Minions are:

[Wormwood]

Been using them for years, now they're just "official".

This.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

4th edition seems to channel Savage Worlds.

Which is, of course, not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

(Optionally, replace "Savage Worlds" with Feng Shui, Exalted or Scion)

 

[Primal]

Which is, of course, not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

(Optionally, replace "Savage Worlds" with Feng Shui, Exalted or Scion)

If I wanted to play them, I'd play them -- *not* D&D. And I'm also sure that they succeed both thematically and mechanically better in 'cinematic action' than 4E.

 

[Holy Bovine]

I really love the idea. I hope it works as well in practice as it does in theory. I voted #1 (which is currently leading at 76%!!)

 

[Wormwood]

88% optimism?

I'm actually surprised.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

88% optimism?

Silent majority indeed.

True. Strange - was this true for the other "hot topics", too? Or have the masses of 4E "haters" just left the 4E forum, and have left just a tiny minority to lead the battle?

 

[Wormwood]

True. Strange - was this true for the other "hot topics", too?

Most topics run 70-80% approval, trending upward.

Or have the masses of 4E "haters" just left the 4E forum, and have left just a tiny minority to lead the battle?

Not comment. (But yes.)

 

[Alaxk Knight of Galt]

7th Sea and the Minion

As a 7th Sea player, the idea of Minions is not new to me. In that game, they were brute squads and functioned very similar to how Minions will work in 4E. The big differences were

• Brute Squads attack all at once not as individual members
• Brute Squads became less effective as you killed off members of the squad
• Brute Squads could aid Villains and Henchmen, making them more powerful
• Brute Squad members had no health, any successful attack knocked them out

For the high adventure world of Thea, Brute Squads worked very well. They wonderfully filled the roll of ships' crew, evil warehouse workers, regular army units, and street gangs. When you stumbled upon the brute's leader though, that's when the stakes were raised.

Because of the tactic grid based combat of 4E, it would be impossible to have groups of minions outside of swarms. Thus each minion, to work in the game's combat engine, needs to be an individual capable of making individual actions. This allows Minions and non-Minions to mix on the combat field and not be completely known. Sure, most of the orcs are Minions, but when you stumble upon the orc that smiles sadistically when you slice him with your sword, you know your in for a fight.

I think this is a great change for DnD and one I intend to fully embrace to provide great fun and excitement for games I DM.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

If I wanted to play them, I'd play them -- *not* D&D. And I'm also sure that they succeed both thematically and mechanically better in 'cinematic action' than 4E.

Guess it's a good thing for you that they're optional.