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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 9098806" data-attributes="member: 82106">4e is extremely transparent for one thing. As a player I KNOW what the DCs for most things are going to be (they can be varied somewhat, but then there should be some fiction I can see that will signpost that). I know that any major undertaking is a skill challenge and once the level and complexity of that have been described I am entirely certain how many times I have to throw dice to win it. Powers are metered out in a highly regular fashion and, at least in combat, perform in a very well-defined way. A LOT of what my PC can do is based on build elements that I as a player decide (granting 5e is not bad in this area generally either). There are very well-defined themes and genre elements in 4e, so I know pretty much what it will mean to be a 'Paladin of Kord' and an Eternal Champion, etc. I can leverage all of this to direct my path in the story, and I get to define (at least some) of the quests which signify the major goals and direction of story arcs. It is a VERY player-facing game that puts all its 'cards' on the table and lets you know what is what without a lot of doubt and controversy. Things that were endlessly problematic in previous editions, like alignment, are either simplified or elided entirely so that they serve a clearer purpose. And then there is a rich layer of keywords, and improvised action rules, which hook into the other stuff quite clearly. So when it comes time to do something like decide what the impact of using some fire magic underwater is, we all know that A) it won't be drastically nerfed by definition first of all, and B) that we're clear on what is and isn't fire, and what is or isn't water. It really is a better game for a certain type of story-centered action/adventure fantasy than AD&D, for sure. I also find it better than 5e in this area, mainly because 5e is so deliberately unclear about how a lot of stuff works, it undermines player's ability to rely on things and forces them into the shadow of the GM's 'setting logic' instead. Honestly 4e is just a very natural narrativist system when you play it that way, and 5e is not, it fights you some instead. I don't a big hate on for 5e, but for the type of play I prefer 4e beats it hands down.</blockquote>

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