Recent content by bert1001 fka bert1000

Yeah didn't realize the general forum at first as the posts had veered into D&D so should have been more specific. And yes I was referring to 3e, 5e and similar games. Basic and AD&D are definitely more compatible with player skill prominence in my mind as there are less specifically...

Except there is more player skill in D&D at least for combat. Move, target, ability selection, coordinating with team mates abilities, etc. For non combat, there could be something between the OSR player skill challenge and one character skill roll. D&D has not really explored it though.

It can be a fun type of game. But early D&D didn't have Perception and Investigation skills which is where things get more murky. Even in early D&D we would sometimes perceive the disconnect though because of ability scores. Why does my 18 Int Wizard struggle with this fairly simple logic...

I didn't mean to say that if you are interested in D&D you are interested in charop -- I specifically carved that out. I meant you aren't adverse to a game that has a lot of strategic game rules for combat. It's explicit that the player makes choices (player skill) on where to move, which...

I agree. That's why I said after developing a moderate level of skill that is obtainable by most people. Very experienced players can be way more effective than new players, but I think after obtaining a pretty moderate level of player skill the gap narrows (as it probably should in a game...

I think one of the issues is that in combat there are some clearly defined player skill areas, at minimum: 1) where to move 2) what target to select 3) which ability to use (some of which are limited resources) The level to which these player skill choices matter varies, but in general I would...

Did you switch back to 4e at some point? Your play thread seems to indicate you started in 5e?

Fully debilitating effects are hard to implement well. Both 4e and PF2e try to temper them in various ways. 4e with usually very limited durations (although you could still get some stunlock situations). PF2e with degrees of saving throws and "incapacitation" tags which lessens degree of...

100% It's hard to model but the DM can make sure that money spent on larger institutions (e.g., governments, churches, guilds, strongholds and armies, etc.) leads to political power and in game ramifications. Of course, the players /characters have to be interested in these goals instead of...

It's been long enough that the frames that make it work well/coherent have been discovered and can be easily found. And I'm fine if people say they don't like the framing needed to make 4e work. That's a preference which is all good. But if a group of people are discussing 4e under a...

Yep. The biggest gripe I have on the 4e bashing is the insistence on using the worst paradigms to evaluate 4e when better ones are available. To be fair, I'm not even sure all the 4e authors knew how to frame 4e correctly from the start, but we can do that now. Stuff like Come and Get it...

Although what's interesting to me is that I recently went back and looked at the 4e Fighter exploits levels 1-30 and they really aren't crazy over the top. Sure, it's not mundane or "realistic" maybe, and there are a few (but not many) narrative/player authorial powers, but a lot of the...

I like 4e, but for me it was not only the grind within an encounter but the fact that most published modules just stacked the encounters up back to back to back to back. If the 1st encounter wasn't a grind by the 4th that still hasn't advanced the plot any, I've lost all interest. I like the...

The whole Keep was horrible 4e design with perhaps the exception of the final fight room. Area after area of full on encounters just doesn't work well with 4e for pacing reasons unless you deliberately use lots of minions and/or "group" the rooms expecting intelligent opponents to converge...

Lots of good stuff to check out! Thanks!