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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JeffB" data-source="post: 4485348" data-attributes="member: 518">Speaking as a DM/GM I could cite lots of games that really make me appreciate 4E- there are many games where I've really enjoyed the setting/world and/or flavor etc but the game system/mechanics  itself let me very cold. Lejendary Adventures is one- pure Gygaxian goodness-what a fun read- a "reimagining" of D&D if you will. The spells, their names, the monsters, the magic items, etc- Just awesome flavor- but yikes, what a goofy system (and it's still loads better than DJ was).But really the previous editions of the D&D game are what makes me appreciate 4E so much. Over the years I've come to realize much of what I loved about the previous versions of the game was the stories-the settings- the flavor/fluff-the great modules, etc. The actual rules I've come to not really care for. All the things I really liked about OD&D/B-X,1E and 2E were not the rules/mechanics themselves. I constantly was having to do serious amounts of tinkering. That's work. I don't like that kind of work (I know some do, I do not).  3E got back to alot of that classic 1E flavor (both intentions and supplemental material) and with a set of core mechanics that was a big improvement- but again ended up being too much work- preparing the game- the godawful amount of rules, high level play, etc etc. Not for me thanks.C&C is another example- C&C came close to giving me what I wanted, but I find I have to tinker as much as I did with previous versions but in a different way- I like rules light systems that are narrative in nature (like say Herowars/Heroquest), but the SIEGE mechanic just doesn't quite sit well with me- sure it's simple and fast but isn't  granular enough for me nor does it really inspire/encourage narrative. With C&C I have to ADD a bunch of stuff (skills, feats or other material from other vesrions of D&D). So again that's more work.  That said, I do like it quite a bit- and I've no issue playing or running it- it works.So with 4E now I have that set of rules that are pretty flexible (more-so than the pre 3E systems), but that is not laden with and bogged down in minutiae. It has enough granularity, while still inspiring/encouraging narrative. The game is focused and streamlined in many areas. It's much easier to prepare for and run than 3.X. It has a focus on "fun"  (I hate to say that, because of all the WOTC marketing BS-but it's true, for me). It has a focus on cutting through the BS slave to the rules mentality and getting on with the adventure itself. As I've gotten older, these are the things I really appreciate in a game (any game). I'm even enjoying the re-working of the "fluff" (Planes, etc) as it smacks of B/X D&D to me. 4E is not perfect , but overall it does what I want/need "right outta the box" with minimal fuss.In turn 4E has made me appreciate other game systems more than I used to- As an example I've always absolutely loved CoC for it's subject matter. But I've also come to realize CoC's genius is that first and foremost it is about the characters,the adventure and the excitement (or dread <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/laugh.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing    :lol:" data-shortname=":lol:" /> )- While there are huge differences in theme and and actual gameplay obviously, 4E has that similar mindset of "lets get on with the adventure" (while this is not prevalent in the rules themselves, the DMG enforces this quite often directly, and the MM indirectly with it's no-nonsense approach to adversaries)</blockquote>

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