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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions
In Defense of 4E - a New Campaign Perspective
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<blockquote data-quote="Retreater" data-source="post: 7552285" data-attributes="member: 42040"><p><strong>About Me </strong></p><p>I don't want to crowd the thread with too much personal information. I want to get into sharing my experiences of prepping and running a current 4E D&D campaign, but I think a little background bio is in order. I started DMing in 1989 with AD&D 2nd edition and throughout that era, most of my campaigns tended towards narrative and literary driven adventures. I played and ran in Ravenloft extensively, as well as a homebrewed world with analogues to real world cultures. I really came into my own as a DM and writer during 3rd edition. I became a fan of the classic site-based adventures, started collecting old edition modules, and even published a third-party adventure for a popular publisher specializing in classic feel modules. </p><p></p><p>Like many people, I was hesitant about 4th edition. I was present at GenCon when Wizards made the announcement. I had a large 3.x library (not to mention a published adventure). I didn't like having to "throw out" all the investment I had made in 3rd edition. We tried out 4E's "Keep on the Shadowfell," and as a group we were unimpressed. It's unsurprising we went all in on Paizo's Pathfinder.</p><p></p><p>Except there was a little glimmer that brought me back to 4E. D&D Encounters at my FLGS was more laid back than Pathfinder Society, and it was pretty much the only game in town. So I started running DDE and made many new friends who are still in my gaming group to this day. </p><p></p><p>We dragged our feet when D&D Next was announced. The playtest felt choppy, imbalanced. Hoard of the Dragon Queen fared little better. But as the publications improved and it became easier to find a game (and players lining up for this popular incarnation of D&D), 5E easily conquered Pathfinder and 4E (in our local meta).</p><p></p><p>Fast forward to 2018. My girlfriend and I went to Origins. She's a newer gamer, having come onto the scene mostly through 5E and Critical Role (though her newness doesn't make her love of the game any less). She was curious about 4E, so we signed up for a game - because, I told her, it would probably be her only chance to play a game of this "rare, extinct edition." The short of it, she LOVED it ... as in "why isn't everyone playing this version" loved it. </p><p></p><p>When we got home, sure enough those friends I had met at D&D Encounters spoke up. "Yeah, we really loved that edition of the game. Don't know why we quit playing it."</p><p>Watching videos from Matt Colville and Jim Murphy talking about how much they loved 4E (and still prefer it to 5E) encouraged me to get out the books and read about the design of the game.</p><p></p><p>Now remember that I mentioned I was a published designer in 3.5 edition? I had written an adventure in 3.5 that was never published due to the announcement of 4E and before the release of Pathfinder. I was in the process of updating it to 5E and playtesting it, when I got so frustrated that the imbalance of 5E had resulted in multiple TPKs. It was then that I set my sights on bringing back 4E in my local gaming circle.</p><p></p><p>I'll add more about my campaign shortly, but I look forward to hearing your experiences with 4E and the transitions between editions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Retreater, post: 7552285, member: 42040"] [B]About Me [/B] I don't want to crowd the thread with too much personal information. I want to get into sharing my experiences of prepping and running a current 4E D&D campaign, but I think a little background bio is in order. I started DMing in 1989 with AD&D 2nd edition and throughout that era, most of my campaigns tended towards narrative and literary driven adventures. I played and ran in Ravenloft extensively, as well as a homebrewed world with analogues to real world cultures. I really came into my own as a DM and writer during 3rd edition. I became a fan of the classic site-based adventures, started collecting old edition modules, and even published a third-party adventure for a popular publisher specializing in classic feel modules. Like many people, I was hesitant about 4th edition. I was present at GenCon when Wizards made the announcement. I had a large 3.x library (not to mention a published adventure). I didn't like having to "throw out" all the investment I had made in 3rd edition. We tried out 4E's "Keep on the Shadowfell," and as a group we were unimpressed. It's unsurprising we went all in on Paizo's Pathfinder. Except there was a little glimmer that brought me back to 4E. D&D Encounters at my FLGS was more laid back than Pathfinder Society, and it was pretty much the only game in town. So I started running DDE and made many new friends who are still in my gaming group to this day. We dragged our feet when D&D Next was announced. The playtest felt choppy, imbalanced. Hoard of the Dragon Queen fared little better. But as the publications improved and it became easier to find a game (and players lining up for this popular incarnation of D&D), 5E easily conquered Pathfinder and 4E (in our local meta). Fast forward to 2018. My girlfriend and I went to Origins. She's a newer gamer, having come onto the scene mostly through 5E and Critical Role (though her newness doesn't make her love of the game any less). She was curious about 4E, so we signed up for a game - because, I told her, it would probably be her only chance to play a game of this "rare, extinct edition." The short of it, she LOVED it ... as in "why isn't everyone playing this version" loved it. When we got home, sure enough those friends I had met at D&D Encounters spoke up. "Yeah, we really loved that edition of the game. Don't know why we quit playing it." Watching videos from Matt Colville and Jim Murphy talking about how much they loved 4E (and still prefer it to 5E) encouraged me to get out the books and read about the design of the game. Now remember that I mentioned I was a published designer in 3.5 edition? I had written an adventure in 3.5 that was never published due to the announcement of 4E and before the release of Pathfinder. I was in the process of updating it to 5E and playtesting it, when I got so frustrated that the imbalance of 5E had resulted in multiple TPKs. It was then that I set my sights on bringing back 4E in my local gaming circle. I'll add more about my campaign shortly, but I look forward to hearing your experiences with 4E and the transitions between editions. [/QUOTE]
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