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<blockquote data-quote="Roger" data-source="post: 4277570" data-attributes="member: 17420">So I DM'ed the Game Day adventure, and learned some useful things about 4E in the process.1.&nbsp; The players should definitely be making a Monster Knowledge Check when entering an encounter.There's basically 4 ways to figure out what a monster will do when you enter combat with it:A.&nbsp; &quot;Oh, it's another kobold.&nbsp; We know what kobolds can do.&quot;&nbsp; This approach will kill you dead in 4E.B.&nbsp; &quot;My encyclopedic knowledge of the MM allows me, the player, to recall that this monster can do these things...&quot;&nbsp; I think a number of players were able to do this with earlier editions, and may be able to do it with 4E in time.&nbsp; Still, I can't really recommend it.C.&nbsp; &quot;Ouch, that guy just smacked me with his crazy power and now I'm unconscious.&quot;&nbsp; I saw a lot of people defaulting to this in the Game Day, and it definitely led to TPKs.D.&nbsp; &quot;I make a knowledge check!&quot;&nbsp; This is the one I recommend.&nbsp; I recommend the DMs really encourage players to do this if they forget, at least to begin with and for learning purposes.So, that's my advice.&nbsp; Monster Knowledge Checks.&nbsp; Make them, use them, love them.2.&nbsp; 4E really is a lot more about saying yes than earlier editions.&nbsp; If you throw a puzzle at the players, keep a close eye on them and listen hard.&nbsp; If they try something that sounds pretty clever or feasible or plausible, let it work.&nbsp; If they all get bored senseless after a few minutes, move on.&nbsp; Don't just stare at them for half an hour.Also, in combat, let them try that crazy cinematic stuff.&nbsp; You can almost run the entire game using just the DMG pg 42 chart.&nbsp; Have your monsters do crazy cinematic stuff too.3.&nbsp; Get to the fun already.&nbsp; Especially in a demo game, but even in general, it makes sense to be spending most of your time in encounters.&nbsp; They might be combat, or skill challenges, or roleplaying encounters, but they're where you want to be.&nbsp; Try to squeeze down those gaps between encounters to the minimum amount of time required.4.&nbsp; Not advice, but just a personal anecdotal observation:&nbsp; As far as I could tell from our local Game Day crowd, the hobby is in fine shape.&nbsp; I'd say something like 75% of the turnout was teen-aged or younger.Anyway, the day was a lot of fun, the players had fun, the swag was pretty sweet, and all in all I'd do it again in a minute.Cheers,Roger</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Roger, post: 4277570, member: 17420"] So I DM'ed the Game Day adventure, and learned some useful things about 4E in the process. 1. The players should definitely be making a Monster Knowledge Check when entering an encounter. There's basically 4 ways to figure out what a monster will do when you enter combat with it: A. "Oh, it's another kobold. We know what kobolds can do." This approach will kill you dead in 4E. B. "My encyclopedic knowledge of the MM allows me, the player, to recall that this monster can do these things..." I think a number of players were able to do this with earlier editions, and may be able to do it with 4E in time. Still, I can't really recommend it. C. "Ouch, that guy just smacked me with his crazy power and now I'm unconscious." I saw a lot of people defaulting to this in the Game Day, and it definitely led to TPKs. D. "I make a knowledge check!" This is the one I recommend. I recommend the DMs really encourage players to do this if they forget, at least to begin with and for learning purposes. So, that's my advice. Monster Knowledge Checks. Make them, use them, love them. 2. 4E really is a lot more about saying yes than earlier editions. If you throw a puzzle at the players, keep a close eye on them and listen hard. If they try something that sounds pretty clever or feasible or plausible, let it work. If they all get bored senseless after a few minutes, move on. Don't just stare at them for half an hour. Also, in combat, let them try that crazy cinematic stuff. You can almost run the entire game using just the DMG pg 42 chart. Have your monsters do crazy cinematic stuff too. 3. Get to the fun already. Especially in a demo game, but even in general, it makes sense to be spending most of your time in encounters. They might be combat, or skill challenges, or roleplaying encounters, but they're where you want to be. Try to squeeze down those gaps between encounters to the minimum amount of time required. 4. Not advice, but just a personal anecdotal observation: As far as I could tell from our local Game Day crowd, the hobby is in fine shape. I'd say something like 75% of the turnout was teen-aged or younger. Anyway, the day was a lot of fun, the players had fun, the swag was pretty sweet, and all in all I'd do it again in a minute. Cheers, Roger [/QUOTE]

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