D&D 4E As Much As I Complain About 4E...

[ptolemy18]

As much as I complain about 4E and think that 3E is basically a superior and more versatile game...

Next weekend I'm running a D&D game in which there'll be, basically, two experienced players and five newbies. ~_~ The newbies are a bunch of people who my friend (one of the experienced players) knows through his job, and one day this girl came up to him and said "I just bought Dungeons & Dragons! Me and my friends are gonna play! Yeahhh!" But three weeks later, they hadn't actually gotten around to it, so I volunteered to DM a game.

However... I asked what version of D&D they bought (I wanted to use the same edition they were 'familiar' with, not to confuse them right off the bat), and they said "third edition," and I have to admit... my heart both rose and sank.

It rose because I like 3E, I think it offers many more options. It sank because, for a game with 7 players of whom 5 are newbies, 4E seems like it would be about a ZILLION times faster to DM and to create characters. So that's something I'll concede to 4E.

Oh well, we'll see! I'm sure either way would be fine. Either way, I'm running a modified version of "The Secret of Bone Hill." ~_~

 

[JesterOC]

Heck I'm just happy D&D is still attracking new players. Hope they have fun.

JesterOC

 

[FormerlyDickensC]

It rose because I like 3E, I think it offers many more options. It sank because, for a game with 7 players of whom 5 are newbies, 4E seems like it would be about a ZILLION times faster to DM and to create characters. So that's something I'll concede to 4E.

I think that is largely the point...not the whole point, but most of it. If you want a complex but versatile game then modular 3E is for you. If you want something that you can just play (at least without hours and hours of prep and learning) then 4E is for you. Really, this is all it comes down to. Nether is perfect both are flawed. But each has separate strengths and weaknesses. Pick your poison.

Remember, D&D is the gateway drug of tabletop rpgs. Typically, very serious gamers make up their own games through adaptation and house rules.

 

[Torchlyte]

I think that is largely the point...not the whole point, but most of it. If you want a complex but versatile game then modular 3E is for you. If you want something that you can just play (at least without hours and hours of prep and learning) then 4E is for you. Really, this is all it comes down to. Nether is perfect both are flawed. But each has separate strengths and weaknesses. Pick your poison.

Remember, D&D is the gateway drug of tabletop rpgs. Typically, very serious gamers make up their own games through adaptation and house rules.

...or with hours of prep, but without spending x of those hours fiddling with 3e's obtuse rules.

 

[corwyn77]

I think that is largely the point...not the whole point, but most of it. If you want a complex but versatile game then modular 3E is for you. If you want something that you can just play (at least without hours and hours of prep and learning) then 4E is for you. Really, this is all it comes down to. Nether is perfect both are flawed. But each has separate strengths and weaknesses. Pick your poison.

Yup, and this is exactly the reason my universal system of choice has changed from gurps to savage worlds in the past few years and why I'm considering (decided, really) running my first dnd game since 1e.

 

[ptolemy18]

Heck I'm just happy D&D is still attracking new players. Hope they have fun.

JesterOC

I know -- in particular, the "random hot 20ish girl suddenly deciding to buy the Player's Handbook" phenomenon is fairly rare in my experience. I think it's the hipster factor though. Could D&D now be... APPEALINGLY RETRO? ~_~

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I know -- in particular, the "random hot 20ish girl suddenly deciding to buy the Player's Handbook" phenomenon is fairly rare in my experience. I think it's the hipster factor though. Could D&D now be... APPEALINGLY RETRO? ~_~

I wanted first to answer and ridicule for your "jump to conclusions" or "role-player fantasies" about calling the girl hot despite no allusion to this in the original post, but then I checked the poster name - You know what you're talking about..