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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Darrin Drader" data-source="post: 4428345" data-attributes="member: 7394">I think this post hits on a key issue: RPGs are different things to different people. Now as much as I prefer 3rd edition, I have to admit that the 4E DMG is pretty solid because it gives a lot of the theory behind RPGs. Much of what is there doesn't just apply to D&D, but it applies to most (if not all) RPGs out there.Specifically, it talks about the different types of players, starting on page 8: actor, explorer, instigator, power gamer, slayer, storyteller, thinker, and watcher. I believe in the validity of those classifications of players and I also believe that just like the players, DMs can be any of those. When I've played D&D with different groups, I've seen a huge spread of different play styles. I've seen D&D played like a board game, where the characters were little more than a collection of stats as they moved quickly from one encounter to another. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I've seen fully immersive playing where everybody talks in funny voices and the combat rules are played loose in order to move it along quickly so the group can get on to the next RPG encounter. I've seen games that are deadly to players, where every decision must be carefully calculated so that you don't overkill something because you'll need those resources later, and I've seen groups where the DM doesn't even try to make the combats overly challenging because the players are having so much fun moving from one bad dude to the next.As someone points out in a different posts, different editions emphasize different play styles, and that's not a bad thing. After giving 4E a go, and even being pretty impressed with it in the first session, I realized that it doesn't suit my style of DMing. It doesn't sit right with me. It's not a bad game. In fact, from a purely design perspective, it's a dang streamlined high octane sports car of an edition. I like my mid-size coup with AC, power windows, reclining chairs, room in the back seat for passengers, and all the other options. What's more is that RPGs are unlike other forms of entertainment because we become really personally invested with them. Unlike novels, comic books, or movies, we interact in a very direct way with the story. I think it's this personal investment that causes people to get upset when they see changes they don't like. I know that I've been a little upset since 4E was released, and the reason is that the D&D system that really fired up my imagination and brought tons of enjoyment has just been made obsolete in favor of something that really doesn't inspire me. 4E was made for people who aren't me, and as someone who has played D&D for 24 years of my life and had the game influence many facets of my personality, that hurts a bit. The problem is that rather than feel like I've just been kicked in the gut, I need to either roll with the changes or stick to what I like. I've decided to stick with what I like.The 3.5/Pathfinder crowd needs to accept that the 4E crowd is not their enemy and the 4E crowd needs to realize that the 3.5/Pathfinder crowd is not their enemy. So to sum up my point, and this post really has gone into a lot more depth than I originally intended, 4E isn't unacceptable, it's just different. It's different in a way that some people really like, and it's different in a way that other people don't really like. And that's cool.</blockquote>

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