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www.play-board-games.com blogs about How DnD 4th Edition is like a board game
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<blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5238238" data-attributes="member: 386"><p>The question is - do these matter in the same way that Boardwalk has higher rent because it's on the beach, or because of its location on the board?</p><p></p><p>There's a way of playing the game that puts the weight on the statblock and removes it from the fictional content. Here are some examples: </p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A black pudding can't squeeze through cracks under doors because the rules for squeezing say they can't; since ogres can't do it, neither can the black pudding. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The only way to disarm someone is to bring them to 0 hp or have a power that explicitly says the creature is disarmed, even if you are standing on the weapon or you can control the creature's mind. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Come and Get It pulls creatures into bad positions regardless of any fictional considerations - archers jump off fortified towers or drop prone.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An ogre isn't level 8 because it's big and strong and raised to fight; it's level 8 because it's level 8. It could be level 1 or level 30; the fiction doesn't map.</li> </ul><p></p><p>It's not necessary to play the game this way, but it's a valid style.</p><p></p><p>I've only played Descent once, but I seem to recall that line-of-sight was very important. In Descent you can't place a mirror in a corner and expand your line-of-sight. That's what I would consider a board-gamey rule; even though the fiction supports it, the rules don't, so you can't do it.</p><p></p><p>These aren't good or bad things in and of themselves; the question is how they support the metagame goals of play itself. Do you want to put an emphasis on exploring the world? Running dangerous fights for heroes? Challenging political or social beliefs? Focusing on strategic or tactical play?</p><p></p><p>I think there's a lot to say about how one could run 4E for different styles/metagame goals of play and which techniques would support those goals better. For example, if one of your goals is to explore the world, you probably won't want to raise or lower the levels of monsters (save where world-appropriate - e.g. young and the infirm), while if you're playing a game focusing on "premise" you probably will want to raise or lower monster levels in order to provide appropriate adversity while getting the colour right.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LostSoul, post: 5238238, member: 386"] The question is - do these matter in the same way that Boardwalk has higher rent because it's on the beach, or because of its location on the board? There's a way of playing the game that puts the weight on the statblock and removes it from the fictional content. Here are some examples: [list][*]A black pudding can't squeeze through cracks under doors because the rules for squeezing say they can't; since ogres can't do it, neither can the black pudding. [*]The only way to disarm someone is to bring them to 0 hp or have a power that explicitly says the creature is disarmed, even if you are standing on the weapon or you can control the creature's mind. [*]Come and Get It pulls creatures into bad positions regardless of any fictional considerations - archers jump off fortified towers or drop prone. [*]An ogre isn't level 8 because it's big and strong and raised to fight; it's level 8 because it's level 8. It could be level 1 or level 30; the fiction doesn't map.[/list] It's not necessary to play the game this way, but it's a valid style. I've only played Descent once, but I seem to recall that line-of-sight was very important. In Descent you can't place a mirror in a corner and expand your line-of-sight. That's what I would consider a board-gamey rule; even though the fiction supports it, the rules don't, so you can't do it. These aren't good or bad things in and of themselves; the question is how they support the metagame goals of play itself. Do you want to put an emphasis on exploring the world? Running dangerous fights for heroes? Challenging political or social beliefs? Focusing on strategic or tactical play? I think there's a lot to say about how one could run 4E for different styles/metagame goals of play and which techniques would support those goals better. For example, if one of your goals is to explore the world, you probably won't want to raise or lower the levels of monsters (save where world-appropriate - e.g. young and the infirm), while if you're playing a game focusing on "premise" you probably will want to raise or lower monster levels in order to provide appropriate adversity while getting the colour right. [/QUOTE]
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