infrequent (like overland travel). This allowed me to run mainly set piece battles.</p><p></p><p>I thoroughly enjoyed GMing 4e.</p><p></p><p><strong>Effects-Based Powers, Reskinning & Stunting:</strong> I've played a lot of superhero games (especially HERO/Champions) so 4e's effect-based powers really resonated with me. Powers were consistent and straightforward. Yet the flavor text (akin to HERO's "special effects" or SWADE's "trappings") were easily reskinned. Page 42 is often cited to allow stunting, but IME the sparse flavor text practically encouraged "power stunts".</p><p></p><p>Here's an example: my first 4e PC was an avenger (martyr). I swore an Oath of Enmity against a boss, who had escaped. Mechanically, my PC gained advantage on attacks against the boss when it was the only enemy adjacent to me. Under RAW, the power should end have ended, but I saw the Oath as creating a mystical connection to my quarry. So, the GM allowed me to "track" the boss to his lair, after getting being boosted by a Cleric and Wizard in a short skill challenge.</p><p></p><p><strong>Dark Sun:</strong> Like [USER=205]@TwoSix[/USER], I think 4e was the best implementation of Dark Sun. Themes and Inherent Bonuses IIRC were first introduced here. Themes were especially flavorful that allowed a wider range of PC options. Survival Days were a simple mechanic but maintained DS' emphasis on survival. Warlords were not only cool as a new official class but fit perfectly in DS. The setting also set the foundation for differentiating power sources. Martial classes were popular - especially since they didn't attract attention. Nor did low level psionics as everyone (at least the PCs) had a psionic wild talent, making psionics the "default" magic of the setting. And I also liked how Psionics were mechanically different from arcane (and others) if you wanted to specialize in that. The Arcane Defiling rule differentiated arcane casters (which I later boosted to tempt PCs). I don't recall Primal receiving any special bonuses so I made it the "anti-arcane" power source that REALLY drew the attention of SKs.</p><p></p><p><strong>Skill Challenges:</strong> Yes, this has been mentioned. But as a framework to resolve conflicts, I found this to be a useful (but not perfect) tool that I continue to use in most of my games (including SWADE, where I prefer this over their Dramatic Tasks).</p><p></p><p><strong>4e Fans: </strong>There is so much I enjoyed from 4e. But I'll stop here. Especially back in the day where there was a lot more vitriol, I appreciated all the 4e innovations from fans that are often quoted even now: MM3 math on a business card, multi-stage boss fights, different takes or actual play on Skill Challenges (especially [USER=42582]@pemerton[/USER] 's examples), numerous high level actual plays (never got there myself, but great examples on what to shoot for) and [USER=65487]@Zeromaru X[/USER] 's compilation of Nentir Vale lore and mythology. [I'll look for and embed actual links but can't atm] </p><p>I've said this before, but I believe 4e fans knew more about 4e (what it was capable of, how it could be improved) than the devs ever did.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Randomthoughts, post: 9102998, member: 6681248"] Much has already been written that I agree with. But here are a few highlights/additional comments: (NB: I skipped 3e so if these first appeared there, kudos!) [B]Joy to GM: [/B] I took a hiatus away from D&D after 2e (skipped 3e due to RL being super busy at the time) but wanted to come back and try out the new edition. I largely ran a homebrewed Dark Sun (more on that) and loved it! Prep was fast, especially monster creation and encounter development. The rules seemed to "get out of the way", allowing me to be in the moment and focus on the PCs and what they were doing. 4e also hit the sweet spot for me in terms of PC lethality. I never liked "save or suck" mechanics. But the robustness of PCs and the death save mechanic (which I toyed around with to increase mortality as well) encouraged me to "go all out" during tactical battles as I do enjoy the wargaming aspect of RPGs. Speaking of which, the AEDU structure also allowed me to play around with the resting mechanics to accommodate periods of frequent recharging (like dungeon crawling) vs infrequent (like overland travel). This allowed me to run mainly set piece battles. I thoroughly enjoyed GMing 4e. [B]Effects-Based Powers, Reskinning & Stunting:[/B] I've played a lot of superhero games (especially HERO/Champions) so 4e's effect-based powers really resonated with me. Powers were consistent and straightforward. Yet the flavor text (akin to HERO's "special effects" or SWADE's "trappings") were easily reskinned. Page 42 is often cited to allow stunting, but IME the sparse flavor text practically encouraged "power stunts". Here's an example: my first 4e PC was an avenger (martyr). I swore an Oath of Enmity against a boss, who had escaped. Mechanically, my PC gained advantage on attacks against the boss when it was the only enemy adjacent to me. Under RAW, the power should end have ended, but I saw the Oath as creating a mystical connection to my quarry. So, the GM allowed me to "track" the boss to his lair, after getting being boosted by a Cleric and Wizard in a short skill challenge. [B]Dark Sun:[/B] Like [USER=205]@TwoSix[/USER], I think 4e was the best implementation of Dark Sun. Themes and Inherent Bonuses IIRC were first introduced here. Themes were especially flavorful that allowed a wider range of PC options. Survival Days were a simple mechanic but maintained DS' emphasis on survival. Warlords were not only cool as a new official class but fit perfectly in DS. The setting also set the foundation for differentiating power sources. Martial classes were popular - especially since they didn't attract attention. Nor did low level psionics as everyone (at least the PCs) had a psionic wild talent, making psionics the "default" magic of the setting. And I also liked how Psionics were mechanically different from arcane (and others) if you wanted to specialize in that. The Arcane Defiling rule differentiated arcane casters (which I later boosted to tempt PCs). I don't recall Primal receiving any special bonuses so I made it the "anti-arcane" power source that REALLY drew the attention of SKs. [B]Skill Challenges:[/B] Yes, this has been mentioned. But as a framework to resolve conflicts, I found this to be a useful (but not perfect) tool that I continue to use in most of my games (including SWADE, where I prefer this over their Dramatic Tasks). [B]4e Fans: [/B]There is so much I enjoyed from 4e. But I'll stop here. Especially back in the day where there was a lot more vitriol, I appreciated all the 4e innovations from fans that are often quoted even now: MM3 math on a business card, multi-stage boss fights, different takes or actual play on Skill Challenges (especially [USER=42582]@pemerton[/USER] 's examples), numerous high level actual plays (never got there myself, but great examples on what to shoot for) and [USER=65487]@Zeromaru X[/USER] 's compilation of Nentir Vale lore and mythology. [I'll look for and embed actual links but can't atm] I've said this before, but I believe 4e fans knew more about 4e (what it was capable of, how it could be improved) than the devs ever did. [/QUOTE]
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