I've been reading the debate on 4th edition for quite some time on here... I'm an affectionate reader of ENWorld. And I never posted... mostly because it felt like talking about something I knew a shadow of an hint to an hypothesis, and that isn't something I think is right to do.
But right now, after reading several threads (quite a lot considering it's been 3 months since the announcement) I feel like I do have something to say.
It's not a very nice thing. But it isn't about 4th edition. It's about us: us gamers. All of us.
Why in the world do we have to polarize on EVERYTHING? why does EVERYTHING have to be reason to say "I'm right" "No *I'm* right" "That means you can't play" "That means YOU can't even count"... and the ever-present "Things were better when I was younger!"We have a hobby. I think it's the best hobby in the world, better than sports, than chess, than origami, even better than cooking. Why do we have to rabble and fight about things that in NO WAY can touch or alter ANYTHING of how we live and play in that hobby?
The article is a quite interesting piece about QUESTS: something that is part and parcel in a game which links adventures, and probably a little less in games where adventures are more or less linked only by the fact the same characters participate in each. (DISCLAIMER: BOTH are the CORRECT way of playing. Reason is, ANY WAY of playing a game which lets all participants have fun IS THE CORRECT WAY. That is, unless someone gets hurt, of course.) In any case, the suggestion in the article is:
Games are often story-driven.
Stories are called quests in RPG-speak.
When you present your players with a quest, (which I would say, is whenever they meet something or someone or do something or DON'T do something: it's a quest to retrieve the scepter for the legitimate prince, it's a quest to find a cure for your mentor, it's a quest to disable the security systems for the building you want to get in) it's suggestible - if you use it for a plot purpose - that you help the players remember it.
One way of helping players remember quests is writing them down.
One way of writing them down is on index cards.
While you're at it, you can also write on the index card that the quest has been proposed by someone who offers a monetary reward. Or the reward of a fiefdom.
Also, you can make several index cards. The same object, for example, might be something one players covets, another wants to destroy, and another wants to sell. (You could even make all 3 cards, and give each player his own. The paladin's could say "Your mentor often mentioned a book during sermons on the foulness of necromancy. It is a tome bound in blue dragonskin, with a mummified dragon eye on the cover, and gold trimmings. It's the evil Karethinopulous' spell book - and it contains, among other things, details on a ritual most foul. Your mentor wants it destroyed.", the wizard's "Your research has hit an obstacle. You need details on the five secret runes of ancient Arathnian mages. As far as you know, the greatest expert ever on the subject was Karethinopulous the Cerulean, a Necromancer. His spell books, famous for their rare blue dragonhide binding, probably are your best source for information.", and the thief's might say "Seems wizard Guilds are always after a book or another. You've heard that some Karethinopulous penned a tome, time ago, which is quite coveted by the local wizard guild - probably contains some special spell. They'd pay quite handsomely for the thingie. Book is bound in blue dragonhide - which probably means the guy who wrote it wasn't exactly a newbie at magicky stuff, 'specially if he harvested the hide himself. Better be very careful and double check for magical traps... you don't want to end like "Lefty" Rapshanders, after all."
Where is the railroading? in giving a quest? then don't give quests: the problem isn't with the system.
where is the computer-gameyness? in giving a quest? then don't give quests: the problem isn't with the system
Where is the fall of RPGing as we know and love it?
Nowhere. I'm sorry, I REALLY don't want to say anything to offend anyone, but it just isn't there.
As for the "oversystemification"... I'm sorry, but just like anything else, it's simply SUGGESTED that you use guidelines to make quests. You could also give a starter quest: "defeat the lich Karnazooul de'ftahng" at first level, when players begin playing. It's not something they CAN or will WANT to do right away, but for many reasons each of them wants to get there. and HOW they get there will be the adventure.
As for new player's expectations, I don't really understand that problem. Either people play and have fun the same way you do - in which case playing together will be fun - or they have a different idea of how to have fun, and probably playing together will be less enjoyable. But I don't understand how it can be a problem if a new young player says "I thought we'd get a card with what we are meant to do" and you as the DM say "Oh, I've read that... I don't use it. You probably could use some notes... sorry we didn't clear that up. Look, for the future, take notes of what you think your character would be interested in and thus would remember. For this time, here's what was said... I'm sure your character would notice, it's the kind of thing you told me he's always on the look for."
.. it's my 2 cents, of course. but really... why was news of a new edition - some things of which I think are quite interesting, and YES; they are interesting BECAUSE they are changes - enough to take a bunch of wonderful people like those found on here and make so many of them start rabidly attacking each other? especially when there's nothing to be rabid about...?
I'm really sorry if this offended anyone...
