D&D 4E Am I crazy? I've just gotten a hankering to play 4e again...

[JeffB]

Yep- I don't play strictly by the book. I don't run multitudes of combat in any given D&D game - I run a few , and try to make them exciting/intense. I kind of "13th Aged" 4E before 13th Age came out because my groups (kids and adults) at the time didn't get into minis and grids (not my preference either, though I like it as a change of pace at times)

I don't go by the 6-8 encounters per day of 5E or similar non-sense. I run as much or little combat as needed/wanted by the group.

I used minions ( 1 or 2 hit minions)- ones that hit hard- Keeping track of hit points for all the gobbos/orcs/hobs, etc is just ridiculous for fast gameplay, and a heroic feel. This goes for any edition (IMO)

Often converted ranges and areas on the fly - affects 1d4 targets at close range- instead of Blast5 within 10- wrote it down for the next time. Player rolls their attack, hits..rolls a 3 on d4, rolls damage for 3 opponents. Not terribly often did I have them roll an attack for every opponent affected.

Exploding damage dice are fun, but I think just using 1/2 hit minions and bigger badder types getting reduced HP (1/4 to 1/3) works out better.

 

[dave2008]

what are some of those tricks?

Here you go (I don't remember everything from 4e, but here is what I still use in 5e):

• players get 30 seconds max to resolve their turn (decided on actions / roll actions / roll damage). This seems like it is short, but once you get used to it works and I think it makes for much more frantic combat, which I like.
• Avg Monster damage 90-95% of the time.
• Morale: I don't roll for it, but intelligent monsters don't fight to the death unless there are reasons.
• Semi-side initiative. Players roll, I roll once for the monsters. Players above monster roll go, monster go, players below monster roll go.
• Pre-rolled d20s: I use a spreadsheet of about 200 pre-rolled d20 rolls. I just check them off as I go through the adventure. I don't do this as much in 5e, just for big battles really.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

4e is unlike any other edition. And yet, it embraces the very essence of the core Dungeons & Dragons experience, succinctly and unapologetically. Build your characters, fight the monsters, get lots of treasures. That is the heart of every edition and derived game. The layout and format of this edition made it especially delightful to run and organize as both as DM and a player.

Though character classes and options grew numerous and overwhelming at times, the system maintained an equilibrium between player effectiveness and activity. No character consistently outshined the others, which meant no player felt their role was somehow diminished by their choices.

It was my favorite edition to run, of course. Designing an encounter was easy, and much more dynamic than simply picking your monsters from a book. The map grid became a set piece you could fill with points of interest during a battle, creating a unique and memorable challenge for the players even against a monster they had encountered before. Throw in a skill challenge during a fight and it becomes something epic!

Regardless, if you can find others to play with you, have fun with it! Gather your party and venture fo(u)rth!

God I love mixing combat with skill challenge in 4e. It just works so well and so smoothly.

 

[Azzy]

It isn't my favorite edition of D&D, but I really enjoyed playing 4e. I ran it a bit too.

Crazy? If you had fun playing 4e, that's the important thing. No. I hove you find some 4e groups to play with.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Semi-side initiative. Players roll, I roll once for the monsters. Players above monster roll go, monster go, players below monster roll go.

I didn't realize anyone else was doing that.

In big groups (like up to 12) I'd take it a step further: roll initiative, start with the winner, and just go around the table.

 

[Tony Vargas]

The other issue I faced was irregular attendance, which upset the party dynamics by missing out on critical party roles.

I've run into that in the past.

In the olden days, of course, NPC Henchlings and Hirepersons could fill in the gaps - coincidentally, almost always the Cleric.
In 4e, you can use Companion characters, it's easy for one player to run a regular PC and a companion at the same time, for instance, rather than the DM having to run both NPCs and monsters. You can cover all four roles with two players, that way.

That's with a regular group. Another option is to run an irregular group, leave your campaign open to new players - I just added a new (to the campaign, we'd gamed with him before) player at 26th.

 

[darjr]

My favorite version of 4e was the Gamma World sets. I LOVED the random mutations events.

 

[Eltab]

You are not crazy.
You are being targeted by a Chronomancer. Better find out what he is up to! And why he is interested in you.
(In two years, getting a "Seven Year Itch" from 5e would be perfectly normal.)

 

[pemerton]

4e is the only version of D&D I would consider running as more than a one-shot.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

you enjoyed something, and want to enjoy it again. nothing crazy or wrong about that.