Essentials missing simple casters

[Quickleaf]

Just finished reading through the cleric and wizard in HotFL... and they're just as complex as their PHB counterparts! I get the idea of having classes with varying skill levels of play, but where's an easy to play caster? I mean if you're bringing kids, significant others, or friends into D&D some of them are going to want to play magic users. Why not make a caster more like the Essentials fighter with a narrow spell repetoire modified by stances? Or something along those lines?

 

[The Human Target]

I'm not an Essentials fan, but the classes in the HotFL aren't all supposed to be less complex than their PHB counterparts.

They're supposed to harken back to older editions, in which the fighter types were less complicated and the spellcasters more complicated by comparison.

I actually think the Essentials Wizard is more complicated than the PHB wizard is several ways, and the cleric is about the same.

 

[malraux]

Sorcerers are pretty simple.

 

[Klaus]

We have yet to see the Essentials warlock.

That being said, the regular warlock and sorcerer are very simple.

 

[Quickleaf]

I've noticed the newer gamers in our group tending toward spellcasters, and one actually is a sorcerer, but they consistently get overwhelmed by their power choices. Thing is they're all very bright women who were in my old 4e campaign. I was hoping to find some easier caster classes (yes easier than sorcerer ) in the Essentials line... Who knows maybe e-warlock will be a perfect match...

 

[Vaeron]

They're easier in that you don't always have to swap out your powers; replacing a lower level power to get a higher level power isn't something that happens much in Essentials - or if it does it's replacing it with a higher level version of the same power (as with Warpriests)

 

[UHF]

Ummm...

My 6 year old daughter has no problem running a mobile Rogue in full 4e.
My 8 year old son has no problem running a full 4e wizard.
My wife has no problem running a full 4e fighter.
...
many more younger kids and experienced adults are playing just fine. Often with little or no explanation.

Umm.. This is simple. Try explaining AD&D to them.

 

[Ainamacar]

Ummm...

My 6 year old daughter has no problem running a mobile Rogue in full 4e.
My 8 year old son has no problem running a full 4e wizard.
My wife has no problem running a full 4e fighter.
...
many more younger kids and experienced adults are playing just fine. Often with little or no explanation.

Umm.. This is simple. Try explaining AD&D to them.

Can we try again with a little less condescension? What one is capable of playing isn't necessarily what one wants to play.

Sometimes I embrace complexity, sometimes I tolerate it, and other times I want to blow things up with fireball over and over again. I expect at least some other players are the same.

 

[Vaeron]

Ummm...

My 6 year old daughter has no problem running a mobile Rogue in full 4e.
My 8 year old son has no problem running a full 4e wizard.
My wife has no problem running a full 4e fighter.
...
many more younger kids and experienced adults are playing just fine. Often with little or no explanation.

Umm.. This is simple. Try explaining AD&D to them.

While I agree it is quite simple, and Essentials makes it even easier to have a focused, easy-to-use character, the Umms, frankly, make you sound like a bit of an ass.

I think the people who have had the most problem with 4e aren't the newcomers, but those who come into it with pre-conceptions drawn from earlier editions (especially 3.5).

I greatly approve of the new builds, though I think some of the existing cleric builds are superior to the Warpriest. But as far as ease of use goes - the Warpriest is head and shoulders over someone trying to balance out a PHB/Divine Power cleric, if more limited.

 

[Quickleaf]

Shoots that's one sharp 6 year old! Well since I'm not DM for this campaign AD&D isn't an option, and casters really are just as complex in that edition... Don't get me wrong we have a blast, it's just our newer players take a long time to decide what to do and often get confused about what their powers do exactly. Thing I think they did just fine with 3rd edition. One of the things I like about essentials are the casual normal print descriptions of powers. I think that could go a long way for players who aren't tactically minded. Anyhow I think a 'stance' based caster could work really well.