What's the most significant difference you've found with 4e from 3e?

[Ycore Rixle]

Biggest difference for me is that combat just feels different. The bad guys stay up longer, the good guys do less damage, there are power cards, there are healing surges, there is non-magical healing, there is a lot more pushing the bad guys around, healing isn't as intense or efficient as it used to be, everyone has daily powers. So, yeah, combat. It just feels a whole lot different. Much more different in 4e vs. 3e than 3e was vs. 2e.

On a separate note, on the speed issue, my two cents: in con games, in home games, and in my school club, 4e and 3e take about the same amount of time to run a combat, with 3e longer per turn by a bit and 4e having more rounds by a bit.

 

[Thasmodious]

We almost never have to look something up at the table.

This is probably it for me, too. We just play now. I'm running a game where the PCs have formed a small mercenary/adventuring company. I've only got three players currently, but two of them have two characters. The group also includes 3 NPCs. Any given adventure, sometimes any given combat, will feature between 3-5 PCs and up to 3 NPCs, in varying combinations. In 4e, this is no sweat. I design encounters and dungeons for 4 PCs and scale them up or down as needed. This is effortless. I have one small note card in my game file that has the quick guidelines for modifying monsters/NPCs. Tweaking the game on the fly is that easy.

 

[Jack99]

Running the game is actually fun and enjoyable. That's the biggest difference I've seen.

We almost never have to look something up at the table.

From DM side: It isn't hard or complex to setup engaging encounters or scenarios.

Yup. And preping to run is so much less arduous.

The Rules Aren't The Same between PCs and NPCs.

The ease and flexibility of making monsters.

Biggest difference is how eager I am to play or run it.

Quoting, since some very smart people have already said what I think.

 

[Neil Bishop]

The ease and flexibility of making monsters.

and NPCs....

I do love the lower prep time and see that as the biggest difference for a DM at least.

 

[jensun]

None of my players have played D&D since about 2002. We have had seven sessions so far and we have had to refer to the books about 3 times. This allows all of the time at the table to be focused on the game.

From my side of the table most of my preparation time is now taken up with developing interesting npc's, plot lines and conflicts rather than worrying about whether I calaculated the npc's skill points correctly.

 

[blargney the second]

The biggest difference for me is the shift in resource management. But for a few notable exceptions from later splatbooks, 3e is all about the daily powers. In 4e it's mostly about the healing surges, which translates to how much of a beating you take over the course of the day. I find that by default 4e feels a bit grittier as a consequence.
-blarg

 

[wedgeski]

After DM'ing for a few months, I finally got to *play* a session of 4E at the weekend so I feel more confident in saying this. For me, it's still being able to play encounters to their fullest, because everything the monsters can do is RIGHT THERE in front of me. Synnergies are simple and clear. Abilities are summarised in a few words. Simple mechanics like the recharge and saving throw rules keep things uncomplicated.

Previously I felt I had to know the game inside and out to make the most of an encounter, something which my limited time (and, frankly, capacity to remember the minutae of the rules) made very hard. Things are very different now, and the game is much more enjoyable for it.

 

[Stalker0]

One of the things some in my group commented on.

"Monsters are now better than PCs".

My players see things like monsters with tons of hitpoints, high initiatives, a wide array of different powers that recharge during the fight, etc, and honestly think that monsters are better than PCs.

 

[Pseudopsyche]

I'll echo those who have noted the smoother flow of the game. I've run six sessions of 4E so far, and I've never had to open any of the core books at the table.

 

[Gothmog]

Running the game is actually fun and enjoyable. That's the biggest difference I've seen.

Yep, this is the major thing for me too. 4E is easy and fun to prep and play. My group quit 3e four years ago because it wasn't fun for us and we went to other systems for our gaming. Now we've mixed D&D back into the rotation, and we've having a blast!