Reynard said:
The playstyle doesn't rely on them, but doesn't have to detract from them either.
Encounter based design as it is in SWSE does nothing against a long session. In fact, I've noticed the opposite since at the end of four hours resources of the party are strained, but not exhausted. Both players and characters are able to go on without danger of over extending themselves.
Fast leveling and delay of gratification are not exclusive. My game right now levels about every two to three weeks (I give bigger chalanges than they should face for thier level. It is a miracle they have survived) and yet my players strain and yearn for the next accomplishment. Leveling is a nice little happy moment, but gratification wont come until Inquisitor Tenebrous lays dead before them. I prefer to see levels as something inconsequential to gratification compared to GOALS.
The theory is that level 30 adventures won't be as daunting to run and play as they are now, not that they will be identical to 5th level adventures. Everything I've heard or seen indicates that tactically and thematically the game will still be very different in epic levels compared to heroic. In theory. The game should still have an evolving playstyle.
Sandboxes are more fun with tools and toys. Characters and quests are tools and toys (interchangably). So are quest cards. They can add focus when things are wandering and bring up new direction when people are contemplating them. Okay, if they are tied down to "do x then y and get z reward" then they aren't so hot. If they are more like "Scene 24, rewarded by Z" and the players can get Z by answering the questions properly, building a bridge across the gorge, tricking the old man into saying "I don't know that," killing him or anything else they think of then awesome. right now though, they sound like 2nd edition rewards with a visual and tactile reminder. Nifty.
