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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cadfan" data-source="post: 4325398" data-attributes="member: 40961">Its addressed.  Suppose you have a Human Fighter, and I have a Human Fighter.  We are likely to have different choices for all of the following things:Ability scores, trained skills, feats, at will powers, encounter powers, daily powers, utility powers, and weapon selection.Naturally, we'd also probably have different personalities, names, goals, hopes, dreams, etc, for our characters, but those are system independent so I'm sure you're not worried about them.I will add one caveat- ability scores will differ between your fighter and mine, but they will be constrained by the mechanics of the game.  We'll both probably select Strength as our best score.  After that, we'll pick whatever ability score is most associated with our favorite weapon.In my opinion, 3e was the one with the video game mechanic.  In video games, when the designers want you to use something with a duration for a length of time equal to "one fight," the game usually gives you a timer.  This timer is then set to an amount of time intended to last for one fight.  That was exactly the system that 3e used.  Not that I think its bad to copy video games.  Good design is good design.  But timers aren't good design in a tabletop RPG, in my opinion.Right.  "Role" means combat role.  This is because your social role or your intraparty role are not determined by game mechanics, or class choice.  Should they be?  I'm pretty certain that would make the game worse.What does this mean?  Are you worried that you'll be having so much fun killing monsters and taking their stuff that you'll start resenting having to talk in character?4e's skill system is more trim than 3e's.  This means things like professions or crafts are now purely roleplaying issues rather than issues of game mechanics.  This could impact your game if your game has a pressing need to clearly differentiate between someone with a +6 in Craft: Fletchery, and someone with a +9.  If you can get by with just knowing that the character is a Fletcher, you won't notice much change.  Is this the concern?Addressing each sentence in order,1) Sort of.  Ubercharacters who don't need teams or allies and who solve every problem themselves are not well supported.  This doesn't appear to have changed from 3e, which also assumed a team context.2) If a particular power doesn't fit a character, choose a different power.  There's a bunch.3) Everyone's abilities are different, so, no.  Both characters might be using per encounter abilities, but throwing a ball of force energy at someone and having it explode is still very different from hitting them in the face with a hammer so hard they fall down.4) As in every RPG, its a bit of give and take.  Sometimes the character can be created flawlessly, sometimes it can't, sometimes compromises have to be made, sometimes the character shouldn't be supported by the game...  I don't know how to answer further without an example.</blockquote>

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