I’ve been feeling a little choked by all the snark and negativity that seems to crop up in every 4E thread, so I wanted to make a thread to spread some positivity. I want to hear what has you excited in 4E. I don’t want wish lists or backhanded insults. What of the announced material has you excited about 4E? Let’s see if we can have one positive thread.
Here’s what I’m excited about:
1. Easier to DM. I haven’t had a chance to play in a 3E game in several years and there have been a couple times where I considered starting up a group, but the thought of DMing was so intimidating to me that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I never felt comfortable with my understanding of the rules and the prep time involved to create a good session was crippling to me. Personal problem? Sure, but if 4E can present me with a game that is simpler to run with less prep time, I can finally bite the bullet and try to game again.
2. Character Roles. This is something that I didn’t realize that I wanted until I read it. After reading some of the designers’ discussions on how each party member has a role to play in combat, it brought some of my past play experiences into focus. There were several occasions where we had rough sessions because two characters were working against the group and struggling to fill the same role. A clearer understanding and solid mechanics to support it are incredibly attractive to me.
3. Combat. I have always enjoyed playing fighter type characters. I enjoy the thrill of being in the thick of the action and the danger. But, I’ve never felt that there was much variety to my attacks. Maybe I didn’t have a good enough mastery of the rules, but when I read about some of the ways they are spicing up combat, it makes me think of the game that I have always wanted to play. The more the game reflects the ideas in my head, the easier it is for them to come out, and the more fun that I’ll have.
4. The Digital Initiative. I moved away from my family and friends several years ago for a job. We tried a few times in the first few months to set up some online gaming through a few of the then available digital tabletops and chat clients. They were either overly complex, had no features, or didn’t work with everyone’s system. The promise of a digital tabletop that is well integrated with the rules is thrilling to me. Including the online content to provide me with modules to run makes the subscription cost to hang out with my family and friends online a bargain.
5. Simpler Monsters. To be fair, this falls under being easier to DM, but monsters always intimidated me. Too often, monsters were huge chunks of text with a long list of abilities that required me to constantly reference things. Another personal problem to be sure, but streamlined monsters that have been rethought to maximize their intended use is exciting to me. Most of the preview information I have read so far makes me want to run these monsters.
6. A Clean Break. This is a personal quirk that I’ve noticed with myself. I like to get in on the beginning of something. I dismiss entertainment where I can’t start at the beginning. I wasn’t always like this, but I have become more and more hesitant to jump into the middle of something as I’ve gotten older. This covers TV shows, comic books, film series, and even D&D. When 3.5 rolled around, I never got around to upgrading and more and more supplements came out and I felt like I had missed the boat. It wasn’t a rational thought (and still isn’t), but it was enough of a hesitation to keep from making the leap to buying the new books. 4E gives me a chance to jump on at the beginning and satisfy my neurotic notions. Hopefully, I’ll be able to resist my collector mentality with supplements though.
Those are my quick few. What are yours?
Here’s what I’m excited about:
1. Easier to DM. I haven’t had a chance to play in a 3E game in several years and there have been a couple times where I considered starting up a group, but the thought of DMing was so intimidating to me that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I never felt comfortable with my understanding of the rules and the prep time involved to create a good session was crippling to me. Personal problem? Sure, but if 4E can present me with a game that is simpler to run with less prep time, I can finally bite the bullet and try to game again.
2. Character Roles. This is something that I didn’t realize that I wanted until I read it. After reading some of the designers’ discussions on how each party member has a role to play in combat, it brought some of my past play experiences into focus. There were several occasions where we had rough sessions because two characters were working against the group and struggling to fill the same role. A clearer understanding and solid mechanics to support it are incredibly attractive to me.
3. Combat. I have always enjoyed playing fighter type characters. I enjoy the thrill of being in the thick of the action and the danger. But, I’ve never felt that there was much variety to my attacks. Maybe I didn’t have a good enough mastery of the rules, but when I read about some of the ways they are spicing up combat, it makes me think of the game that I have always wanted to play. The more the game reflects the ideas in my head, the easier it is for them to come out, and the more fun that I’ll have.
4. The Digital Initiative. I moved away from my family and friends several years ago for a job. We tried a few times in the first few months to set up some online gaming through a few of the then available digital tabletops and chat clients. They were either overly complex, had no features, or didn’t work with everyone’s system. The promise of a digital tabletop that is well integrated with the rules is thrilling to me. Including the online content to provide me with modules to run makes the subscription cost to hang out with my family and friends online a bargain.
5. Simpler Monsters. To be fair, this falls under being easier to DM, but monsters always intimidated me. Too often, monsters were huge chunks of text with a long list of abilities that required me to constantly reference things. Another personal problem to be sure, but streamlined monsters that have been rethought to maximize their intended use is exciting to me. Most of the preview information I have read so far makes me want to run these monsters.
6. A Clean Break. This is a personal quirk that I’ve noticed with myself. I like to get in on the beginning of something. I dismiss entertainment where I can’t start at the beginning. I wasn’t always like this, but I have become more and more hesitant to jump into the middle of something as I’ve gotten older. This covers TV shows, comic books, film series, and even D&D. When 3.5 rolled around, I never got around to upgrading and more and more supplements came out and I felt like I had missed the boat. It wasn’t a rational thought (and still isn’t), but it was enough of a hesitation to keep from making the leap to buying the new books. 4E gives me a chance to jump on at the beginning and satisfy my neurotic notions. Hopefully, I’ll be able to resist my collector mentality with supplements though.
Those are my quick few. What are yours?
