4e Buyers remorse

[Aramax]

Ok Ive run my group to 14th and Im starting to realize-Im not sure if I want to continue.I feel like I am spending WAY more time in GM prep and not sure Im getting my value out of all the time I am spending.It also doesent help that one of my players has min-maxed the group and kind of needs to explaine to them how to play thier maximized characters.Add to this,I dont really have a fall back game to run(as I was never that excited about3-3.5).I kinda think my solution is to go to an OD&D clone but Im not sure my players would want that.

It just seems like a shame that my game that started in September of 1981 might have been killed by 4th

 

[Wormwood]

Ok Ive run my group to 14th and Im starting to realize-Im not sure if I want to continue.I feel like I am spending WAY more time in GM prep and not sure Im getting my value out of all the time I am spending.

Wow! You are honestly the first DM I've come across whose prep-time increased with 4e.

If you'd like some tips (provided you are still running it, of course), I'd be happy to help!

It also doesent help that one of my players has min-maxed the group and kind of needs to explaine to them how to play thier maximized characters.Add to this,I dont really have a fall back game to run(as I was never that excited about3-3.5).I kinda think my solution is to go to an OD&D clone but Im not sure my players would want that.

The only way to know is to ask them. One thing OD&D clones are definitely good for is quick prep and play!

 

[Aramax]

The reason prep time is increaced is-
1)I was a huge just wing it guy and really dont think that belongs in 4e
2)when I say this group is min-maxed-I mean it.,

 

[jaerdaph]

If you and your group will get more enjoyment out of it, there's nothing wrong with going back to an earlier edition or a retro-clone. Just like there's nothing wrong with moving to Pathfinder or sticking with 4e.

At the end of the day, only you and your group can decide what works for you.

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

If your not enjoying the game, then it's time to run something else. If your wanting fantasy maybe something like pathfinder, fantasy craft or Castles and crusaders might be more to your taste.

Or like has been said go back to a ruleset you enjoy.

 

[JoeGKushner]

What other editions have you played to consider the baseline? What levels did the characters acheive?

I know in previous editions 14th level would have made them almost deities while even in 3rd edition 14th was very high end.

 

[Cadfan]

Take a break. Play something else for a while. Something that isn't even heroic fantasy. When you're done, make a decision.

I'd suggest some of the following:

Paranoia. No one can min max because knowing the rules is treason. Seriously- you can have their characters executed if you get the idea that the player knows how the game works. The atmosphere is light hearted but dark and perfectly suited for someone who likes to "wing it" at the game table.

Og: Unearthed. Ultralight system. The players are cavemen. They know two or three words, plus gestures. No one knows the same words. They usually get eaten by dinosaurs. Trust me, its awesome.

A superhero system of some kind, particularly a rules light one. We use one of these for our break games. I don't know the system name, since I don't run it, and the system is light enough that all we need to know is our own character's abilities. I'll update with it if I figure it out.

Anyways, give something like this a try. Something totally different than usual. See how things go.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Wow! You are honestly the first DM I've come across whose prep-time increased with 4e.

My prep-time went up too, for largely the same reasons.

But the advice here is right on. Go do something else. Don't be too concerned about laying aside a campaign that has been on for nearly 30 years now. That's kind of a long time for any one thing to last.

 

[Treebore]

Ok Ive run my group to 14th and Im starting to realize-Im not sure if I want to continue.I feel like I am spending WAY more time in GM prep and not sure Im getting my value out of all the time I am spending.It also doesent help that one of my players has min-maxed the group and kind of needs to explaine to them how to play thier maximized characters.Add to this,I dont really have a fall back game to run(as I was never that excited about3-3.5).I kinda think my solution is to go to an OD&D clone but Im not sure my players would want that.

It just seems like a shame that my game that started in September of 1981 might have been killed by 4th

Subscribe to the DDI? I hear it seriously cuts down on prep time.


Your the DM, run what you have fun running, otherwise tell the dead beats to step up and DM, otherwise tell them 4E is over, and that your willing to be DM for system "X". If they don't like it, then they better step up and DM.


I went through this myself, I ended up having to quit the groups I used to play with, and now I have found new groups, and haven't been this happy with my gaming since I started over 20 years ago! None of them are 3E, 4E, etc... They are things like Castles and Crusades, Hackmaster Basic, L5R, Warhammer 2E, and other games.

I have to say I am darn happy playing with people who don't like the "big game on the block", or only one system. I like the variety and the over all attitudes.

 

[Wormwood]

My prep-time went up too, for largely the same reasons.

I'm not skeptical, only surprised.

I guess my disconnect is, the OP claims that he prefers a more 'wing it' style. So I would imagine that would require *less* prep-time, not more.

In my a pinch, I can run a perfectly good 4e pick-up game with an open Monster Manual, some 1" grid paper, and a player wish list.

But if he wants retro, I can't recommend Basic Fantasy enough for quick and easy old-school goodness. But I don't know if his optimizer will like it too much.