I'll get to try out 4e this weekend, advice?
- Thread starter Voadam
- Start date
Most of the points have been covered really.
Don't expect 3E.
In fact, don't expect anything you associate with DnD.
I would have enjoyed the game (at the start) much more if it hadn't been called DnD. I'm finally almost over my issues with that 10 months in. If you think of it as 'generic fantasy game' instead of 'Dungeons and Dragons' you won't get caught out as much by things you thought you knew.
Don't fret if the rules don't make sense when compared with the real world. It's a game, they're game rules, not simulation rules. This issue caused a lot of trouble in my early games.
Do read the combat chapter again. Multiple times if you can. It's not terribly easy to read, but there were a lot of little points I didn't notice when I first skimmed it.
If you can find someone to play with, or don't mind "solo'ing", run a mock encounter with a few quickly built 1st level PCs. It will help concrete your understanding of the rules before you jump into the real game. I suggest 3 pcs vs 4-5 kobolds or goblins. Keep it simple, and just focus on how the game works. Don't worry about dailies or action points or doing anything too complex.
Don't expect 3E.
In fact, don't expect anything you associate with DnD.
I would have enjoyed the game (at the start) much more if it hadn't been called DnD. I'm finally almost over my issues with that 10 months in. If you think of it as 'generic fantasy game' instead of 'Dungeons and Dragons' you won't get caught out as much by things you thought you knew.
Don't fret if the rules don't make sense when compared with the real world. It's a game, they're game rules, not simulation rules. This issue caused a lot of trouble in my early games.
Do read the combat chapter again. Multiple times if you can. It's not terribly easy to read, but there were a lot of little points I didn't notice when I first skimmed it.
If you can find someone to play with, or don't mind "solo'ing", run a mock encounter with a few quickly built 1st level PCs. It will help concrete your understanding of the rules before you jump into the real game. I suggest 3 pcs vs 4-5 kobolds or goblins. Keep it simple, and just focus on how the game works. Don't worry about dailies or action points or doing anything too complex.
Bodhiwolff
First Post
This might seem odd, but my advice is to make your own power cards. Don't rely on the ones that are automatically generated -- they contain more information than you'll need, and are too dense to act as a streamlining tool.
When I make power cards for new players, I make sure to use finalized calculations based on that character. Cutting out that small amount of math really, really speeds things up (and no, these aren't illiterate morons -- it is simply that streamlining things by doing the calculations ahead of time does indeed save time, energy, and effort in the long run).
I've found that after I make my own power cards (re-naming the powers to things that are more thematically enjoyable for my particular character), then things go much more smoothly. Furthermore, the simple act of typing out and designing your own cards also helps solidify the way each power functions in your head, and helps trigger your memory in the heat of the moment when you're trying to recall all of your options.
And seriously ... I can't stress enough how much more fun it is once you've re-themed and re-named the powers to fit your own character's particular style. Sure, the numbers are the same, and the description is essentially just fluff, but when my monk player throws down with "... I just wanted to destroy something beautiful!" everybody knows exactly where his head is at.
With a minimum of effort, you can make your first game much more enjoyable.
When I make power cards for new players, I make sure to use finalized calculations based on that character. Cutting out that small amount of math really, really speeds things up (and no, these aren't illiterate morons -- it is simply that streamlining things by doing the calculations ahead of time does indeed save time, energy, and effort in the long run).
I've found that after I make my own power cards (re-naming the powers to things that are more thematically enjoyable for my particular character), then things go much more smoothly. Furthermore, the simple act of typing out and designing your own cards also helps solidify the way each power functions in your head, and helps trigger your memory in the heat of the moment when you're trying to recall all of your options.
And seriously ... I can't stress enough how much more fun it is once you've re-themed and re-named the powers to fit your own character's particular style. Sure, the numbers are the same, and the description is essentially just fluff, but when my monk player throws down with "... I just wanted to destroy something beautiful!" everybody knows exactly where his head is at.
With a minimum of effort, you can make your first game much more enjoyable.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Great advice. The pre-generated ones the Character Builder makes do have useless information, and don't have some important data pre-calculated (like secondary damage).
I'd suggest NOT renaming everything until your second character, because doing so hinders anyone else at the table from helping you learn how your powers work. (We have an inexperienced player who did exactly that, and it frustrated both him and us that nobody knew exactly what "Thundering Righteous Might" was supposed to do.)
Cheers, -- N
