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<blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5309182" data-attributes="member: 386">We've all played us some 4E and we're familiar with the mechanics.&nbsp; We can see how the way the fictional situation isn't as important as it is in Sorcerer; it's much more like my experience with Freemarket.&nbsp; In my con experience with Freemarket, all that really matters is the numbers on the sheet.&nbsp; Similar things can be said for the suite of powers a PC has.&nbsp; It doesn't matter that I'm fighting a swarm of angry bees, I can still trip them.I also think it's interesting to look at different ways games have taken to put more emphasis on the fictional situation.&nbsp; 3E did it by trying to have rules that simulated that fiction.&nbsp; There are a lot of specific rules for dealing with oozes, for example.&nbsp; Personally, I don't like that approach.&nbsp; Let's say that two characters are flanking a gelatinous cube.&nbsp; Another character, perpendicular to these two, fires a scorching ray at the cube.&nbsp; I describe the cube as lurching to one side, stretching out, one thin strand connecting two bulky masses.Now most of its mass is on one side and it's revealed a weak point.&nbsp; What happens if I say that I'm going to cut that thin strand with my sword?&nbsp; If I'm a Rogue, do I get Sneak Attack bonuses to my damage?&nbsp; If I want to trip it, does that make it easier?&nbsp; Can I flank it now?It's the same thing with 4E or my experience with Freemarket - the rules say that an ooze can't be flanked or sneak attacked or critically hit.&nbsp; So it can't.If the same situation occurred in Sorcerer, the DM might award me some bonus dice for excellent tactics (if I cut at the thin strand).&nbsp; Thus reflecting the fictional situation, emphasizing it, no house ruling required.*The reason why I don't think it has anything to do with realism is that you could have a setting where the Martial Power Source was explicitly magical and it wouldn't change a thing.&nbsp; The action that your Fighter takes still has no meaning on how the fictional situation plays out beyond the game mechanics of it.&nbsp; The game would play the same way - conflicts would be resolved the same way, XP would be handed out the same way, treasure would be given out the same way.&nbsp; The game would not change.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="LostSoul, post: 5309182, member: 386"] We've all played us some 4E and we're familiar with the mechanics. We can see how the way the fictional situation isn't as important as it is in Sorcerer; it's much more like my experience with Freemarket. In my con experience with Freemarket, all that really matters is the numbers on the sheet. Similar things can be said for the suite of powers a PC has. It doesn't matter that I'm fighting a swarm of angry bees, I can still trip them. I also think it's interesting to look at different ways games have taken to put more emphasis on the fictional situation. 3E did it by trying to have rules that simulated that fiction. There are a lot of specific rules for dealing with oozes, for example. Personally, I don't like that approach. Let's say that two characters are flanking a gelatinous cube. Another character, perpendicular to these two, fires a scorching ray at the cube. I describe the cube as lurching to one side, stretching out, one thin strand connecting two bulky masses. Now most of its mass is on one side and it's revealed a weak point. What happens if I say that I'm going to cut that thin strand with my sword? If I'm a Rogue, do I get Sneak Attack bonuses to my damage? If I want to trip it, does that make it easier? Can I flank it now? It's the same thing with 4E or my experience with Freemarket - the rules say that an ooze can't be flanked or sneak attacked or critically hit. So it can't. If the same situation occurred in Sorcerer, the DM might award me some bonus dice for excellent tactics (if I cut at the thin strand). Thus reflecting the fictional situation, emphasizing it, no house ruling required. * The reason why I don't think it has anything to do with realism is that you could have a setting where the Martial Power Source was explicitly magical and it wouldn't change a thing. The action that your Fighter takes still has no meaning on how the fictional situation plays out beyond the game mechanics of it. The game would play the same way - conflicts would be resolved the same way, XP would be handed out the same way, treasure would be given out the same way. The game would not change. [/QUOTE]

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