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D&D Older Editions
In Defense of 4E - a New Campaign Perspective
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<blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 7554452" data-attributes="member: 6667921"><p><strong>Complaint #1: Combats Take Forever</strong></p><p>Yes they did, and the reasons are varied and well documented. Keep in mind that 4e was designed to make combat encounters the centerpiece of the game, so putting a lot of focus on it wasn't the problem. The problem was the <em>every</em> combat encounter was meant to be a grand spectacle. Even the small, "insignificant" ones became a major event that would take up the next 1-2 hours of play. Notice how there weren't any wandering monster tables in that edition? Or perhaps we should've clued into the fact that one of the regular social weekly events was named "Encounters", not "Adventurer's"-something?</p><p></p><p>Believe it or not, my PbP game was suffering from extended encounters as well. Sure, the average combat was going to take a few weeks to get through via message board posting, but that was expected. But one of our earliest battles nearly reached the two month mark, which I found unacceptable. Everyone was posting regularly. The encounter was designed for average difficulty. So what was the biggest culprit? A lot of bad rolls.</p><p></p><p>I can't explain why, but the dice roller on the site was heavily sided against good rolls for either side. Both players and monsters were missing frequently, which made the battle continue on and on. It was more frustrating for the players who attempted to use their limited Encounter or Daily powers only to have wasted it with a bad roll. Even at the Encounters game, nothing upset a player more (myself included when I did play) then losing the use of a special power or ability because you rolled lower than expected, even when the odds were in your favor. This was just another reason why I disliked the d20 mechanic through every edition, only this time I did something about it.</p><p></p><p>After some discussion with the group and a little tinkering on my part, I decided to swap out the d20 for a 3d6 roll. Just for the players. I came up with some simple house rules to handle critical hits, and special cases like Elven Accuracy. The results were favorable, to say the least. Without changing any other stats, like hit points, defenses, or DCs, things started going better and everyone was enjoying the game a lot more. By reducing the reliance of luck on the dice rolls, the players felt their character choices and actions meant a whole lot more. Suddenly, that +2 from the Aid Another action was a lot more valuable, and team work was crucial to hit those higher values. Fewer misses also meant more damage dealt--an important factor when dealing with the meatier HP of 4e--and less powers wasted.</p><p></p><p>I kept the d20 for the monster side of things. The players probably wouldn't survive long against monsters who were suddenly better with their aim. Plus, it retained some semblance of lucky dice rolls, both for and against the characters. And it was relatively easy to beef up the encounters as needed by introducing an extra standard, elite, or a squad of minions. Players still needed to manage their resources, which was a more prominent feature in 4e than other editions: it wasn't just for wizards and healing potions anymore! </p><p></p><p><strong>Complaint #2: You Can't Roleplay</strong></p><p>EDIT: Yeah, I can't even address this one without the risk of offending. Granted, a lot of people become hyper-focused on the decision-making and optimizing in combat, especially in 4e, but since when has that ever meant you need to stop the roleplaying? Let's just say the only thing that can stop someone from roleplaying is that person. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>So, how about that Skill Challenge thing? Anyone curious how I made it <a href="https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=121988" target="_blank">work</a>? <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>NOTE: Just so everyone knows, the link goes to a thread in my archived forum game. It contains a huge encounter map with a skill challenge built into part of the design. You can't post in it, and some of the images are missing thanks to Photobucket.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jacob Lewis, post: 7554452, member: 6667921"] [B]Complaint #1: Combats Take Forever[/B] Yes they did, and the reasons are varied and well documented. Keep in mind that 4e was designed to make combat encounters the centerpiece of the game, so putting a lot of focus on it wasn't the problem. The problem was the [I]every[/I] combat encounter was meant to be a grand spectacle. Even the small, "insignificant" ones became a major event that would take up the next 1-2 hours of play. Notice how there weren't any wandering monster tables in that edition? Or perhaps we should've clued into the fact that one of the regular social weekly events was named "Encounters", not "Adventurer's"-something? Believe it or not, my PbP game was suffering from extended encounters as well. Sure, the average combat was going to take a few weeks to get through via message board posting, but that was expected. But one of our earliest battles nearly reached the two month mark, which I found unacceptable. Everyone was posting regularly. The encounter was designed for average difficulty. So what was the biggest culprit? A lot of bad rolls. I can't explain why, but the dice roller on the site was heavily sided against good rolls for either side. Both players and monsters were missing frequently, which made the battle continue on and on. It was more frustrating for the players who attempted to use their limited Encounter or Daily powers only to have wasted it with a bad roll. Even at the Encounters game, nothing upset a player more (myself included when I did play) then losing the use of a special power or ability because you rolled lower than expected, even when the odds were in your favor. This was just another reason why I disliked the d20 mechanic through every edition, only this time I did something about it. After some discussion with the group and a little tinkering on my part, I decided to swap out the d20 for a 3d6 roll. Just for the players. I came up with some simple house rules to handle critical hits, and special cases like Elven Accuracy. The results were favorable, to say the least. Without changing any other stats, like hit points, defenses, or DCs, things started going better and everyone was enjoying the game a lot more. By reducing the reliance of luck on the dice rolls, the players felt their character choices and actions meant a whole lot more. Suddenly, that +2 from the Aid Another action was a lot more valuable, and team work was crucial to hit those higher values. Fewer misses also meant more damage dealt--an important factor when dealing with the meatier HP of 4e--and less powers wasted. I kept the d20 for the monster side of things. The players probably wouldn't survive long against monsters who were suddenly better with their aim. Plus, it retained some semblance of lucky dice rolls, both for and against the characters. And it was relatively easy to beef up the encounters as needed by introducing an extra standard, elite, or a squad of minions. Players still needed to manage their resources, which was a more prominent feature in 4e than other editions: it wasn't just for wizards and healing potions anymore! [B]Complaint #2: You Can't Roleplay[/B] EDIT: Yeah, I can't even address this one without the risk of offending. Granted, a lot of people become hyper-focused on the decision-making and optimizing in combat, especially in 4e, but since when has that ever meant you need to stop the roleplaying? Let's just say the only thing that can stop someone from roleplaying is that person. :) So, how about that Skill Challenge thing? Anyone curious how I made it [URL="https://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=121988"]work[/URL]? ;) NOTE: Just so everyone knows, the link goes to a thread in my archived forum game. It contains a huge encounter map with a skill challenge built into part of the design. You can't post in it, and some of the images are missing thanks to Photobucket. [/QUOTE]
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