It seems we are now in the days when most of the Edition Wars have died down and things are on a low simmer as we wait to see what Next has to offer. I’m very glad of that, even though I’ve retired from being a moderator here. I always enjoyed ENWorld much more when it was people talking about what they loved best about games instead of what they hated. That said, I believe it is perfectly fine to take issue with game mechanics that aren’t to your liking.
Even though I found enjoyment in 4e, one such game mechanic for me was Milestones the way they were presented originally. It says in the 4e Players Handbook, “You gain certain benefits when you reach a milestone - when you complete two encounters without stopping for an extended rest.” How thrilling! I can’t think of a less exciting way to present a game mechanic named for what is commonly thought to be a significant accomplishment.
Did Milestones as written ruin my enjoyment of 4e? Of course not. It was a minor rule. We ditched it and never looked back, finding plenty of other good reasons to hand out Action Points. Why am I talking about it today? Because of 13th Age and Tae Kwon Do and Love.
I’m running 13th Age for our gaming group now and I love it. Like LOVE it love it. Like I want to take it home to meet my mother and go ring shopping with it. We got a groovy thing going and we’re clearly still in the infatuation stage of the relationship. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a few annoying habits though and one of them feels a bit like the crusty dryness of Milestones trying to creep back into my gaming.
13th Age suggests that a party gets a “Full Heal-Up” (equivalent to 4e’s Extended Rest) after four “normal battles or three nasty ones.” If they stop to heal prior to this, they are supposed to take a “campaign loss.” Basically, something bad happens because they were being too cautious. Well, I don’t care for the artificiality of it.
I’m not going to be as harshly critical of this mechanic as I was about Milestones because first of all, it’s presented in a much more flavorful way, and even contains suggestions about tying such Heal-Ups to significant campaign accomplishments or even just keeping Heal-Ups as a daily event. Second of all, I’m still in love, so I can’t bring myself to be too harsh. Regardless, I still feel free to set aside what the rulebook says and do it my way.
My personal take, if you care, is to allow the PCs to get a Full Heal-Up in places where it makes sense for them to rest peacefully without sleeping on a stone floor under threat of being eaten in the dark by Bugbears or Ochre Jellies. Staying at an Inn, under the roof of a trusted friend, or perhaps even a corner of dungeon that contains a shrine to the Priestess, all qualify as safe enough to gain a Full Heal-Up. As for campaign losses, they happen when the preceding events suggests that getting a good night’s sleep when the princess is about to be eaten by a dragon means that you’re likely to meet the princess in a fairly digested state.
I do try to keep milestones in my games, just not as a mechanic so much as the opportunity to recognize the PCs have made a difference. Too often these moments get brushed past at the end of a session while I’m trying to tease out of the players, “So where are you headed next?” because I need to plan my next session. I’m trying to train myself to stop and smell the roses in the game and let the PCs bask in a moment of “job well done!” before hurling themselves headlong into new danger.
I think I’m better at this in real life because I like to reward myself and those around me for significant accomplishments. The last week has held two such moments in which I’ve enjoyed basking.
My daughter has been taking Tae Kwon Do for almost two years now and was awarded her Purple Belt last week. That’s three away from becoming a Black Belt, which she will be working toward in the coming year. She’s still a little girl and I’m under no illusions that she’s going to lay the smack down on a band of street thugs like a Monk from one of our D&D games. But it is nonetheless impressive to see the lengthy series of moves she must memorize as well as Korean terminology and the tenets of this martial art. We celebrated her accomplishment by buying her dinner at her favorite restaurant. I’m very proud of her for this and it felt good to stand there watching as the Master tied that belt on her.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my wife and I celebrated the 25th anniversary of our first date. I can hear you now gasping at how old that must make me but we were fortunate to find each other early in life and were highschool sweethearts. Our first date was the homecoming dance senior year. We went out on a date Saturday night that was nothing super fancy: A chain restaurant and bowling for nostalgia (we used to go midnight bowling on lots of our dates back in highschool).
It was no whirlwind trip to Italy or a brand new diamond ring. But I guess that’s my point: Stopping to smell the roses doesn’t mean stopping to buy the whole rose bush. It’s fine to celebrate in small ways. Recognize the moment. Smile. Hug each other and say, “Hey, we did something pretty cool!” Just don’t let these accomplishments go by without acknowledgement. We’re all working hard on something, and we are much more inspired to keep at it if we get some kudos when we hit a REAL milestone.
