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You described your experience as a snooze fest, because you confused the number of mechanics available to you for making an attack with the amount of options available to you in combat. A few earlier posters even refer to Essentials as limited D&D, which is only true from a very self-limited...

Choice is not defined by the number of attack powers available to you. A good game encourages players to attempt something beyond what's listed on the character sheet. Are you given bookshelves or piled crates to topple? Have you ever been given the option to create hindering terrain with a...

I find limiting options to things printed only since Essentials much more relaxing, especially with Dragon removed from the list of options. Fewer steps makes immersion easier to achieve.

It makes sense to give those unable to use a shield options to gain a shield bonus. It makes sense to give those unable to wear armor options to gain an armor bonus. It also makes sense to give those who use shields or armor options to improve those bonuses. It doesn't make sense to give a...

When, and at what cost? If you want those things at 1st level, you'll have to play a human with no better than a 16 Strength, or you're going to have to add melee training to the mix as well. A mere 10% boost to AC isn't worth what you're giving up for that. A half-orc could manage this by 2nd...

Weird, I thought I'd counted the aura in my calculations. Good enough to start, then, and it's about time some defender could keep up with a defensively optimized avenger.

Aren't defenders supposed to have a high AC? Besides, of that list of defense boosts, the only one that can't be taken by armored defenders is the Unarmored Agility feat. Combine that feat with a starting Dexterity of 16 and you've got a defender with an AC of 18 at 1st level. Sure, it will get...

I don't see how I can ignore something that isn't there -- the immediate reaction takes place right after all the effects that occur at the start of the defender's next turn -- but let's say you're correct. You're still left with the option to ready actions when the defender makes an attack. The...

I can certainly see the argument for avoiding rules for small characters in a basic set, because it's one less thing to memorize. However, if you're going that route, then it would be best to eliminate races that don't have a base movement rate of 6 squares. That takes both dwarves and elves out...

Sorry, as you note, that should be when they've readied an action to charge at the start of the defender's next turn. The reason for the other character to prefer ranged combat, regardless of general preferences (what, no one ever exploits Sling Expertise for all it's worth?), only goes to...

Not at all. If you find you're still tipping dice at a sideboard and you (or your players) don't trust your judgment enough to come up with a reasonable number when your memory fails you, there are other easy options. You can do this on an abacus without any training, for example. (With a little...

Perhaps it would be easier to change the mechanics so that an opportunity action could be triggered by a readied action as though it was the turn of the creature with the readied action, rather than the turn of the creature making the opportunity action. Since that's effectively what happens...

A game that does not acknowledge the old chess maxim, "The threat is stronger than the execution," has a problem. One of the problems this game has is the need to create specific mechanics for creatures to attempt to do something that should be plausible, if not always likely, for anything to...

It's as easy as putting out a scroll counter with a number on it, or a d10. I generally use a Duel board (old Parker Brother's game) as a counter organizer for such purposes, leaving the map free of such clutter and keeping things moving along pretty quickly. As matters stand now with regard...

Unless that was changed in errata, you're mistaken about the zombies in MMI, as well as its successor, MV. Now if that was changed in errata, doesn't that just make my point? Monsters such as humanoids, even when you might imagine them trying to grab and threaten a hostage in a meaningful...

Based on the handling of certain creatures in this season of Encounters (ending today), one of the things most likely to change by the time 5e rolls out is the grab mechanic. No surprise there, since related mechanics have been a pain in every edition in this game. Still, a standard action that...

No, I know which adventure this was. If there had been no alternate for the new guy to run, that would have been it. Letting a player run Konan meant the party wasn't forced to choose between leaving the barbarian behind in round three or the warden using one standard action to direct his mount...

Wiping out the party doesn't take precedent over keeping the encounter fun, KarinsDad. Who'd enjoy sitting through the entire scenario as a witness after coming out to play. There was an option available that wasn't going to help the remaining participants much more than it would do if run by...

Nullzone, I am sorry to learn your character didn't make it through the encounter. I'm sorrier still your DM opted to stiff you like that. It was bad enough that forced movement had to be clarified to prevent these sorts of shenanigans. ("I can't use my best encounter attack here because I have...

Nullzone's swordmage survived to the end with a triumphant team. The evidence does not support your conclusion. You forgot to mention that several of your enemies will also wield axes, and that most of them have resist 10 cold. I'd be interested to see how that effect could be justified in the...