D&D 4E 4E in Car-speak: "No Sale"

[thundershot]

Best.. thread ... ever..


For my part, I haven't driven this car in over a year. I think a nice brand new shiny car will definitely entice me to get back on the road. The old car drove great at first, but man, once you get so far, it starts bogging down and eventually just stalls out. Sometimes putting it back in 1st gear again helps, but you'll eventually start running into the same problems again.

I look forward to my nice shiny new car...



Chris

 

[Darth Cyric]

3.5 is a Yugo. Nothing classic about it.

 

[Mostlyjoe]

Your talking about the Beetle vs the New Beetle. They're not the same care. Both are cool for different reasons. I like to have air conditioning thank you.

 

[Wormwood]

I have a very large auto collection---and some of these cars . . . well baby, they purr.

Now, that's not saying that 3.5 ain't a good car. It's reliable. It's sturdy. It'll get me where I want to go. But it's missing some of the accessories I get in my newer, sportier models.

I'll admit that the 3.5 passenger seat is fun and all, but it's no picnic to drive; far from it. Too many options, slow acceleration, difficult manual transmission, poor braking at high speeds, and terrible gas mileage. Seriously, I can get twice as far on a gallon of fuel in my FUDGE or Unisystem than I can in my gas guzzlin' 3.5

If 3.5 is the Hummer, then 4e is the H3. A stripped down, sleeker version of a lumbering automotive workhorse.

 

[Goobermunch]

I love my Volkswagen Jetta TDI. It's solid and reliable. Diesel engine technology has been around for nearly a century.

But these days, I really prefer driving my Prius. It gets the same fuel economy but it doesn't stink up the area quite as much. Some people say I'm crazy, because the hybrid technology isn't as mature, and that my battery pack is going to conk out and who knows how much it will cost to replace. But you know what? They've never driven my Prius.

Oh, wait. This was an analogy? Damn.

--G

 

[hong]

Sure there's denying all that. There's big-time rejection, matter of fact.

4e doesn't look like it's anything but minimalist. If feels they punted whenever a design decision had to be made, opting for simplicity over elegance.

"A foolish elegance is the hobgoblin of small minds." -- somebody

 

[Vegepygmy]

I think the biggest difference between Old_Skool's 3.5E and the 3.5E that necros describes is maintenance. Most people prefer to play the game right out of the box, just like most people like to drive cars right off the lot in "factory" condition...oh sure, they might tint the windows or get some personalized bumper stickers, but for the most part their car looks like everyone else's. Old_Skool, on the other hand, is a gearhead who loves to work on his car, sometimes for days on end, until it "purrs like a kitten." The custom parts of his car probably outnumber the factory parts on it...and that's just the way he likes it. All cars will get old and start showing signs of wear and tear, even the newest model. Few people have the time, resources, and know-how to keep making those repairs over time. Most folks would rather be on the road than in the shop.

Most will trade up to 4E for a lot of the same reasons that most people trade up their cars every few years: fashionable looks, better performance, easy-to-find parts, and they don't have to deal with mechanics.

You said it so well, it deserves to be repeated. (In other words, QFT.)

 

[hong]

Heh heh. And so it begins.

"I'll buy the books, but I won't play the game."

...

"I'll play a session just to see what it's like."

...

"Okay, another session, but that's it."

...

"Maybe a short campaign, just to test out those level 5 powers"

...

"When's the WotC adventure path coming out?"

 

[PeterWeller]

I, too, am a major car buff. Like my interest in RPGs, my interest in cars come from two sources. The first is my dad. He had a TR7 when I was a kid, and around the same time, he gave me a box of toy knights and handed me copies of LotR, Robin Hood, The Once and Future King, and Conan, amongst others. The latter were friends I made throughout my years. My neighbor's older brother introduced me to D&D and RPGs, and my best friend's older brother introduced me to 5.0s and the infinite myriad of bolt ons and internals that turned humble
Fox Bodies into strip monsters.

Anyways, as to car analogies. Once, before I was even licensed to drive on the streets, I was afforded, thanks to one of my dad's friends, the opportunity to drive a Lotus Elan. For those who don't know, the Elan is one of the iconic British roadsters. It exemplifies the Lotus principles of light weight, decent power, and excellent dynamics. To be honest, it was an effing dream. It's only problem, it's a British roadster with all the oil leaks, panel gaps, and electrical problems such a vehicle entails.

Fast forward about a dozen or so years, and I'm finally in the position to purchase a car that's just for me. I don't have any responsibility other than to transport myself, some groceries, and every once in a while, a lady. I wanted a car that would evoke that seminal experience tossing an Elan around the cones, but I didn't want the drawbacks that came with such a vehicle, drawbacks I was well associated with, thanks to vicariously experiencing them through my father's Triumph ownership. I didn't want oil stains on my driveway. So, I ended up buying a Mazda Miata. It's basically an Elan, but it's made by Japanese in the 21st century, which means not only is it a damn fun roadster, but it's also reliable, efficient, and not produced by a company that suffers from the perpetual threat of bankruptcy.

To bring this all back to D&D: 4E is like my Miata. It does everything I want my RPG to do, but it doesn't suffer me the cantankerous problems of oil leaks and Lucas electronics, or class imbalance or DM prep time. When my dad wanted to take the Triumph for a spin, he had to go through an entire checklist of potential problem areas that could leave him stranded beside the road. When I want to take out my Miata, I fire it up and drop the top. 4E is like my Miata; I get all the enjoyment from my favorite game, but I don't have to deal with the problems that make my hobby a hassle.

 

[Dragonblade]

So, I ended up buying a Mazda Miata. It's basically an Elan, but it's made by Japanese in the 21st century, which means not only is it a damn fun roadster, but it's also reliable, efficient, and not produced by a company that suffers from the perpetual threat of bankruptcy.

To bring this all back to D&D: 4E is like my Miata. It does everything I want my RPG to do, but it doesn't suffer me the cantankerous problems of oil leaks and Lucas electronics, or class imbalance or DM prep time. When my dad wanted to take the Triumph for a spin, he had to go through an entire checklist of potential problem areas that could leave him stranded beside the road. When I want to take out my Miata, I fire it up and drop the top. 4E is like my Miata; I get all the enjoyment from my favorite game, but I don't have to deal with the problems that make my hobby a hassle.

Mazda makes nice cars. I drive an RX-8. The rotary has its quirks but I like it. Though, I'm thinking about trading it in for an EVO X. Just have to convince my wife...