tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post4561830764702998667..comments2024-03-23T08:21:07.075-07:00Comments on Points of Light: Races With BenniesDavid Guyllhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16299128722345607123noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-57044597883847808402009-08-20T23:22:20.297-07:002009-08-20T23:22:20.297-07:00Josh has played a goblin barbarian and I've do...Josh has played a goblin barbarian and I've done a minotaur rogue. Not only did they work, but they felt very evocative and unique when compared to more optimal combos.David Guyllhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16299128722345607123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-24953762657875421382009-08-20T14:10:31.434-07:002009-08-20T14:10:31.434-07:00My very first attempt at playing through Keep on t...My very first attempt at playing through <em>Keep on the Shadowfell</em>, I made a character with an "optimal" pairing: Elf Archery Ranger. Extra Dexterity, extra Speed, Elven Accuracy... doesn't get any better than that, right?<br /><br />Of course it was our first time playing and none of us quite grokked the strategic side, and we got very near to a TPK from an ordinary kobold fight because we just plain didn't know what we were doing.<br /><br />My second character was a Halfling Warlord, who I made essentially as a joke character. I mean, I went in thinking I was making a useless, pointless character. <br /><br />I had kind of blown off all the "role" stuff as being a newbie guide and was still thinking of Warlord as "The Other Fighter" when I sat down to play, but in the act of using her powers on a turn by turn basis and realizing that I helped the party more by helping the party than by doing damage, the whole game kind of clicked and our second party started doing much better. <br /><br />And this brings me to what I love about 4E: not just the fact that any build you care to make is viable (and I've made some much crazier concept builds than "Genghis Baggins" since that first couple of sessions), but the reason this works isn't because they've made the game so easy that you can't fail... it's that they've made winning or losing much more dependent on the party's actions. It's no longer a Stat Battle where win or loss is decided by what was on your character sheet before you even sat down to play, it's a battle of tactics and strategy and teamwork.<br /><br />The game is balanced such that you can lose a battle as an Elven Archer. You can win it as a Halfling Warlord. I love that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-37442294680436382702009-08-16T15:37:16.623-07:002009-08-16T15:37:16.623-07:00I contend that the D&D 4E rules are ideal for ...I contend that the D&D 4E rules are ideal for running a heroic fantasy action/adventure game...but if you're looking to turn the core mechanics into a generic RPG ala' Savage Worlds and GURPS, then the Star Wars Saga Edition rules make a better template.Shazbothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01138604419877913560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-59845498885000617312009-08-14T21:36:06.875-07:002009-08-14T21:36:06.875-07:00Only reason I picked it up is my players talked me...Only reason I picked it up is my players talked me into running a Firefly based game and I needed a system. Great system, though. I would use it to run about anything non-D&D. I considered, and still hold, that you could turn 4e into a generic RPG pretty easily and run a game off pretty much just page 42 and some setting rules (races, gear, and the like).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883260871417486956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-13199559457930105322009-08-14T17:55:52.939-07:002009-08-14T17:55:52.939-07:00Never played Savage Worlds. I suppose if someone w...Never played Savage Worlds. I suppose if someone wanted to run it, I'd give it a shot (play, NOT run).<br />Fighter/wizard is a tried-and-true example that I always cite when talking about 4E multiclassing. Its a classic combination that has never played well with others until now.David Guyllhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16299128722345607123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1790030420507335953.post-2513567345086982802009-08-14T08:02:06.123-07:002009-08-14T08:02:06.123-07:00I saw the post title and I thought "Antioch i...I saw the post title and I thought "Antioch is writing about Savage Worlds now, too? Yay!" Which led to me actually being a bit disappointed at the subject matter. :)<br /><br />That said, I agree. This is one of the key features of 4e for me. You have to work really hard to actually make a character un-viable. One of the first things I did when I got the 4e books, having already seen plenty of single class pregens, was revive an old favorite character from my 1e days that was just not viable, at all in 3e. He was a dwarf fighter/wizard and master blacksmith. As is obvious, this did not work in 3e at all, and I really expected it to not quite work in 4e either. When the character came out pretty much exactly as I would want him, I was elated.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883260871417486956noreply@blogger.com