D&D 4E My First 4E Game: Disappointing. Yours? (UPDATED with player feedback)

[Goreg Skullcrusher]

Well, at least your group actually tried the game, albeit reluctantly.

My group took one look at the character sheets and decided that they wanted nothing to do with D&D 4e.

None of them are WoW players. All of them said that the way that the defenses worked and the nature of the powers just seemed wrong to them. One of the players, who absolutely loves tieflings, was horrified at the way the race was portrayed in 4e.

Ahh, well.

Pretty much the exact reaction of my players. Except they took issue with the verisimilitude breaking elements. They have a certain "Really? You want to start a campfire using wet $100 bills?" look on their faces reading some of them.

CleverNickName, I don't doubt my group would have the exact same reaction as your players if I tried to make them play 4E, so know that you're not alone.

 

[Wormwood]

Every minor inconvenience or question was smugly exaggerated. Every missing rule was pointed out and debated. And everything (EVERYTHING) kept getting compared to WoW, explained in terms of WoW, or requested because it was possible in WoW. In short order, everyone just convinced themselves that "Trav's new board game" wasn't worth their time.

What are their screen names?

 

[smathis]

I gotta agree that the issue lies with a disinterested group, more than anything else. Sometimes it only takes one or two cranky players to bring a game crashing down. In the past, I've had players sabotage HeroQuest, MURPG, Mutants & Masterminds, Feng Shui and virtually anything I've presented as a playtest for a game I was working on.

Mindset can affect a LOT. If the players are going into it looking for trouble, then they'll find it. I mean, you could've thrown 3.5 at them with a few of the 4e rule changes and I'm sure the result would've been about the same.

It didn't help that you were running with the PHB Lite. You're a braver man than I for trying to run with those. I would've probably pointed out that there were holes in the rules because, well, the rules aren't out yet.

Moreover, debating about skeletons' lack of eyeballs would've had me whipping out a laptop before the players. What edition of D&D featured skeletons with eyeballs?

Sorry that it went poorly. But you can lead a horse to water and all that.

 

[CleverNickName]

What are their screen names?

Couldn't tell you; I don't play WoW. I know that one of them calls himself Dark Spider Nine or ninety-nine or something like that, but I've never seen it written out.

You wouldn't be planning anything....unsavory, would you?

 

[Wormwood]

I know that I'm not the only one who has tested out the piecemeal 4E rules. I'd like to hear about your testing experiences also, if for no other reason than to cheer myself up.

My Oakhurst experiences here

Paladin player's feedback here

Ranger player's feedback here

 

[Wormwood]

Couldn't tell you; I don't play WoW.

EN World screen names, actually. Their points sound awfully familiar.

 

[CleverNickName]

EN World screen names, actually. Their points sound awfully familiar.

They don't post here at EN World, at least not that I know of.

(If you're lurking, guys, fess up! )

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Well, bummer. It sucks when anyone has a bad gaming session.

Maybe 4E is a poor fit for you and your group. Maybe 4E is a good fit for you, but you need to try it with a more positive group. Maybe 4E is actually a good fit for your group, but they just felt like playing computer games. Maybe 4E is just broken ...

Perhaps give it another try when signs are more positive, but in the interim, stick to things you know you enjoy. Life's too short to be spent playing games you don't like, no matter how much others like or dislike them.

 

[CleverNickName]

Well, bummer. It sucks when anyone has a bad gaming session.

While you are here, Olgar, I'd like to say that "Raiders of Oakhurst" is one of the best fan-written adventures I have seen in a long time. Well done!

 

[SSquirrel]

It's a sad thing that the 4E game went in the toilet like that, but playing Diablo 2 w/several friends in a room is also pretty fun