D&D 4E Is there a "Cliffs Notes" summary of the entire 4E experience?

[Kraztur]

Yes, I need to consult with you. I'm accumulating all the analogies for further study. So far, I've got ice cream (vanilla and pistachio so far), cars, brocolli, stew with rice, Transformers Age of Extinction, and one sweater. Did I miss anything?

Wasn't there one about fruit in there somewhere...apricots vs oranges maybe?

I don't recall. Is 4E the apricot or the orange? This is important.

 

[Imaro]

The conditions the power imposes are based on the fiction - what is actually going on in the game world.

Yeah this is kind of self evident and not the point of page 42... having a condition that is balanced in power, repeatable or non-repeatable, etc. like damage is laid out would be the point...

Creating powers isn't hard. The hard part is getting them onto the character builder.

I agree anyone can slap something together and call it a power... now creating a power that is balanced compared to others isn't what I would call easy or even possible just using page 42...

 

[keterys]

I know Heinsoo & Tweat made reference to 'Fantasy Heartbreakers,' but I still don't see what that's really supposed to mean, nor what 'heartbreaker' has to do with it.

From the quote I saw, it sounded like a 'heartbreaker' was just a clone with one or two specific/dramatic changes. Hardly sounds like the kind of thing that'd metaphorically damage any vital organ.

Article on where the term fantasy heartbreaker came from here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/9/

 

[Lalato]

No*, the other threads are intentional parodies. This thread is an unintentional self-parody. I will now annoy you by arguing something you never said. Is it working?

/intentional parody **

* Beginning with "No" makes it confrontational even though I'm not disagreeing with you
** that adds nothing to this discussion which makes it a hypocritical self-parody which is extra ironic

Gosh darn you, it's working! I am steaming mad. In fact, so much steam is streaming from my ears that you could cook all manner of vegetables.

 

[Alzrius]

Alzarius gets stopped when he can't fill in the blanks which is why he needs associated systems.

Filling in the blanks isn't a problem - the problem is when the blanks deliberately separate you from your character. Hence why Glowlizard needs dissociated systems, since he can't play a character that's apart from himself.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I know Heinsoo & Tweat made reference to 'Fantasy Heartbreakers,' but I still don't see what that's really supposed to mean, nor what 'heartbreaker' has to do with it.

From the quote I saw, it sounded like a 'heartbreaker' was just a clone with one or two specific/dramatic changes. Hardly sounds like the kind of thing that'd metaphorically damage any vital organ.

Fantasy Heartbreakers was a term invented by Ron Edwards to describe a lot of independently published RPGs that are basically AD&D with the serial numbers filed off and slightly houseruled (since then the term has been extended to parts of the d20 glut, and to oWoD with the serial numbers filed off). The commonalities he points to in a survey of nine are fascinating:

• All of these games have skill lists.
• All of them except one have randomized attribute systems, but also an extensive set of secondary attributes which serve to homogenize the actual Effective values (i.e., those used in play).
• All of them greatly emphasize character race (species, really) as a major modifier of the randomized attribute system.
• All of them have levels in one fashion or another, but interestingly, in all cases, a very diminished version of levels with not-terribly-notable effects on the character's game effectiveness, compared with the role of skill proficiency.
• All of them "crunchify" D&D combat in a RuneQuest or Rolemaster or DragonQuest fashion, placing emphasis on individual character speed and action-by-action (freeze-frame) resolution.
• Almost all of them rely heavily on damage rolls, but make some effort to integrate "how well you hit" into the final effect.
• All of them have one speedy-race, one or more brute-race, and one pretty-race (either winged humanoids or kitty-people), as well as the standard elves and dwarves.
• Not one uses a D&D style magic system (much more about this later).

 

[Neonchameleon]

Filling in the blanks isn't a problem - the problem is when the blanks deliberately separate you from your character. Hence why Glowlizard needs dissociated systems, since he can't play a character that's apart from himself.

And that's so far from the mark it's funny.

 

[Kraztur]

Gosh darn you, it's working! I am steaming mad. In fact, so much steam is streaming from my ears that you could cook all manner of vegetables.

That's just dissociated cooking.

 

[Ratskinner]

I don't recall. Is 4E the apricot or the orange? This is important.

I think its the apricot and CaGI is the pit.


...or maybe it was the orange and AEDU was the rind.

 

[Alzrius]

And that's so far from the mark it's funny.

Not nearly as much as the comment it was in reply to.