D&D 4E Your plans for 4e

[gothwalk]

I'm going to buy the books, look at them, and see how enthused I get. I'm going to want to have the core books anyway, even if it's just so I can understand what other people are talking about.

There're three possible outcomes.

A) I go OMGMUSTPLAY! and convert all my games to 4E. When the divorce comes through, I get the 4E rulebooks and the smaller cat, and Nina, who prefers the much less gamist Fate, gets everything else.

B) I like the rules well enough, but not enough to do the legwork to convert my existing 3.5/splatbooks/Unearthed Arcana game when the PCS are already 18th level. I play out that campaign, and start a 4E campaign thereafter (probably about a year or 18 months down the line). I keep running the Fate game, and maybe some others. Married life continues.

C) I go "enh," sell the books again, and convert everything to Fate. My wife is pleased.

I'm looking at B as being the most likely outcome, really.

 

[Plane Sailing]

I imagine that I'll get the books and madly evangelise/drag my group into playing it (pretty much like I did with 3e come to think of it).

I'm always keen on (oooh, shiny!) ...what was I saying?

Of course, I'll probably start thinking about potential house rules within the first week or so, just 'cos I love tinkering!

 

[(contact)]

I'm so getting 4e. My wife will just play what I tell her to play.

[bugs out eyes]

 

[el-remmen]

My wife will just play what I tell her to play.

Dah-yum.

Yeah, despite my protests, I do plan to get the core books. I haven't purchased a game book since 2005, I figure I can afford the expense just for curiosity's sake.

 

[phoamslinger]

There're three possible outcomes.

A) . . .

B) . . .

C) . . .

I'm probably going to fall into somewhere between B and C myself. I'm going to buy the books and read through them. then I'll head off to the local gaming cons and (with my gaming group) jump into the Living Forgotten Realms campaign that's being worked up, more for the core modules than the local attempts.

from what I've seen so far, most of my group are not impressed, but we'll give the system a fair shake. then we'll probably stick with variations on 3.5 until 5.0 comes out.

4e is giving me the impression of a system where I set up a RBDM situation that the players slide out of not because of gifted roleplaying skill, but from some munchkin twink ability that I overlooked, leading to the players and the DM :\ or . enough of those moments and I'll kill their minis with a ballpeen hammer and say the hell with even trying to DM anymore. and no, I'm not interested in learning to counter twinks with more twinks of my own, that would just increase the overall irritation of "playing". it will be better to pitch the system entirely.

that's just the impression I'm getting so far.

 

[Plane Sailing]

where I set up a RBDM situation that the players slide out of not because of gifted roleplaying skill, but from some munchkin twink ability that I overlooked,

I've heard Mearls say that he thinks there is much less room for twinked characters to bypass RBDM or other situations than with 3e - although that is probably considering "3e+all splatbooks". I've only used 3e+XPH +Eberron core and not come across any problems, but I could easily imagine that someone running an "anything goes" campaign could end up with problems from unexpected interactions of classes and feats.

4e will take some getting use to at first, especially in terms of getting to grips with the powers and how they affect the game, but I bet it won't be much different than first getting to grips with 3e in many ways.

Cheers

 

[Radiating Gnome]

Phoamy,

Any system is going to make it possible for players to find an edge case and squirt out of the DM's clutches -- players are players and that's what they do. It sounds like you're reluctant to take on a new system -- any new system -- because you've got the one you're using down pretty well, and I think that's a totally valid reason to stick with 3.5. And, really, you're writing your own materials so you have no need for the new material that will come out to support 4e.

I don't want to "witness" to you too much about 4e, so I just won't. It's my opinion that if you give it a try -- a serious, open minded try, accepting that there may be expediencies and ideas in the rules that you don't buy immediately -- you'll find that you and your players like this new system as much or more than the old one, but I could be dead wrong. Of course, saying that is like encouraging you to drink the Koolaid at Jonestown because the new grape flavor is kickin'.

But, really, the new grape flavor IS REALLY KICKIN'.

-j

 

[(contact)]

Dah-yum.

OK, seriously? She's as or more excited about what she's heard than I am. She's only been playing D&D for a couple of years, and isn't supremely invested in any edition or ruleset. We're also looking at the new release as a level rules playing field that will set the entry-bar for her taking over some DMing a little bit lower. I'm stoked to see what she comes up with.

 

[phoamslinger]

RG,

it's not really so much a disinterest in learning a new system, it's more of a distaste of the direction the new system seems to be going.

as a metaphor, comparing two martial arts movies:

ph: "I saw this fun martial arts movie, Karate Kid."
RG: "Did the hero run up walls, fight off dozens of enemies at once, or dance across the water?"
ph: :"No."
RG: "You should upgrade your definition of what you call a martial arts movie then. Crouching Tiger is really kickin!"
ph: "that's a bit more fantasy than I think I want to go. I really prefer a bit more reality in my movies/gaming."

but, I'll wait until I actually have books in hand before I decide.

 

[Pbartender]

"I really prefer a bit more reality in my movies/gaming."

I'm sorry, Phoamy, but it always makes me smile a little when people talk about realism in regards to any edition of D&D.