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<blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 4526106" data-attributes="member: 386">Yes, you can go that same length of time without a combat.Here's an interesting thing about 4e: you can go four sessions without a combat encounter and expect to level up.&nbsp; The same isn't true about 3e.Since &quot;level ups&quot; are where your character grows and changes, I would say that the game does pay attention to it in the mechanics in a way that 3e only paid lip service to.4e has ways to make spouting haikus important to the game and to your fighter.&nbsp; Let's start from the top: how do you play 4e?ExplorationIn exploration mode, the characters move throught the adventure setting, making decisions about their course and perhaps searching for traps, treasure, or riches.&nbsp; The game spends a lot of time in exploration mode.&nbsp; It's what usually fills the space between encounters.&nbsp; It usually ends when an encounter begins.Most of the DMG is about Exploration mode.ConversationIn conversation, the PCs are exploring the infomartion inside an NPC's head, rather than exploring a dungeon room.&nbsp; It's not a social skill challenge, with specific goals and a real chance of failure.&nbsp; The PCs ask questions, and the NPC responds.I call this &quot;royale with cheese&quot;.EncounterEncounters are the exciting part of the D&amp;D game.&nbsp; They have tension and urgency about them and a chance of failure.There is another mode in the game, one that's not laid out explicitly as such, but it follows from the others: Reward.&nbsp; This is where you gain XP and treasure.&nbsp; This is where the characters change.The cycle of game play in 4e is like this: Exploration (Conversation) -&gt; Encounter -&gt; Reward -&gt; Exploration, on and on.&nbsp; Read each arrow as &quot;leads to&quot;.Now, how does this make haiku-spouting important to the game?Your &quot;haiku-spouting fighter&quot; feeds directly into the cycle of game play.&nbsp; It does so by introducing Quests.Quests are the bridge between Encounters -&gt; Reward -&gt; Exploration.&nbsp; Quests are resolved by Encounters, give you Rewards, and change what is being explored in Exploration mode.If you are so inclined - if &quot;haiku-spouting&quot; is important to you - your fighter might have a Quest to &quot;win the title of Master Haikuster at the secret competition&quot;.&nbsp; Suddenly the game does care that your fighter spouts haikus.&nbsp; Your &quot;haiku-spouting&quot; is what is driving the cycle around and around again.What it sounds like you are missing is fine-grained character-build choice, saying &quot;I think Perform (Haiku)&quot; is more important than Spot.&nbsp; 4e doesn't give you that choice to make, and if that's an important one for you, I can see how you'd miss it.This doesn't mean that haiku-spouting is not important to the game.&nbsp; Because of how Quests and character motivation feeds back into the game cycle, I think haiku-spouting is more important to the game than ever.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="LostSoul, post: 4526106, member: 386"] Yes, you can go that same length of time without a combat. Here's an interesting thing about 4e: you can go four sessions without a combat encounter [i]and expect to level up.[/i] The same isn't true about 3e. Since "level ups" are where your character grows and changes, I would say that the game [i]does[/i] pay attention to it in the mechanics in a way that 3e only paid lip service to. 4e has ways to make spouting haikus important to the game and to your fighter. Let's start from the top: how do you play 4e? Exploration [indent]In exploration mode, the characters move throught the adventure setting, making decisions about their course and perhaps searching for traps, treasure, or riches. The game spends a lot of time in exploration mode. It's what usually fills the space between encounters. It usually ends when an encounter begins.[/indent] Most of the DMG is about Exploration mode. Conversation [indent]In conversation, the PCs are exploring the infomartion inside an NPC's head, rather than exploring a dungeon room. It's not a social skill challenge, with specific goals and a real chance of failure. The PCs ask questions, and the NPC responds.[/indent] I call this "royale with cheese". Encounter [indent]Encounters are the exciting part of the D&D game. They have tension and urgency about them and a chance of failure.[/indent] There is another mode in the game, one that's not laid out explicitly as such, but it follows from the others: Reward. This is where you gain XP and treasure. This is where the characters [i]change.[/i] The cycle of game play in 4e is like this: Exploration (Conversation) -> Encounter -> Reward -> Exploration, on and on. Read each arrow as "leads to". Now, how does this make haiku-spouting important to the game? Your "haiku-spouting fighter" feeds directly into the cycle of game play. It does so by introducing Quests. Quests are the bridge between Encounters -> Reward -> Exploration. Quests are resolved by Encounters, give you Rewards, and change what is being explored in Exploration mode. If you are so inclined - if "haiku-spouting" is important to you - your fighter might have a Quest to "win the title of Master Haikuster at the secret competition". Suddenly the game [i]does[/i] care that your fighter spouts haikus. Your "haiku-spouting" is what is driving the cycle around and around again. What it sounds like you are missing is fine-grained [i]character-build[/i] choice, saying "I think Perform (Haiku)" is more important than Spot. 4e doesn't give you that choice to make, and if that's an important one for you, I can see how you'd miss it. This doesn't mean that haiku-spouting is not important to the game. Because of how Quests and character motivation feeds back into the game cycle, I think haiku-spouting is [i]more[/i] important to the game than ever. [/QUOTE]

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