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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jbear" data-source="post: 5373453" data-attributes="member: 75065">My transition was pretty smooth. I like D&D because it's a game, a complex, beautiful game that allows you to literally step off the board. I enjoyed 3.5, it seemed pretty cool to have a rule for literally every single thing you could ever imagine needing to know how to make a ruling on. Classes seemed fun and powerful but more intuitive, at least compared to my memory of 2nd ed that i played as a kid (no THAC0 for example). But it was just an engine for me to make the adventures I wanted to make for my players, and have fun together. I had awesome adventures with 2ed, and 3.5 and nothing changed when I began playing 4e.I got into 4e from the get go, so the anti-vibe was something I stumbled into once I'd already bought the core books and my wanderings on internet brought me here. I was saddened and a little crushed to stumble into a full blown edition war, but it didn't affect my opinion about the game. I thought it was awesome from day 1, and the reasons are very concrete and simple, at least for me.1) Words of advice read in DMG made me a better DM. I stopped telling my players that they couldn't do things because rule a) said this or rule b) said that, or their low level prevented them from pulling off amazing stunts without rolling a 20 on the dice etc. etc. I started finding ways to take their ideas and come up with ways that could work. I began to DM with the new philosophy of 'Say Yes ...'2) I stopped have to stop the game in order to refer to the rules in order to make a judgement. The rules are so clear and streamlined that I haven't referred to a book during play in so long that I can't even remember the last time. The rest is based simply on my judgement of whether the task is easy, moderate or difficult ... and voilá based on the DC chart for the appropriate level I know what the PC needs to achieve to pull off said task.3) Characters are heroes from the outset. At level 1 the PCs are very durable (although so to are their enemies). But the wizard doesn't have to hide behind the party for 5 levels before he can stand up to a beating in a fight. Everyone gets to do cool stuff, so the fighter doesn't just have to slog away with his axe. Things definitely get more interesting for a character from about level 3, but even at level 1 they still begin with some very cool options. Not only that but every single level, everyone gets something cool. Level 2 new feat, atk, defense, initiative and skill boost (hp of course); Level 3 new encounter power; level 4 boost 2 stats by 1 and atk, defense, initiative and skill boost plus a new feat; level 5 new daily power etc etc Which makes levelling up pretty darn cool! All the time!4) It's a game and proud of it. It's fun, and that is the reason I am playing, to have fun. One of the main things that has improved the fun for me is the dynamic combat: Terrain really matters, it's the essential spice to making combat fun, varied and exciting. Players powers take on whole new dimensions when terrain is a factor. My group enjoys combat. We have a fairly balanced 50/50 split between roleplay and combat. I have added elements to combat  so that mechanically the players can take advantage of the situation, think outside the box and be rewarded. Combat can be slow, if your players don't know the rules properly, or their powers ... err, but that is normal. Once you've learnt the game, and people know their characters properly, and start working together as a team it will speed up considerably. Besides WotC has addressed the problems with combat in significant ways recently. The damage output of monsters has increased significantly. The outcome of combat is not a long drawn out conclusion any more. Where before my players heckled me for how little they were challenged by my baddies, now they literally fear getting into combat and are starting to get creative in order to avoid it. At level 6 they are now being hit for easily 20 points a blow. A PC can be dropped to dying in 3 hits, no trouble. They also creamed their way through a 200 hp level 12 elite Aboleth with domination and enslavement capabilities with clever use of the terrain in 3 rounds. I imagine the monsters in the Monster's Vault are being redesigned with an anti-grind philosophy, to continue promoting this savage, slick and tense feeling in combat. The Dark Sun sessions I played, combat was never dull because you were always on the brink of death. I could go into more things that I like about 4e, but those are the main reasons I prefer it over 3.5. The others are less relevant to me.I do think it's important to remain as unaffected by other peoples opinions as possible, and really judge it on its own merits. if you go into thinking it's going to be crap awful, that will affect your experience whether you like it or not. It's the basis of any self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyway, good luck and keep us informed. We likes to see how things like this turns out, we do!</blockquote>

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