NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sheadunne" data-source="post: 6244800" data-attributes="member: 27570">Summary of PBPI'm I was going to write out a long drawn out post talking in detail about the experience in regards to the questions and ideas presented in this thread, but it became too much. For the sake of simplicity I'm just going to bullet list a number of things that struck me.Personal Background<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I have limited exposure to 4e (A few games in the beginning and some reading along the way)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I have limited exposure to "indie games" (I have played a few MWP one-shots and have read DW, BW, Fate)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">For the last 10 years or so I have played in or ran numerous 3x and PF games and I ran one long 2 year CoC game)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I primarily view the DMs job as maintaining the story integrity (not in rules arbitration)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I primarily view the players job as having their characters take actions that further the story (not in playing their characters)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I think there's a balance inequity in regards to narrative influence in 3x between casters and non-caster usually represented by fighter/wizard</li> </ul>Impressions<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There appeared to be a mechanical and narrative balance between the wizard and fighter (example: Theren and the dogs and Quinn and the troll. Both rolled a single die to determine success and both influence in the narrative as a result). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">4e lent itself to the play style mostly through the use of rolls, which not all abilities in 3x have.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">4e has very little support for narrative mechanics but more than 3x. It is difficult to divorce 4e combat mechanics from the powers to make them entirely narrative in function. (example: Theren and the guards in the transition scene. This worked because of the play style not because of the 4e power itself. The intent was to push back the guards, not to injure them, which wasn't really possible using this particular 4e power nor maybe any. Is there a way to focus only on the effect and not on the damage?)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This play style does not appear to be a default for 4e and I felt primarily only worked because of a) single dice rolling mechanic and b) [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION]'s practiced technique and ability.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">3x is even less than ideal for the play style (Multiple rolling mechanics or none at all. Very little in the way of narrative influence in feats and abilities).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There seemed to be a lack of downtime to reflect. It is difficult to tell if this was a result of the play style, the nature of the PBP, 4e itself, or that the scene might have only taken an hour or two at the table. Personally I'm not sure I would be able to maintain that pace at the table. It is difficult to tell though based on the single scenario. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I enjoyed focusing on player intent which I feel often gets lost in my own 3x/PF games, but I worry that story gets lost as a result (Example: The focus on Lucann and the Dryad rather than the city and dragon). This might be because we ended the scene rather than continued, but it didn't look like the other players were focused on the big goals (Quinn was willing to fall off the cliff, Lucann seemed focused on saving the Dryad, and Thurgon seemed focused on saving his companions). I worry that the play style focuses too much on character and too little on story. This might be because it was a forced scene rather than organically developed over the course of 12 levels of play. Keep in mind that this is simply in regard to my own preferences and not a default issue with 4e or the play style. [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] certainly kept the scene shining toward the bigger goals (although if the dragon's appearance had happened before Thurgon and Theren had jumped down to the garden, would they have jumped?)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I certainly felt there were techniques available to the play style that lend itself to a good RPG experience for someone with my particular tastes. I don't think encounter based design of 4e gets me there. I'm not entirely sure 24-hour based design (3x) does either for that matter. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I think I would be willing to give it another go, but not as a PBP experience. I feel that without a good Table Top experience it would be difficult to know if my issues are really issues and not just poor reflection.</li> </ul>Anyway, those are some initial thoughts. I'm sure I didn't cover everything, but it's a start. Also when I talk about story, I suppose I'm talking about the bigger plot. The story of the game over the story of the character. I don't want people to think that I don't view Lucann's scene with the Dryad as non-story. It was a lovely story, but not as important to me (another player at the table) as the game story (saving the city and defeating the dragon). It felt like it should have been shuffled off to a transition scene rather than a focus of play. That's all for now.</blockquote>

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