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Message: <blockquote data-quote="brehobit" data-source="post: 4257015" data-attributes="member: 12032">OK,Having had a chance to now read through the books and look at people's reviews and thoughts, I figured I'd include my own.The Good=========<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Team tactics -- The game is fairly unique as an RPG that tactics of the group matter so much.  And unlike the vast majority of board games, it really is a group working together. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Balance -- This was clearly something they wanted to hit, and at first blush they seem to have done quite well.  Having nearly identical mechanical options for the various classes and races makes things easier to balance, and it seems they largely did a good job.  This one will have to wait for a while.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hit points/healing surges -- I really really like this.  I think it not only deals with the mechanical issues of not wanted to always need a cleric, it also does a reasonably good job with "long-term" damage vs short term damage.  Much better, IMO, then for example, Champions/HERO with it's Body/Stun scheme.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Racial flavor -- I think the races are more mechanical interesting than in any other edition.  The racial feats help a lot here.  Nice idea.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Layout/Format -- In my brief time with the books, I found things really easy to find and well organized.  Something not even vaguely true with older versions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Simplification -- The cases of "stupid complex" rules, like grapple, are gone.  Really needed.</li> </ul>The Bad==========<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lack of Mechanical Diversity -- One thing I liked about D&D was the ability to change characters and really change mechanical systems.  If I got tired of the huge options associated with casters I could go with a fighter type (which I mostly have in the last couple of years).  Now you can have any color you want as long as it's black.  Oh, and the Warlock and Ranger look nearly the same mechanically.  I'm pretty sure the bow ranger and warlock could have been the same class with a different special effect, and the two-weapon ranger could have been it's own class. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Immersive problems -- Does my fighter know he can't attack everyone adjacent to him because he did that 2 hours ago?  If so, why does he think that?  If not, why isn't he trying to set it up?  Same thing with the warlord, rogue, and ranger.  Also, I, and those I game with, find changing back and forth from an acting game to a board game is difficult.  3e was pretty bad at this (much worse than 2e or nearly any other game).  4e seems a lot worse.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lack of options -- The advantage of playing a game with a DM is that the DM can act as an arbitrator of the world.  The move from 2e to 3e to 4e seems to be trying to limit the need for the DM to arbitrate.  Basically shooting for a CRPG.  With no guidance on things like disarming or trying to pin someone, the DM's default ruling would almost have to be "you can't do that".  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Lack of options Part II -- The limited number of power options per level is a bit sad.  The blandness of most of the feats are also a bit sad (they got their stuff taken by powers).  Wizards and other casters are quite limited compared to previous editions.  </li> </ul>The Ugly=========<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There are some odd rule interactions which I suspect were not entirely indented.  There is a fighter ability that lets him do [W] damage to everyone who ends their turn next to him.  That's gonna wipe out minions in mass quantity, no matter their defenses. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The multi-classing rules look pretty poor.  Each of the multi-classing feats are strictly better than another feat (skill training).  The next 3 feats look fairly poor on the whole, but I'm not sure.  And the Paragon replacement option just looks weak.  But there may well be some powerful combinations out there.  Finally, the inability to really get class abilities via multi-classing is understandable but annoying.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The magic armor rules with the "masterwork armor" look pretty odd/incomplete.  I'd like some examples of how it works.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The mount rules, where a certain level is needed to "fully" use them, look odd at best.  The powers are fairly minor and the write-up in the DMG, PHB, and MM are all slightly different. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rituals.  I like them, but trying to balance them via gold seems like a poor plan.  </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Long term problems don't really exist.  Poison lasts on the average 12 seconds.  So does everything else.  Even without magic, you can't get hurt so bad that you aren't fine after an 8 hour rest.  Weird, and actually plot-limiting.  </li> </ul></blockquote>

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