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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5293064" data-attributes="member: 42582">I agree with this. I just wanted to add that, as far as I am concerned, this is a feature and not a bug. For me at least, one reason for preferring 4e over other fantasy RPGs that I am familiar with and could be GMing instead is that it has solid encounter-building guidelines, and well-designed monsters for using in accordance with those guidelines.I've had a lot of experience GMing a system - Rolemaster - in which the monster design reflected purist-for-system simulationist priorities. Such a system makes it easy to draw upon the game mechanics to answer hypothetical questions about world design, relative strength of monsters, likely ecologies, etc. But it is very hard, in such a system, to reliably build encounters that will play out well at the table.From my point of view, 4e's sacrifice of monster stats as world-buidling tools in favour of monster stats as encounter-building tools is a very good thing. I can build a world without needing stats to guide me, but I can't run an RPG without relying on the stats. I therefore very much appreciate 4e's front-and-centre focus on actual play at the table.</blockquote>