A Doubters Review

[Nikosandros]

I remember it well. It was very simple. I played a female elf. I got killed by a gang of skeletons.

My first character casualty was caused by a cleaning golem*... how humiliating!

* The adventure was C3 The Lost Island of Castanamir

 

[MaxKaladin]

The first time I played D&D, I was being taught by a couple of other kids who "simplified" the rules. (roll eyes) One of the simplifications I remember was that they did away with the 'complicated' chart for memorizing spells and just said you could cast each spell in the book once per adventure. When I actually got my hands on a rulebook and read it, things made far more sense.

Anyway, I too am a 4e doubter and I tried a 4e demo last weekend. I didn't enjoy it. It had nothing to do with the rules or the DM. It was the other players. It was obvious that all the other people in the demo were part of the same gaming group and they were champion time wasters. I'll leave it at that before I write a long rant. The main thing I came away from the demo with was the observation that WotC can do anything and everything they want to make the game play faster, but the pacing ultimately depends on the players.

I was very careful to go into the demo with an open mind. I even found myself in the unusual position of defending 4e. 8) I was waiting to be amazed with how awesome the game is, but it didn't happen. In the 2.5 hours I was at the table, I got four combat rounds in. Two of them were movement and two were missing my foes and getting my butt kicked (down 22 out of 33hp). I just didn't get to really try the game.

I don't blame the game, but I didn't change my mind about not converting either.

 

[FadedC]

I started playing basic D&D in 3rd grade after teaching myself the rules from scratch. I thought every dungeon had to be exactly like the starting dungeon in the book, and that hit dice was maximum number of hit points (so 8 HD meant 1-8 hit points).

 

[warlockwannabe]

I remember it well. It was very simple. I played a female elf. I got killed by a gang of skeletons.

Skeleton gang? Oh! The Crypts! Everyone knows the Vampire gang, The Bloods....

 

[warlockwannabe]

Skeleton gang? Oh! The Crypts! Everyone knows the Vampire gang, The Bloods....

Wow, thats horrible, I need to use that in my Ptolus game. Subgroups of the forsaken rofl!

 

[warlockwannabe]

I was eaten by a grue.

How Grue-some.

 

[LowSpine]

Nice to see a balanced view from a doubter. I can't stand the '4E is crap no matter what' people. I don't mind them existing, I just can't understand why they come on forums about 4E just to dampen everyone else when they have no interest anyway. I found your comments very interesting.

The skill challenge thing is my biggest worry. I think it is very interesting and the right way to go, but from what I have heard I think it sounds like it hasn't matured enough.

Have to say, though, one comment that has pushed my frustration button is your comment on hit points becoming less health points. I keep seeing this worry being thrown about. The reason I get my frustration grumpy head on is this: Health has only ever been a small part of hit points. Hit points have always been a massive abstraction - luck, skill, will to keep going, divine favour, arcane infusion, etc. At least since the red box basic set to my knowledge.

It is the only way hit points have ever made sense.

 

[LowSpine]

I wonder if anyone remembers their first time playing their first D&D game, whatever version it was realistically. It was probably just as convoluted. Any new game, or mechanic in a game, is cumbersome at first.

The first time we gave up because we all kept giggling.

The second time the only thing I remember is my mate playing Stubby(actually my mates nickname because he was short) the dwarf walked straight up to the Carrion Crawler (the red box basic adventure in Mistamere Castle) and hit him for 10hp killing him instantly.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

I wonder if anyone remembers their first time playing their first D&D game, whatever version it was realistically. It was probably just as convoluted. Any new game, or mechanic in a game, is cumbersome at first.

I remember my first session.

Drow ranger/mage with long sword and short sword. I was a leatherworker/woodsman (NWP) and had the two-weapon fighting proficiencies. The only thing I didn't have... was the ability to speak the common tongue. The first session was rather interesting for me as a brand new player. The rest of the party were traveling alongside the woods I prowled towards a haunted house I tried to keep wanderers away from. A pair of orcs attack the party and two more prepared to ambush them from behind.

I killed those two orcs while the party dealt with the other two. I started to approach the party and then they turned around to see the drow with dripping blades casting a spell. "We attack the drow!" My mouth dropped open and I looked at the DM. No one had warned me about anything from the setting. I had chosen the race based on a picture and the DM was less than helpful. I started screaming in character and running the other way. Fortunately an astute player noticed the blood was the black blood of orcs and then the party tripped over the two orcs and tried to get me to stop running.

They gave up the chase and went back towards the haunted house and I waited outside in hiding. Fortunately the house adventure was short and the DM added some orcs coming to find out what happened to their hunting party. The orcs found me. I was in a pitched battle and fighting to escape when the rest of the group finally heard the battle and came out to investigate. The mage in the group used comprehend languages to understand me, but it didn't help me understand them.

It kept them from killing me at least. The session ended and then I didn't get to play D&D again for almost a year. It was a great start to playing D&D, heh.

 

[BlueBlackRed]

The number of modifiers has been a concern of mine since they released the sneak peek at the paladin special abilities a few months ago. Thus the OP has confirmed my fears.

In my experience, putting more work on the players is usually not the best plan.

But we're still going to give 4E a good try in my group.