Warlord Player's job is to tell other players what to do??

[Primitive Screwhead]

In essence, if your going to put body, mind and soul on the line in a dungeon for gold or glory, would you rather have a cohesive team that works together or an unorganized group of individuals acting and reaction with no regard to his fellow adventurer. I'll choose the former, thank you. I'll live longer.

Fixed that for ya

 

[MaelStorm]

Fixed that for ya

I Truly agree, yes

 

[Remathilis]

Fixed that for ya

D'oh!

Fixed.

 

[ruleslawyer]

I think he means that a group operating as a team is not equal to operating as a military squad.

I think he means that too, but it doesn't make it any less silly.

A five-man fighting force that wants to accomplish anything in battle and/or survive combat is going to use small-unit tactics. By definition, that makes them effectively analogous to a "military squad." The idea that one member of said squad is largely responsible for coordinating movement and attacks, looking for openings, and shouting advice or instructions isn't really outlandish.

 

[Remathilis]

I think he means that a group operating as a team is not equal to operating as a military squad.

[Sports Analogy Coming]

A Quarterback calls a play in a huddle before the next play so his receivers are in position for a relay. That doesn't make a football team a military squad.

A point guard constantly watches for his other teammates to get close to the basket so he can pass it to them and allow them a shot. That doesn't make a basketball team a military squad.

A catcher silently gives signs to a pitcher based on the position of the outfielders, runners, and ball count. That doesn't make a baseball team a military squad.

A band major is responsible for keeping rhythm for a band as it marches and making sure that doesn't move out of formation. That doesn't make a marching band a military squad.

[end analogy]

There are plenty of things in life that are group activities among equals (none of those people mentioned were coachs, conductors, or otherwise "in charge") where one person is responsible for keeping the others working as a cohesive unit. None of those things are remotely military in nature.

 

[hong]

Which would be metagaming, in fact.

You say this like it's a negative thing.

 

[hong]

Just say that three times.

The magic is real. (mirrors and candle might help)

D00d, by posting here, you admit that you are WotC's bitch. Some of us are just more up-front about it than others.

 

[hong]

Hold on the 4th Edition rules were available 8 years ago? Before 3rd Ed was published.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say here.

 

[Doug McCrae]

So much for simulating fantasy, where independent heroes are a dime a dozen.

Probably the major difference between D&D and fantasy fiction is that in fiction there is almost always a single hero. In rpgs the default mode of play is overwhelming a group of PCs, working as a team. This is particularly true of D&D because of the class system. A single class can't do everything. Apart from the 3e druid, which was a mistake. Even the mighty wizard needs the cleric to heal. Several classes are particularly team oriented such as the rogue (hard to sneak attack if you can't flank) and the bard. And the marshal which, together with Bo9S's White Raven discipline, formed the basis for the warlord.

Independent heroes, aka lone wolves, are not appropriate for team games such as D&D. In fact they are pretty commonly reviled on gaming boards. The warlord, and any class in the leader role, is the antithesis of the lone wolf. That's a good thing. D&D should be encouraging team play and it looks like 4e will do that more than any previous edition.

 

[KarinsDad]

Stop right there. This entire storm in a teacup is over the omission of the word "may" in the power description. If a group is really unable to get over that omission, then either 1) they have more problems than the RAW can address, or 2) such hyper-literalism in rules interpretation is something to be stamped out, not pandered to.

I disagree. This hyper-literalism, for all we know, is precisely the intent of the game designers.

After nearly a decade of them reading posts on all types of message boards, one would think that precision in language is something that they work on when editing a document.