Gargoyle
Adventurer
I showed my 14 year old the sleep spell descriptions and asked him which one he preferred. He chose the 3rd edition one, and I asked him why. He said "Because it actually puts them to sleep, while the 4th edition one just slows them." So ironically, he didn't read the entire 4th edition description, even though it was shorter, and didn't realize that if they fail their first save, the targets do fall asleep.
A theory: Maybe prose is not only easier on the eyes and more enjoyable to read, perhaps the longer length produces clearer rules?
I know when I look at the two descriptions, I prefer the readability of the 3rd edition one, even though I like the mechanics of the 4th edition version better. It's surprising to me really. I sort of thought that for "attack" spells, I liked 4th edition's style better, but I may have changed my mind.
A theory: Maybe prose is not only easier on the eyes and more enjoyable to read, perhaps the longer length produces clearer rules?
I know when I look at the two descriptions, I prefer the readability of the 3rd edition one, even though I like the mechanics of the 4th edition version better. It's surprising to me really. I sort of thought that for "attack" spells, I liked 4th edition's style better, but I may have changed my mind.