August is over and everybody is back from their vacations. We’re playing again and we switched from WOW RPG to DnD 4. And I’m happy :D.
One of the things that always bothered me in DnD was the amount of metagame knowledge that you had to have, so as to keep the sessions within a manageable time frame. The sheer number of spells and their different effects was overwhelming. The amount of options in building the different classes was huge and, worse, it was as diverse as the number of existing classes and races. Each time I had to create a new character, I had to enter a different world of rules.
I don’t know if I’m just a lazy player or if I’m just not enough of a geek to take pleasure in mastering the different chapters in the PHB, plus the different options in the DMG. 😉 I do know, however, that it felt too hard and too confusing to choose the right build and the right tactical option.
The 4th Edition solved all my problems. Since every single class acts through powers, and since powers work the same for everybody, choosing classes when building a character became extremely easy. On the other hand, encounters aren’t limited to combat anymore and for the first time I find myself looking carefully at my skill list to take actions beyond killing things and taking their stuff.
I confess I was a bit weary at first. When I first started looking at 4th Edition I feared that it had been turned into a glorified miniature game, closer to CRPG than my idea of what role-playing games are. My game experience told me it was not so. Moreover, since everything else was made considerably easier, I can concentrate more on the unfolding story and my character’s dilemmas.
So, I’m a happy camper, right now. :D. And I’ll get happier, when all my ongoing campaigns return to their normal rythm of play, now that everybody is back in town. To all my co-players, welcome back and let’s play! 🙂