D&D 4E Are powers samey?

[Minigiant]

The presence of rules does not determine what a roleplaying game is or is not about.

Yes, but the absence or presents of rules changes how roleplaying in the game is done.

Social interaction is affected by the presence and absence of Charisma, it's related skills, a skills system, and social spells.

Etc etc

 

[Garthanos]

Conflating about as only being thematic and never proportionate emphasis is not a reasonable interpretation when the conversation in context is how much emphasis something has ie the statement is sometimes 4e is all "about" combat.

 

[FrogReaver]

You know what I find weird. The only time 4e fans bring up sameyness in any other system is when someone accusses 4e of sameyness. It's more like a defensive mechanism than something they actually care about.

Here's what I know - 4e's sameyness kept alot of people from playing it. No other edition of D&D has that on it's shoulders.

 

[Garthanos]

You know what I find weird. The only time 4e fans bring up sameyness in any other system is when someone accusses 4e of sameyness.

The point is that it seems a hypocritical criticism. But no I was claiming fighters seemed like clones all the way back in 1e.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

You know what I find weird. The only time 4e fans bring up sameyness in any other system is when someone accusses 4e of sameyness. It's more like a defensive mechanism than something they actually care about.

Maybe. While I found 4e the least "samey" edition of all the ones I've played, I didn't find any of the others so samey that it was worth making a big thing about that aspect of them.

 

[Maxperson]

It was just said by the same person having all those combat powers being the most prevalent meant the opposite

The person just agreed with me in the post right above this one that I just quoted. I suggest that you read that post.

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

Conflating about as only being thematic and never proportionate emphasis is not a reasonable interpretation when the conversation in context is how much emphasis something has ie the statement is sometimes 4e is all "about" combat.

No. 4e is combat-focused because of how much real-time is dominated by it. Daily powers didn't work well when a game includes only one combat each day. Thus, if a session = one in-game day; one in-game day = 2+ combat encounters; and each combat = 1 hour, then even a 4 hour session will consist of 50% combat and only 50% other activities.

 

[FrogReaver]

Maybe. While I found 4e the least "samey" edition of all the ones I've played, I didn't find any of the others so samey that it was worth making a big thing about that aspect of them.

Which is valid. Not something I agree with - but I'm sure the difference is because we are measuring sameyness in different ways.

But the point I'm getting to is that for those that experienced 4e as samey - it was much more samey in the way those individuals measured samey than any other version of D&D. It was big enough to complain about and make a big deal about because it was that much more samey to them than anything they had ever experienced before.

 

[Garthanos]

I seen someone make a Socrates fighter (he was historically an ex soldier) in 4e Massive Wisdom stat and moderate Strength and because of 4e mechanics making Wisdom and Perception very useful to those who design for it with a good foundation right out of the phb and he was not particularly nerfed in combat a bit more of striker in some regards even because of it. Though not optimized. Still functionally part of the team in all arenas and very much Socrates. I look at the 5e fighter and its all physical aspect as meh.

 

[Minigiant]

You know what I find weird. The only time 4e fans bring up sameyness in any other system is when someone accusses 4e of sameyness. It's more like a defensive mechanism than something they actually care about.

Here's what I know - 4e's sameyness kept alot of people from playing it. No other edition of D&D has that on it's shoulders.

People dropped 3e and went to 4e because the classes were so imbalanced that you could only play the same classes.

Most would attribute it all to class imbalance. I would too. However part of it is the power sameyness of the spell system that made all spell casters way too strong and way too many. That's sameyness. If spells weren't so broken, problem would complain about the load of spell casting classes and the sameyness of the class spell lists.