Squared FireBalls?

[Counterspin]

All my fault. Apologies.

 

[Counterspin]

THAT sounds D&D.
I miss the time we played without any miniatures at all. Combat was less tactical, but definitely more chaotic (which can turn into excitement depending on the encounter).
I'll try it again the next time I play with the current rules.

See, I feel exactly the opposite. I don't see why you'd bother with the huge rule book and everything else if you don't get the payoff of tactical combat. I mean, I can teach people the entirety of the Unknown Armies system, the enumerated magical schools aside, in 5 minutes, and I could run Medieval Fantasy just as well with that system as I can with D&D, maybe better. If they stripped out the grid, or hex, or whatever, I'd stop bothering with D&D because the same results can be achieved much easier with other systems.

 

[Keenath]

I'd like to call for a little restraint -- there's no proof that the DDM rule (which is specifically meant to play a bit more "boardgamey" than D&D) is going to be reflected in 4e.

At least that's what I'll keep telling myself until proved otherwise.

There does seem to be a precedent for changing the diagonal rules, since SWSE did it (going the other way, with making every diagonal count as 2), but... I would hope this 1-1-1 thing wouldn't be the fix they pick. Costing 2 is equivalent to saying you can't move diagonally, only straight lines... but costing only 1 is kind of odd.

 

[HeinorNY]

See, I feel exactly the opposite. I don't see why you'd bother with the huge rule book and everything else if you don't get the payoff of tactical combat. I mean, I can teach people the entirety of the Unknown Armies system, the enumerated magical schools aside, in 5 minutes, and I could run Medieval Fantasy just as well with that system as I can with D&D, maybe better. If they stripped out the grid, or hex, or whatever, I'd stop bothering with D&D because the same results can be achieved much easier with other systems.

Because not all of the "tactical combat" is about minis on the grid.

 

[Protagonist]

Because not all of the "tactical combat" is about minis on the grid.

I misread that as "testicle combat"...I think I should get some sleep...

 

[Mallus]

"I cast Fireball Firecube!"

Works for me.

 

[Imban]

flare square.

 

[BryonD]

I'm sorry, I just don't agree. I don't think it's any harder to accept than a horse and rider taking up a 10-ft. square, or a halfling occupying a 5-ft. square.

There is a difference between an active creature being abstractly in a space over a six second period of time and a "sphere" touching far ends of a square at the exact same instant.

Besides, why should I have to accept ANY unneeded abstractions at all when I already have a great game in place that doe s a superior job of handling these ideas?

 

[MerricB]

Is there any reason why 4e won't use a template for fireball effects that looks "circular"?

Cheers!

 

[HeinorNY]

Is there any reason why 4e won't use a template for fireball effects that looks "circular"?

Because it's really a square.

If you mean the other thing I think you mean, because a 20 ft radius circle, on a grid that considers diagonal movement as 1 square(or 5ft.), becomes a square, not a circle.