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I have managed emotional attachment (of sorts: the players hate it when monsters get away...) a bit, but it's hard to do for every encounter. As far as information / foreshadowing, I think that part of the issue is that so far sticking to "the plan" has worked out better for them than anything...

I agree that conditional vs. constant really isn't a clear-cut issue. I think that, ideally, I prefer conditional bonuses where it's easy for the player to generate the conditions, rather than having to hope that the DM will include it. I also think that I like the idea of benefits that stack -...

So, I was looking at some of the mounted combat feats, and I got to thinking, how should the bonuses that feats provide (both straight "plusses" and other benefits) be handled? Assuming you have a feat that, fluff-wise, covers the concept that "your guy does cool thing": A) When your guy does...

You're right, I'm not confused at all. If you look at the warden powers in the CB they have received the equivalent update including adding the weapon keyword. As written the attack portion of the power is a "martial, stance" power, which makes no sense. The CB has the complete, playable version...

I just re-downloaded both Dragon 381 and the individual article, and while the power has the range "melee weapon" it's missing a title / class / level line and a keyword line. The compendium includes those lines, and while specific errata would be nice since it's simply replacing omitted text...

It's possible to play a bad game of any RPG (and any edition of any RPG). Two things that I want in a game, before I'll consider it to not be a bad game, are 1) an understanding that the players get to have their characters do stuff, and 2) an understanding that the fiction of the game is...

I will... I really like playing with these guys. I'm just frustrated because I know that I could cause a TPK if that's what I wanted to do, but creating the possibility without just simply forcing the issue shouldn't ought to be this tricky... So, I thought I had everything set for the boss...

It's already obsolete, in that it doesn't account for the July 2010 update, and therefore won't re-level monsters correctly.

I guess? I'm frustrated, and I think part of it / a lot of it is that I'm spending a lot of time designing encounters; and that's fun, but a lot of that fun is based on the idea that they're going to be cool in play. And in play they just seem to be complicated more than they are fun or even...

Maybe I'm reading you wrong, but you seem to be looking at this as essentials existing outside of core D&D? What I was trying to point out is that I never got that impression. The article you linked over and over again refers to the essentials products as "Dungeons and Dragons", and from my...

Quickleaf: That's an interesting encounter, and I may have to try something like that at some point... The issues I have would be: Using MM2 monsters, as I'd rather stick to MM3 or MV stuf at this point. I think I understand how the Derghodemon is supposed to work, but I'd be worried about a...

I never saw anything that suggested to me that the essentials products where a separate line of products. The intent was to allow new players to use them as a gateway; if the fact that you could play a (limited) game of 4e D&D with just the essentials products means that they are "separate"...

My definition of "campaign" was much different in 1e. I think the first group I ran got to about 5th level before it fell apart, but the next group where part of the same campaign, and the 5th level characters where still about. In fact it wasn't at all uncommon for old characters to be pulled...

That's my point, though - it's a simplistic, throwaway example. More specifically it's a simplistic, throwaway example that Mr. Mearls should have known people where going to get hung up on. (And it was used as an example of the trend from simplicity to complexity, not the other way around.)

I'm not Klaus, but regarding the essentials / not-essentials thing, there's a semantic component* here: "Essentials" is the 10 books labeled "Essentials", anything else is not "Essentials". Subsequently, it might be better / clearer to say instead "post-essentials design" or "post-essentials...

I don't think it actually a good example, though. It's a simplistic, throwaway example that probably doesn't deserve this much analysis, but it's so simplistic that it doesn't really make his point; or, really any point. 4e options aren't just "not buttons", they aren't even really like buttons...

I didn't read that article. The sorceress is usually in the thick of things, but she has several abilities that let her avoid or mitigate a hit and/or teleport or go invisible. It's the Shaman who's usually hiding out in the backfield, although this last session he decided to off-tank which is...

I'm not really a big fan of the whole XP and leveling thing, but if you're going to power up then I agree that you should actually power up. I also really like the idea of the story reflecting increases in character power in a meaningful / interesting way. Not so much "XP are a real thing in the...

I'll want to return to this and make a more detailed reply later, but the next encounter is a level 15 Solo Efreet (reskinned and re-leveled Elder White Dragon from the Monster Vault... It's also Large instead of Huge, if that matters), and two level 14s... I was thinking of de-leveled Rockfire...

Well I think some people are worried that maybe the D&D RPG isn't such a huge success, so maybe they won't make more.