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Message: <blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 5384694" data-attributes="member: 3400">Hmmm... interesting blog post and a bit surprising. 4e was designed with the idea of individual turns taking less time than in previous editions. Powers were more tightly written for less ambiguity in the rulings and were designed to fit on an easy-reference card for fewer rule lookups. The rules themselves are written to be simpler to use as well and, I think, well formatted in the PH to make them easy to find and use. So I'm a bit surprised that the blogger is critiquing that aspect of the 4e rules. Many of the complaints I read (and agree with based on my 4e experiences) have more to do with the combats dragging on because of the durability of combatants and relatively low damage dealt out. Quicker turns but many more of them.That said, PF can take a while to run combats as well. Individual turns may require more DM adjudication (and thus time) particularly with spells that have more broad and open-ended descriptions, but enemies can fall fast and furiously (as can PCs). If that appeals to you more than your 4e experience, then you've got little to lose by giving it a try, particularly when the PF core rules PDF is only $10.One major difference between 1e and PF that will affect combat resolution time is the emphasis on tactical movement and abilities. PF, being based on 3.5, incorporates a lot more of that than 1e did. If you use those elements and a playing grid, combats will take longer, though perhaps not as long as they might in 4e. But for the most part, they take longer really based on the amount of care players take in plotting their moves. Some players like taking the time for superior tactical play, others not so much. That's a balance that's hard for a set of game rules to get right for all players and styles of play. Personally, I prefer PF over 4e. I like the more open-ended aspect of magic and actions that can be taken by players. I like many of the other design decisions in PF over 4e. But it's true that combats do take longer than they did back in 1e/2e days. The tactical focus is different and, to a point, I'm OK with that and can accept the differences in play time.</blockquote>

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