Hey! Those are similiar to what I used to make my original rock band drums softer! I didn't even think about those....
3e 18 months in
- Thread starter fanboy2000
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Hey! Those are similiar to what I used to make my original rock band drums softer! I didn't even think about those....
CharlesRyan
Adventurer
So to bring all of these useful comments back to the OP's point, it may be fair to say that 4E has pushed some of its complexity into the realm of tactile components.
Certainly that's the case with power cards: I think most of us find playing 4E from an old-fashioned character sheet more complex than previous editions. But adopting power cards to manage character resources counteracts that complexity.
Certainly that's the case with power cards: I think most of us find playing 4E from an old-fashioned character sheet more complex than previous editions. But adopting power cards to manage character resources counteracts that complexity.
I agree. I think it takes away character and DM complexity, but adds a little gameplay complexity with conditions and powers (at higher levels).
However, I think the complexity that is added, is alot less than what was taken out, so at least IMO, I am less complex overall. I also find myself not missing the character complexity now that Hybrid and PHB2 classes are out. I don't think there are any concepts you cannot make now as long as you have the Character Builder.
Xyxox
Hero
In 2E we call those "Wizard Spell Cards", "Priest Spell Cards", "Deck of Psionic Powers", and "Deck of Magical Items".
Heck, I even use the two sets of "Deck of Encounters" whenever the players go off track from the adventure I prepared and I need to DM by the seat of my pants.
Yea, we do not use power cards either. We use the Character Builder and keep the powers on the sheets that they are printed on. We usually end up putting those sheets in one of those clear sleeves, and then using a dry erase marker to mark off wich ones are used if needed.
Storminator
First Post
I started out thinking the same thing, but now I've not only gone to power cards, but I've turned what's left of the sheet into another card and I've done away with the sheet entirely.
PS
In my group, we have a couple of players who use the power cards and swear by them, and a couple who just use summary sheets and really like them. I think it's all a matter of personal preference.
Cheers!
The Little Raven
First Post
I cut out the power cards for my first character, then learned how much of a hassle it was. Now, I just print them out and stick them in a plastic paper protector, and use a marker to X off the ones I've used.
CharlesRyan
Adventurer
I've been a heavy user of power cards, but as my character(s) go up in level and the number of cards increases, I'm thinking of going with the power-cards-printed-on-a-sheet-in-a-wet-erasable-sleeve solution, just to keep the game table under control.
That said, though, that's really just an organizational difference. The broader point is that character management, for most people, has moved away from a conventional character sheet and into a format where powers are described in discrete blocks, and some sort of marking mechanism (turning over cards, or marking a sleeve with a wet-erase marker) is used to manage the resource.
Put another way: Nobody here is saying they just write a list of their powers on their character sheet, the way we might have listed feats or skills in an earlier edition. If we were to do that, gameplay would be much more complicated.
The complexity 4E introduced through the power-management system has been countered by a new paradigm for managing character capabilities.
That said, though, that's really just an organizational difference. The broader point is that character management, for most people, has moved away from a conventional character sheet and into a format where powers are described in discrete blocks, and some sort of marking mechanism (turning over cards, or marking a sleeve with a wet-erase marker) is used to manage the resource.
Put another way: Nobody here is saying they just write a list of their powers on their character sheet, the way we might have listed feats or skills in an earlier edition. If we were to do that, gameplay would be much more complicated.
The complexity 4E introduced through the power-management system has been countered by a new paradigm for managing character capabilities.
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