Scrivener of Doom
Adventurer
@Bob_in_DC , it really is great to see someone giving my favourite version of D&D a go so I really hope you and your players enjoy the experience.
A. Really, the rules are the same (with a few exceptions) from the time of 4E's release until the end so you're not missing anything by not reading the books.
The exceptions are: monster maths (the most important), solo monster design, and possibly the stealth rules. As the DM, you really don't need to have a grasp on class, feat, and/or race changes because they don't impact your job.
Also, the truly unique (and I mean "unique" in its proper sense, not in the internet sense) thing about 4E is that it is the only edition of D&D where the designers got better in their mastery of the rules and creation of new content over the course of the life of the edition.
TL; DR: Don't worry about anything other than the new monster creation rules.
B. I spent a few afternoons putting all of the Dungeon and Dragon articles together into their own compiled PDFs. I must admit, I had the same belief that you did - there were only a few worthwhile articles - but, since having the compiled issues on my tablet and reading through the compilations whenever I was filling in time, I found there was a lot of good material there that I simply hadn't noticed.
TL;DR: There's more good stuff there than is first apparent but it probably won't impact this game.
Work through the books? Other than the Monster Vaults, I agree: don't do that. But you have the character builder: play with everything. I have a new group about to start so I started doing pregen characters to make it easier for them. I have more than 60 to choose from now because I get playing with various combinations. I didn't have the patience to read through class descriptions in the books but I love mucking around on the character builder.
TL;DR: You can't separate out PHB content on the character builder. Don't worry about it. It all works.
That's an interesting idea but, IME and YMMV, players need more than combat to keep their interest. There has to be some sort of emotional connection which typically comes from NPC interactions. May I suggest that you add a bit of story around the encounters in Dungeon Delve so that there can also be some meaningful NPC interaction. Otherwise, once the combat grind starts - and that can happen in 4E - you might find your players just lose interest.
On the subject of combat grind, I would update the stat blocks in Dungeon Delve to match the post-MMIII/DSCS monster maths. It's easy enough to do with the monster builder or you can just start a thread here and I am sure 4E fans will help.
Frankly, two players each with two characters has been my favourite way to run D&D for about 15 years. It has huge scheduling advantages - and for a time-consuming activity like D&D, the importance of scheduling cannot be underestimated - and there is another benefit: you only have to shine the spotlight on two characters every session.
Players naturally want their characters to have some spotlight time, especially in a game with more story/NPC interaction. When you have two players, you only have to shine the spotlight on one of each of their characters in order to keep the player engaged. That's much easier for the DM to manage.
As for class choice, you have the character builder so I would recommend letting your players also choose from the variant cleric (warpriest), fighter (knight, slayer), rogue (thief), and wizard (mage) classes that appeared in the later material. They're generally simpler classes with fewer choices but they're balanced in play and, frankly, a lot of fun. (I am a huge fan of the half-orc slayer, in particular.
)
Honestly, dungeon tiles are a pain in the neck (literally, even, because you have to crane your neck as you search through the pile for the one you want). While they look great, there is no easy way to manage your collection or to use them with any degree of alacrity unless, of course, you game in your house and can build the maps before your players arrive (and that takes time).
Wet or dry erase maps really are the way to go in terms of utility. IME. IME. YMMV. (Dungeon Delve mentions which tiles are required at the beginning of each delve. If I have some time I will transcribe them for you.)
As for adjusting encounters, just remove one-fifth of the encounter's strength according to XP value. That's close enough. Otherwise, don't. 4E PCs are tough; they will probably handle the encounters with aplomb. (I still use encounters designed for five PCs with my four PC group. Granted, I use a slightly higher point buy so they're a lit bit tougher but clever play, especially, if the leader is played well [and the controller to a lesser extent], means they can punch above their weight.)
Good luck with your game and I hope you will post your experiences here!
A. Really, the rules are the same (with a few exceptions) from the time of 4E's release until the end so you're not missing anything by not reading the books.
The exceptions are: monster maths (the most important), solo monster design, and possibly the stealth rules. As the DM, you really don't need to have a grasp on class, feat, and/or race changes because they don't impact your job.
Also, the truly unique (and I mean "unique" in its proper sense, not in the internet sense) thing about 4E is that it is the only edition of D&D where the designers got better in their mastery of the rules and creation of new content over the course of the life of the edition.
TL; DR: Don't worry about anything other than the new monster creation rules.
B. I spent a few afternoons putting all of the Dungeon and Dragon articles together into their own compiled PDFs. I must admit, I had the same belief that you did - there were only a few worthwhile articles - but, since having the compiled issues on my tablet and reading through the compilations whenever I was filling in time, I found there was a lot of good material there that I simply hadn't noticed.
TL;DR: There's more good stuff there than is first apparent but it probably won't impact this game.
Work through the books? Other than the Monster Vaults, I agree: don't do that. But you have the character builder: play with everything. I have a new group about to start so I started doing pregen characters to make it easier for them. I have more than 60 to choose from now because I get playing with various combinations. I didn't have the patience to read through class descriptions in the books but I love mucking around on the character builder.
TL;DR: You can't separate out PHB content on the character builder. Don't worry about it. It all works.
That's an interesting idea but, IME and YMMV, players need more than combat to keep their interest. There has to be some sort of emotional connection which typically comes from NPC interactions. May I suggest that you add a bit of story around the encounters in Dungeon Delve so that there can also be some meaningful NPC interaction. Otherwise, once the combat grind starts - and that can happen in 4E - you might find your players just lose interest.
On the subject of combat grind, I would update the stat blocks in Dungeon Delve to match the post-MMIII/DSCS monster maths. It's easy enough to do with the monster builder or you can just start a thread here and I am sure 4E fans will help.
Frankly, two players each with two characters has been my favourite way to run D&D for about 15 years. It has huge scheduling advantages - and for a time-consuming activity like D&D, the importance of scheduling cannot be underestimated - and there is another benefit: you only have to shine the spotlight on two characters every session.
Players naturally want their characters to have some spotlight time, especially in a game with more story/NPC interaction. When you have two players, you only have to shine the spotlight on one of each of their characters in order to keep the player engaged. That's much easier for the DM to manage.
As for class choice, you have the character builder so I would recommend letting your players also choose from the variant cleric (warpriest), fighter (knight, slayer), rogue (thief), and wizard (mage) classes that appeared in the later material. They're generally simpler classes with fewer choices but they're balanced in play and, frankly, a lot of fun. (I am a huge fan of the half-orc slayer, in particular.
)Honestly, dungeon tiles are a pain in the neck (literally, even, because you have to crane your neck as you search through the pile for the one you want). While they look great, there is no easy way to manage your collection or to use them with any degree of alacrity unless, of course, you game in your house and can build the maps before your players arrive (and that takes time).
Wet or dry erase maps really are the way to go in terms of utility. IME. IME. YMMV. (Dungeon Delve mentions which tiles are required at the beginning of each delve. If I have some time I will transcribe them for you.)
As for adjusting encounters, just remove one-fifth of the encounter's strength according to XP value. That's close enough. Otherwise, don't. 4E PCs are tough; they will probably handle the encounters with aplomb. (I still use encounters designed for five PCs with my four PC group. Granted, I use a slightly higher point buy so they're a lit bit tougher but clever play, especially, if the leader is played well [and the controller to a lesser extent], means they can punch above their weight.)
Good luck with your game and I hope you will post your experiences here!
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