D&D 3E/3.5 Will 4E combat actually run slowly...slower than 3E?

[Logan_Bonner]

Hey Logan. Is there a place that we can basically submit questions to be answered by you guys?

I can't speak for anyone else, but if you send a PM to my Gleemax forums account (which is also WotC_Logan), I might answer your question in a blog, provided it's something that falls into my area of expertise and that we haven't already talked about a million times.

 

[hong]

I just read that over. Would it be wrong for me to say "Hong is a genius"?

Because I think he just might be.

Hey, it's all Mearls' work, people. I just stole the idea.

Which is why I'm so happy he's leading up the development of 4E. More great stuff for me to steal!

 

[broghammerj]

I don't think the maneuvers will be too bad. One thing about B09S is that your breadth of manuevers doesn't increase that much. You trade out low level manuevers for higher level ones. Because you recharge manuevers every encounter, you never consider using low level manuevers instead of high level ones.

The other advantage of maneuvers is they reduce die rolling. A high level fighter can make 4 attack rolls in a round, each with a different modifier to the roll (and that's not including twf). With maneuvers, you make a single roll with some added extra. Its quicker to run and calculate.

This is quite helpful in my understanding of maneuvers. I don't own Bo9S and was turned off by the idea. If one maneuver replaces 4 attack rolls, then sign me up.

 

[broghammerj]

...and by and large less efective. Bo9S when incorporating in my vcampaign slowed gameplay ruined some encounters and caused TPKS in others. In otherwords it was a mess and i honestly fee las thoguh id rather a fighter than a Warblad and a paladin rather than the Crusader. I could accept swordsage as a replacement for monk but thats only due to monk being supposed to be wierd.

Can you be more specific about how this happened? I am a bit unfamiliar with Bo9S except from previews, a quick read through at the bookstore, and Enworld traffic.

 

[Vicar In A Tutu]

I'm starting to get a slightly bad feeling about D&D 4E. Please, make the game easier to run.

 

[Storminator]

I'm not concerned about the game being easier to run. If it was exactly as demanding as it is right now, I'm ok. I want my prep time, and my player's prep time cut.

I started last session with the treasure divvy (GenCon destroyed the out-of-game email prep), and it took an hour and a half, and all the character sheets needed updating when we were done. I'd much rather have spent that time bogged down in a complex combat.

If PCs become less equipment dependent, I'm very, very happy.

PS

 

[Visceris]

I don't see how combat can get much faster than 3.5e, so I am expecting it to be slower.

 

[broghammerj]

I started last session with the treasure divvy (GenCon destroyed the out-of-game email prep), and it took an hour and a half, and all the character sheets needed updating when we were done. I'd much rather have spent that time bogged down in a complex combat.
PS

My concern is that all of these maneuvers will add more decisions to character creation, not less.

 

[Storminator]

My concern is that all of these maneuvers will add more decisions to character creation, not less.

Decisions are ok, as long as there isn't insane ongoing character maintenance. As my wife said, "I need more weapon slots on my character sheet...I only have 6!"

PS

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Of course I'm also getting a weird vibe, like the system is way less developed than I would have expected this late in the game. The playtesters are houseruling races, classes, etc. while supposedly playtesting the system, it all seems purposefully vague for something they've been working on since 2005, and I'm definitely not getting any type of overall picture, of how anything fits together, how design goals are being approached, or even of what the driving design goals are.

I had the same vibe at first, but now I am less sure. Based on a couple of comments in designer blogs, I'm getting the impression that the playtest notes that are being posted on the WotC site may have been written a while ago, but obviously could not be posted before the announcment.

Things may be further along than they seem because they are delaying and spreading out the posted playtest notes rather than dump everything on us at once.