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All reasonable suggestions. But as I said previously, this thread is not intended to be yet another 'Too much grind, how do I fix it' thread. I am convinced that there are enough variable elements from one game to the next that it may be more productive to find out why people end up...

Good ideas, but a bit outside topic. I am not looking for suggestions. I am looking to define what a grind is (has probably been done already), and to identify the causes. Based on your suggestions, you would say that overly durable monsters and overly static encounter management are the...

That is a pretty good definition. Not all monsters have access to limited powers. Rechargable powers could arguably prevent this. The same can be said with powers that are more situational (ie: extra damage dice when target is prone or grants combat advantage). Possibly, but that is very...

One thing that I advise everyone to keep in mind before making specific comments about grind. Direct comparisons between two different groups of players might not carry over directly. There are presently 22 Character classes and 18 Races from PHB 1, PHB 2, and PHB 3. when you include Eberron...

A few counter points / comments. First, fewer monsters with more HP is a bit of a wash. Fewer monsters will just get dogpiled. But the to hit difference is what matters most here. Missing with your encounter / daily powers is a big deal, not only for raw damage output, but also due to the...

The biggest complaint I have about WotC pubished adventures is that they tend to write encounter for level X and use monsters of level X+3. This is what I find as the cause of the worst of the almost hit / missed by 1 type problems. As a DM, I have found that the best way to deal with players...

Using enemies in waves is something I have already started doing with 4th Edition. It allows you to avoid the problems of tracking too many combatants on your turn, and it allows you to sustain pressure on your players. It will make the fight feel longer, but the payoff in terms of sustained...

There are three primary differences with player mortality in 4th Edition when compared to 3rd Edition. 1) Low level characters are a great deal more durable. 2) Within combat there is a great deal more healing and temp hp available to the players. 3) Damage does not carry over as directly...

And once more Piratecat validates the reputation he has earned on these boards. The idea is pretty damn fun. It can be played straight, or as a setup for the Priestess to screw the players over. The only downside is that you will either have a great many things to do on the fly if the players...

My detailed suggestion I think that you could conceivably build at least one entire game around this with the vast majority of the game consisting of undertaking the skill challenges. There are a few elements you will need to break this down into. The critical part is that each skill...

I had a wonderfully detailed and long post full of clever ideas. But then for some arcane reason I was logged out of enworld, and I lost the post data. After spending a few minutes trying to recover that data and then inventing new profanities, I have decided to walk away from my computer...

What I may have failed to make clear is that the 'Evil NPC Adventurer Party' problem is something I encountered in 3rd Edition. And that right there is pretty much the problem. For prep time, When your building an NPC based on a PC race / class, you have a HUGE number of problems. If you...

Terrain is most important with multiple monsters I am going to disagree with some of your points here, while conceding that it is entirely possible that 3rd Edition has increased your preptime. Regarding preset encounters vs 'pull it together from what makes most sense for the moment', I can...

I have my own take on when to use and what powers are appropriate: Brute Brutes should have a high intimidation factor. They should inflict huge damage, and take more damage individually to put down. Due to favoring HP over AC / Def, they are more vulnerable to being dogpiled. You do not...

For Min / Max, that is a problem in many editions. About the only thing to do here is to either deal with it out of character (ie, ask them not to try to over do the mechanical optimization), or to treat your 5th level group like an 8th level group (or however much higher you need to take it)...

Elements from the original post have been reorganized a bit. I think that this is a potentially valid concern. In 3rd Edition there was a tendency for me to never mix and match monsters, just pick one and go. In 4th Edition, aside from varients (it is not just Goblin, there is the Goblin...

I believe that there are few actual beneifts to Edition Wars. One benefit is that they can elicit feedback (of a sort) from people who otherwise would not say much. Another benefit is that the debate can force some people to examine their own views critically and make a complaint more...

Off the top of my head: - Same reason (though different target) as to why some people dislike Psionics, Kender, Tinker Gnomes, Tieflings or Dragonborn or Warforged; It just does not fit the expected themes / flavor of their game. - Guns do not necessarily fit well with game systems using...

I had not considered that. However, what exactly does a successful intimidate check do? As far as I know, it just inflicts 'Shaken', and a -2 to hit. Nice, but not overwhelming. Outside of combat it can force co-operation. I do not recall exactly if it could make something run away...

I obtained all the box sets years ago, giving me the source material for Anuire, Brechtur, the Rjurik, the Khinasi, and the Vos. It is a surprisingly detailed setting, giving you political info for every kingdom on the map, as well as who controls the local religions, trade, and law / banditry...