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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 5657682" data-attributes="member: 996">'Casual players,' sure.  They exist.  Maybe they're at the table for social interaction, or maybe they like playing a role, but not dealing with minutiae of mechanics.  4e already seemed pretty forgiving, to me - compared to 3.5, anyway - it takes very little 'optimization' to make a viable 4e character.  Essentials takes it farther.  In some ways, it's fine.  There's nothing wrong with a few more SAD classes that don't give you devilish stat trade-offs to juggle, and certainly nothing wrong with getting away from dual-primary classes.  There's nothing wrong with a build that has a sort of 'power steering' - a clear set of default choices that flow from a single choice about general concept.  You pick axe or sword, sun or storm, evocation or enchantment, and *boom* a viable path for your character is right there, no /need/ to go further.But, begginer or casual player, they may want to deviate from that obvious path a bit at some point.  With a Mage, you start out able to deviate from the obvious path, you maybe even have to think about it a bit, because it's not quite /perfectly/ obviuos, not dictated to you.  With a Warpriest, you can't deviate much from the path, your initial domain choice dictates much of your future choices over the next 30 levels.  With a Slayer, choice of weapon is about it.   While Essentials delivers on the mandate to provide simpler classes, it does it haphazardly and with prejudice.  Some concepts can't ever be that simple, some can never grow in complexity with the player.On top of that, the simplest classes are all martial.  So there's a link between concept and player experience/seriousness.  If you're the new/casual guy, you're put in the martial ghetto.  No dailies, no choices for you.  Want to play an archanist?  Too bad, they're too 'advanced' for you.  Once you've learned that lesson, and graduated to playing 'real' classes as you begin to master the game, why even look back at the other martial characters in the obsolete PH1?  Yeah, Essentials is designed for new & casual players.  It also patronizes them and, in it's zeal for AD&D retro-nostalgic 'feel,' teaches them old-school prejudices, as well.  Successful at some it's goals?  Yes.  Good for the game overall?  No.</blockquote>

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