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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Firebeetle" data-source="post: 5438746" data-attributes="member: 34506">I've been playing D&D and RPGs for 30 years, I love 4E and I'm never going back. Why:A.) As a DM, I'm finally no longer a slave to the rules. Now the rules serve me. If I want to create something, I do it. Making dynamic encounters far better than anything that used to be possible is child's play. Once I spent three hours statting up a villain that the player he was built to fight took out in three rounds of lucky rolls (and unlucky roles for me.) That was 3e, I felt like such a tool.I can now devote my prep time to making my game awesome, instead of worrying about it just being 'street legal'.B.) More options for players. 4e takes all the wacky things players used to attempt and gives them a codified rule set to do it with. This is a good thing. Before, melee classes really had two choices, hit with my missile weapon or hit with my melee weapon. After collecting some feats they might get to do something kind of cool. Now, each 1st level character rocks and has something cool to do every turn. I love that feature. Player can still try to do wacky things, a good encounter should have lots of terrain features that encourage this. Want to swing from the chandalier? OK, here's the rule. Want to get the stack of barrels rolling down the hallway? Here it is. 4e isn't the problem, people trying to play 4e while still in 3e mode is the problem.C.) Skill challenges. I love skill challenges, they take what I used to do (ah, roll a skill check. You're closer to your goal now. . .) and codifies it. I now have a mechanic to handle things, AND it handles lengths of time. Players want to build a smuggler's network? OK Players have to survive winter in Icewind Dale? Got it.Between my ability to make combat encounters quickly, and skill challenges being able to handle anything the players think they can do, I can completely improvise is the PCs go off the plot wagon. This used to kill sessions in 3.5 as I would wrap it up so I could plan for next week.D.) Miniatures and terrain. You obviously don't like the dynamic battlemap, and that's a shame. I got into miniatures during 3e, and now I'm adding terrain bits. I like that the map is always changing. Before, miniatures represented where players started and where they ended up, surrounding some beastie and doing their best impression of LAPD vs. Rodney King. Now they fight teams of monsters and everyone is constantly moving. I love this, it's fun and engaging and my efforts on miniatures and terrain always seem more valuable.YMMV, but I love 4e and I'm not going back. It's not all about combat, most of the preprinted adventures are, but 4e is more capable of roleplaying, not less. Players now need to think a little like DMs and describe what they do, just like we did back in the day. I don't think 4e is the problem, I think it's your thinking about 4e that is the problem, no offense intended (and you are not the only one doing so).Good luck with whatever you choose.</blockquote>

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