Afrodyte
Explorer
I just figured out why I enjoy 4e so much more than previous incarnations of D&D.
Because I finally know what the system is meant to do. And it's not generic fantasy roleplaying.
I always felt that previous editions of D&D (especially 3e) were somewhat . . . disjointed. It was often a challenge to figure out what sort of play experience D&D was meant to give because the mechanics didn't always facilitate similar goals. For instance: making a character I'm interested in playing vs. making a character that fills expected party roles (Case in point: not all rogues are thieves, but if you play a rogue you need to max out "thiefy" skills; likewise, all fighters are not uncultured brutes, but the short class skill list and lack of skill points penalizes everything but an uncultured brute).
With 4e, things started to click.
I was looking at powers, skills, and feats, and they reminded me of what I see in action movies, not my favorite fantasy novels/films. It's like Die Hard as opposed to Lord of the Rings. Sure, there are fantasy trappings, but the feel is more akin to cinematic action. To test my theory, I made a list of some of my favorite action flicks. Then I realized . . .
These would make kick-ass D&D games!
So, here's a little thought experiment.
Convert the plots of various action movies into D&D adventures. Include sequels too, if you want!
Some starting points (by no means exclusive):
Because I finally know what the system is meant to do. And it's not generic fantasy roleplaying.
I always felt that previous editions of D&D (especially 3e) were somewhat . . . disjointed. It was often a challenge to figure out what sort of play experience D&D was meant to give because the mechanics didn't always facilitate similar goals. For instance: making a character I'm interested in playing vs. making a character that fills expected party roles (Case in point: not all rogues are thieves, but if you play a rogue you need to max out "thiefy" skills; likewise, all fighters are not uncultured brutes, but the short class skill list and lack of skill points penalizes everything but an uncultured brute).
With 4e, things started to click.
I was looking at powers, skills, and feats, and they reminded me of what I see in action movies, not my favorite fantasy novels/films. It's like Die Hard as opposed to Lord of the Rings. Sure, there are fantasy trappings, but the feel is more akin to cinematic action. To test my theory, I made a list of some of my favorite action flicks. Then I realized . . .
These would make kick-ass D&D games!
So, here's a little thought experiment.
Convert the plots of various action movies into D&D adventures. Include sequels too, if you want!
Some starting points (by no means exclusive):
- Die Hard
- Lethal Weapon
- Kill Bill
- 300
- The Matrix
- The Three Musketeers
- Mad Max
- Big Trouble in Little China
- Godzilla
- Enter the Dragon
- X-Men
- Fantastic Four
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