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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
The Role of Magic Items in early D&D (and today!)
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<blockquote data-quote="TwoSix" data-source="post: 8781645" data-attributes="member: 205"><p>In terms of D&D-type games, you're definitely right. 4e is diametrically opposed to TSR-era D&D in regards to magic items. TSR-era D&D is a much more <em>random</em> game than 4e. Finding random items and then dealing with those vagarities is a major part of the gameplay loop of earlier D&D. Allowing player choice (and really, even the DM weighting the choices instead of random rolling) violates the core gameplay loop.</p><p></p><p>4e, though, (and also 3e, although 3e is a less focused on it) is a game focused on character building and overcoming conflicts through the use of those player-made decisions. Magic items are intended to be another axis of player choice. The core gameplay loop of 4e is to face multiple conflicts, gain levels and currency, and then make more choices based on the new level and expending the currency. Random magic items fight against the 4e core gameplay loop, just as player-chosen magic items fight against the TSR D&D gameplay loop.</p><p></p><p>4e isn't a one-time aberration in this regard, 3e functions pretty similarly with item creation feats and every item having a listed market price and creation cost (not the mention the Magic Item Compendium). 4e just didn't obfuscate its intentions. </p><p></p><p>And sure, individual tables (and later supplements) can and did push TSR D&D into more character focused directions, and 4e and 3e into more random, explorative play, but I would definitely argue that style of play fights against the core gameplay of the editions.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TwoSix, post: 8781645, member: 205"] In terms of D&D-type games, you're definitely right. 4e is diametrically opposed to TSR-era D&D in regards to magic items. TSR-era D&D is a much more [i]random[/i] game than 4e. Finding random items and then dealing with those vagarities is a major part of the gameplay loop of earlier D&D. Allowing player choice (and really, even the DM weighting the choices instead of random rolling) violates the core gameplay loop. 4e, though, (and also 3e, although 3e is a less focused on it) is a game focused on character building and overcoming conflicts through the use of those player-made decisions. Magic items are intended to be another axis of player choice. The core gameplay loop of 4e is to face multiple conflicts, gain levels and currency, and then make more choices based on the new level and expending the currency. Random magic items fight against the 4e core gameplay loop, just as player-chosen magic items fight against the TSR D&D gameplay loop. 4e isn't a one-time aberration in this regard, 3e functions pretty similarly with item creation feats and every item having a listed market price and creation cost (not the mention the Magic Item Compendium). 4e just didn't obfuscate its intentions. And sure, individual tables (and later supplements) can and did push TSR D&D into more character focused directions, and 4e and 3e into more random, explorative play, but I would definitely argue that style of play fights against the core gameplay of the editions. [/QUOTE]
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