I've DMed 4e and I PREFER DMing: A poll

[Vegepygmy]

It seems I'm squarely in the minority, but I prefer DMing 3e over 4e, pretty much for the same reasons that I prefer to cook with flame rather than microwaves; the latter may be (a lot) faster, but the end product doesn't taste as good to me.

 

[Glyfair]

I have said quite a few times to the rest of my group that I will never run 3.X again (which isn't quite true, but it will be exceptional cases like running the low-level Testament game I wanted to play for a while). If I am going to run D&D it will be 4E (I could run BD&D, but I haven't done it in over 30 years so would not be as comfortable as 4E).

There are other game systems I would like to DM. I am itching to try the new Heroquest when it is released as a non-convention exclusive. It fixes many of the things that I found tricky with the old version. I would run Fantasy Hero in a second if I had a preprepped adventure.

I would also run James Bond with the right players. I would want a few warm-up sessions to get used to the system again so I can put it in the background.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

I started my career as a DM with 3.5, or at least I tried to. I didn't find any sort of comfort zone until 4E, when I found I didn't even need to crack a rulebook during a session.

 

[Invisible Stalker]

I am also retired from running 3E campaigns and prefer 4E.

However, my favorite is still 1E and that gets the vote.

 

[bagger245]

I DMed 4th ed before and didn't have as much fun comapred to my PCs. I will only DM 2nd or earlier D&D due to it being freeform and I spend more time on the story rather than building encounters and stats..

 

[wedgeski]

With respect to D&D, I have no intention of DM'ing 3rd Edition again *ever*, unless someone begs me to (and pays me in Coca-Cola) at which point I'd probably pick up Pathfinder and give that a crack. 4E just works better for me in every department.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I'll DM either. I'd prefer 4e.

And to let you in on a secret, I'd prep 3.5 very much like I'd prep 4e.

I'm now actually curious how a 4e monster would do against 3.5 PCs, with some minor adjusting and appropriate leveling. 4th level 3.5 PCs vs 1st level 4e monsters?

I have been doing that for a while now in a couple of my 3.5 games, a homebrew and The Red Hand adventure. It works quite well. I give them their bloodie hit points and watch their abilities, but otherwise play them as written, I have had no problems.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I have been doing that for a while now in a couple of my 3.5 games, a homebrew and The Red Hand adventure. It works quite well. I give them their bloodie hit points and watch their abilities, but otherwise play them as written, I have had no problems.

The only time I prepped "correctly" for a 3E game was when I was playtesting an adventure I was writing or I was using a published adventure module. I was using the "4E method" before there was a 4E and it always worked wonderfully. The players don't know what's on my side of the screen, so as long as I give them the weapons, feats, hit points, and armor class, it all works. I was a bit more careful with spellcasters so that I wasn't just giving them the spells they needed willy nilly, but they were the exception, not the rule.

 

[Dimitris]

I'm DMing 3.5e and I will continue our campaigns with PathfinderRPG. I haven't tried the 4e and I don't think I will ever try it in the future. I think 4e is another game and we have a lot of other games to enjoy if we want. For D&D-type of fantasy worlds I don't need a second game system. My opinion is that the 3.5e is very flexible, expandable etc, and more than that, it is an open standard. 3.5e will still be an open standard after the publication of 5e. At any time, I will happily take some good ideas from the 4e and incorporate them in my game, if I want to.

Dimitris

 

[Goonalan]

I've DM'ed everything I could get my hands on in the last 25 years, I'm not a player- I'm a control freak; so 1E, 2E, 3.xE, Paranoia, Runequest, MERP, WFRP, Rolemaster (oh God), and lots of others I can't remember right now.

I DM 4E now via Maptools & Skype with people from all over the globe, I figure I'm 50 encounters ahead of the game, all maps done- just everything prepped and ready to roll, I have never had it so good- I do loads more window dressing these days, ready to roleplay, such is the time I have to spare.

At present I am so far ahead I am scratching my arse as to what to do next to keep me amused between games, I can build a session's worth of adventures, including all maps et al in an hour or so.

For the records I hated 4E on first look, those days are gone- 4E sold, where have you been all my life, and simplified- well, yeah. Just add some depth elsewhere, works for me- houserule the complexity back in if you have to.

Saturday I'm going to build 30+ level 1 PCs using D&D Character Builder, then Macro them all up in Maptools- I reckon it'll take me three hours if I listen to the radio and watch TV at the same time.

Easy life, 4E every time.