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In Defense of the Theory of Dissociated Mechanics
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<blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 5624378" data-attributes="member: 87792"><p>Links?</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I had to re-read what I wrote to check I did what I intended to. Because you have apparently completely misread me and made a mistake with your terminology. Encounters is not Essentials. Essentials is a set of rulebooks and rules for 4e. Encounters is an organised play program. And it is designed to be drop in and lowest common denominator set up for new players.</p><p> </p><p>Any set of games designed for drop in sessions with completely new players and DMs who have never DMd before and that is using exactly the same scenarios throughout the world <em>must</em> be lowest common denominator. And there is a point to it being lowest common denominator. Calling it lowest common denominator is no more an insult than many descriptions of the Tomb of Horrors. I can criticise The Forest Oracle or Tomb of Horrors without it being a reflection on the system. And Encounters is effectively a set of modules like those two. It's excellent at getting people through the door to start playing 4e and from that perspective is a resounding success. But can leave people with the impression that's all 4e is at which point I don't blame them for giving up any more than I would people who thought that ToH was all there was to AD&D.</p><p> </p><p>Essentials on the other hand is effectively a set of splatbooks that adds some nice things to D&D 4e for players that had been left in the cold. And for the record, the Essentials thief is more competent out of combat than the PHB rogue while being less tricky in combat. Likewise for the ranger builds. So saying that Essentials was all about the combat when compared to pre-Essentials D&D is IMO counter-factual (although they should have provided much more ritual support).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Neonchameleon, post: 5624378, member: 87792"] Links? I had to re-read what I wrote to check I did what I intended to. Because you have apparently completely misread me and made a mistake with your terminology. Encounters is not Essentials. Essentials is a set of rulebooks and rules for 4e. Encounters is an organised play program. And it is designed to be drop in and lowest common denominator set up for new players. Any set of games designed for drop in sessions with completely new players and DMs who have never DMd before and that is using exactly the same scenarios throughout the world [I]must[/I] be lowest common denominator. And there is a point to it being lowest common denominator. Calling it lowest common denominator is no more an insult than many descriptions of the Tomb of Horrors. I can criticise The Forest Oracle or Tomb of Horrors without it being a reflection on the system. And Encounters is effectively a set of modules like those two. It's excellent at getting people through the door to start playing 4e and from that perspective is a resounding success. But can leave people with the impression that's all 4e is at which point I don't blame them for giving up any more than I would people who thought that ToH was all there was to AD&D. Essentials on the other hand is effectively a set of splatbooks that adds some nice things to D&D 4e for players that had been left in the cold. And for the record, the Essentials thief is more competent out of combat than the PHB rogue while being less tricky in combat. Likewise for the ranger builds. So saying that Essentials was all about the combat when compared to pre-Essentials D&D is IMO counter-factual (although they should have provided much more ritual support). [/QUOTE]
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