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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DaveMage" data-source="post: 4498113" data-attributes="member: 10447">For my groups in 1E and 2E, all the combats took place without a battlemat and it was simple and *fast*.  When 3E came out, I used a battlemat & counters for the first time.  It took some getting used to, but I have grown to really like the visual part of it (especially with the release of the prepainted minis).  However, with 3.x, 4-5 combats a session is about the max whereas in 1E/2E, we could get through twice that (or more) with ease.3E, in essence, added an enhanced combat simulation framework ruleset into its core, which has been revved up even more in 4E.  Perhaps it has simply gone too far for some of us that have played since the early editions.  It's not that you can't roleplay or use your imagination in 4E--of course you can--, but with the focus of the game so much on the combat mechanics, maneuvers, and powers, it may simply be that it has taken over as the focus of the game rather than enhanced the RPG aspect.  I think 3.x was on the verge of crossing that line (and it certainly did for some), so maybe it's a natural progression, but this is probably why so many are considering and/or going back to OD&D, BEMCI, 1E and/or 2E.</blockquote>