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<blockquote data-quote="Skallgrim" data-source="post: 4991802" data-attributes="member: 79271">Given what I think &quot;mechanics becoming the focus&quot; means, I think I would agree.&nbsp; I would perhaps rephrase the complaint as &quot;convenient mechanics become the focus&quot;.Your character has stats for his magic sword, and his attack powers, and his utilities.&nbsp; There's no stats (you get easy access to) for the brazier in the corner, or the jar of oil on the shelf.&nbsp; If you walked by the brazier and the DM handed you a card that said 'Brazier: Attack&nbsp; Melee 1 Strength+4 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d6+3 Fire&quot;, and another when you spotted the oil that specified that as a standard action you could create a zone with the oil that would allow the brazier's attack to target every creature in the zone, then maybe the problem wouldn't exist.When you have a hammer, all your problems look like nails.&nbsp; When you have a sheet (or even easier cards) with &quot;all&quot; of your attacks calculated out for you, many of us narrow our tactical choices down to those cards.&nbsp; This isn't always the effect of a bad DM.&nbsp; It may be easier, quicker, and less interruption of the game to just use your encounter power, instead of asking the DM what the brazier would do, and deciding whether to do it or not.I can't fault WOTC for making a largely easy to understand combat system, but because parts of the combat system are so easy to grasp and use, those parts get used a little too much.&nbsp; Some systems, like GURPS, where almost everything in combat can be made more complex (do you grab him with one hand, or two?&nbsp; Where do you grab him?&nbsp; Are you grabbing him as a normal attack, or an All-Out attack (Strong, or Determined, or Double)?), it isn't 'slowing the game down' to use some other creative tactic (like pulling the wall hangings down over the guy instead).</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Skallgrim, post: 4991802, member: 79271"] Given what I think "mechanics becoming the focus" means, I think I would agree. I would perhaps rephrase the complaint as "convenient mechanics become the focus". Your character has stats for his magic sword, and his attack powers, and his utilities. There's no stats (you get easy access to) for the brazier in the corner, or the jar of oil on the shelf. If you walked by the brazier and the DM handed you a card that said 'Brazier: Attack Melee 1 Strength+4 vs. Reflex Hit: 2d6+3 Fire", and another when you spotted the oil that specified that as a standard action you could create a zone with the oil that would allow the brazier's attack to target every creature in the zone, then maybe the problem wouldn't exist. When you have a hammer, all your problems look like nails. When you have a sheet (or even easier cards) with "all" of your attacks calculated out for you, many of us narrow our tactical choices down to those cards. This isn't always the effect of a bad DM. It may be easier, quicker, and less interruption of the game to just use your encounter power, instead of asking the DM what the brazier would do, and deciding whether to do it or not. I can't fault WOTC for making a largely easy to understand combat system, but because parts of the combat system are so easy to grasp and use, those parts get used a little too much. Some systems, like GURPS, where almost everything in combat can be made more complex (do you grab him with one hand, or two? Where do you grab him? Are you grabbing him as a normal attack, or an All-Out attack (Strong, or Determined, or Double)?), it isn't 'slowing the game down' to use some other creative tactic (like pulling the wall hangings down over the guy instead). [/QUOTE]

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