Obergnom
First Post
I recently had another look at the Worlds&Monsters preview book for 4e, which I really like, and began to wonder. While I thought the points of light setting seems perfect while playing 3e it does not really fit my experience with 4e.
Random encounters do not seem to have much of an impact, as the whole system is build around the players being able to handle 3 or more encounters a day.
Very dangerous encounters, that might actually challenge the characters tend to drag, nothing you may want for an overland encounter either.
Encounters are supposed to have a nice setup, with monster tactics and some terrain.
I basically found that not using random encounters better fits 4e. Using a skill challenge to cover a stretch of dangerous land seems to work better. Maybe add a small (max group level) encounter as a failure consequence, but that is all.
I looked into old 1st Ed. Forgotten Realms material, and that seems to work much better for an 4e campaign.
Evil is often contained in more or less secure magical prisons. You can visit these places, but the main traveling routes in civilized lands are save.
Cormyr is protected by a strong king with an equally strong army. Bearing arms in public is only allowed with a certificate. But there are old dungeons and crypts where adventurers can go an gain wealth and fame.
Or take Waterdeep, a crazy archmage rules over the huge dungeon of Undermountain just beneath the city, and occasionally something leeks out of it, but in most citizens know how to avoid these.
Actually, th Chaos Scar campaign seems to be set up in a similar way. There is the Scar, full of evil creatures, but they are kind of contained there. You can easily manage to arrive at the old crumbling wall that surrounds the vale, if you go in there, you are on your own, if you stay outside, you are relatively save.
Random encounters do not seem to have much of an impact, as the whole system is build around the players being able to handle 3 or more encounters a day.
Very dangerous encounters, that might actually challenge the characters tend to drag, nothing you may want for an overland encounter either.
Encounters are supposed to have a nice setup, with monster tactics and some terrain.
I basically found that not using random encounters better fits 4e. Using a skill challenge to cover a stretch of dangerous land seems to work better. Maybe add a small (max group level) encounter as a failure consequence, but that is all.
I looked into old 1st Ed. Forgotten Realms material, and that seems to work much better for an 4e campaign.
Evil is often contained in more or less secure magical prisons. You can visit these places, but the main traveling routes in civilized lands are save.
Cormyr is protected by a strong king with an equally strong army. Bearing arms in public is only allowed with a certificate. But there are old dungeons and crypts where adventurers can go an gain wealth and fame.
Or take Waterdeep, a crazy archmage rules over the huge dungeon of Undermountain just beneath the city, and occasionally something leeks out of it, but in most citizens know how to avoid these.
Actually, th Chaos Scar campaign seems to be set up in a similar way. There is the Scar, full of evil creatures, but they are kind of contained there. You can easily manage to arrive at the old crumbling wall that surrounds the vale, if you go in there, you are on your own, if you stay outside, you are relatively save.