What milestones are on your horizon? What have you recently celebrated? How often do you take an Extended Rest?
Even though I found enjoyment in 4e, one such game mechanic for me was Milestones the way they were presented originally. It says in the 4e Players Handbook, “You gain certain benefits when you reach a milestone - when you complete two encounters without stopping for an extended rest.” How thrilling! I can’t think of a less exciting way to present a game mechanic named for what is commonly thought to be a significant accomplishment.
Did Milestones as written ruin my enjoyment of 4e? Of course not. It was a minor rule. We ditched it and never looked back, finding plenty of other good reasons to hand out Action Points. Why am I talking about it today? Because of 13th Age and Tae Kwon Do and Love.
I’m running 13th Age for our gaming group now and I love it. Like LOVE it love it. Like I want to take it home to meet my mother and go ring shopping with it. We got a groovy thing going and we’re clearly still in the infatuation stage of the relationship. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a few annoying habits though and one of them feels a bit like the crusty dryness of Milestones trying to creep back into my gaming.
13th Age suggests that a party gets a “Full Heal-Up” (equivalent to 4e’s Extended Rest) after four “normal battles or three nasty ones.” If they stop to heal prior to this, they are supposed to take a “campaign loss.” Basically, something bad happens because they were being too cautious. Well, I don’t care for the artificiality of it.
I’m not going to be as harshly critical of this mechanic as I was about Milestones because first of all, it’s presented in a much more flavorful way, and even contains suggestions about tying such Heal-Ups to significant campaign accomplishments or even just keeping Heal-Ups as a daily event. Second of all, I’m still in love, so I can’t bring myself to be too harsh. Regardless, I still feel free to set aside what the rulebook says and do it my way.
My personal take, if you care, is to allow the PCs to get a Full Heal-Up in places where it makes sense for them to rest peacefully without sleeping on a stone floor under threat of being eaten in the dark by Bugbears or Ochre Jellies. Staying at an Inn, under the roof of a trusted friend, or perhaps even a corner of dungeon that contains a shrine to the Priestess, all qualify as safe enough to gain a Full Heal-Up. As for campaign losses, they happen when the preceding events suggests that getting a good night’s sleep when the princess is about to be eaten by a dragon means that you’re likely to meet the princess in a fairly digested state.
I do try to keep milestones in my games, just not as a mechanic so much as the opportunity to recognize the PCs have made a difference. Too often these moments get brushed past at the end of a session while I’m trying to tease out of the players, “So where are you headed next?” because I need to plan my next session. I’m trying to train myself to stop and smell the roses in the game and let the PCs bask in a moment of “job well done!” before hurling themselves headlong into new danger.
I think I’m better at this in real life because I like to reward myself and those around me for significant accomplishments. The last week has held two such moments in which I’ve enjoyed basking.
My daughter has been taking Tae Kwon Do for almost two years now and was awarded her Purple Belt last week. That’s three away from becoming a Black Belt, which she will be working toward in the coming year. She’s still a little girl and I’m under no illusions that she’s going to lay the smack down on a band of street thugs like a Monk from one of our D&D games. But it is nonetheless impressive to see the lengthy series of moves she must memorize as well as Korean terminology and the tenets of this martial art. We celebrated her accomplishment by buying her dinner at her favorite restaurant. I’m very proud of her for this and it felt good to stand there watching as the Master tied that belt on her.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my wife and I celebrated the 25th anniversary of our first date. I can hear you now gasping at how old that must make me but we were fortunate to find each other early in life and were highschool sweethearts. Our first date was the homecoming dance senior year. We went out on a date Saturday night that was nothing super fancy: A chain restaurant and bowling for nostalgia (we used to go midnight bowling on lots of our dates back in highschool).
It was no whirlwind trip to Italy or a brand new diamond ring. But I guess that’s my point: Stopping to smell the roses doesn’t mean stopping to buy the whole rose bush. It’s fine to celebrate in small ways. Recognize the moment. Smile. Hug each other and say, “Hey, we did something pretty cool!” Just don’t let these accomplishments go by without acknowledgement. We’re all working hard on something, and we are much more inspired to keep at it if we get some kudos when we hit a REAL milestone.
What milestones are on your horizon? What have you recently celebrated? How often do you take an Extended Rest?
