Joe Gamer

Anyone who has spoken with me at any length on 4e DnD knows I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the up side of the system, things seem streamlined, the system is a little more intuitive, and some of the character classes *coughWARLORDcough* really appeal to me. On the downside I find that magic just isn’t as special as it used to be and there isn’t anything particularly special about any character class. I like the concept of rituals vs. magic abilities, but nothing wows me about magic as a whole in the system. The magic has gone out of magic, and as a player who’s loved spell casters from the first time I picked up a Red Box three decades ago, this saddens me.

So recently I have started playing in a 4e DnD campaign (my first) set in the Darksun campaign setting. Tiny King Jeff runs the show as the DM. He’s pretty new at DMing, and while the job isn’t any easier having three veteran DMs sitting at the table as players, he’s doing well. Reservations about the game aside, I have to say I’m having a blast. All of the characters have their own niche, and each has gotten a time to shine. In my mind that’s a SERIOUS plus to a gaming system. I still hold some reservations however because we haven’t advanced beyond first level. So while I can say the start of the game is strong, I really have no idea what 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th levels may be like.

Also as a person that actually LIKES systems like RoleMaster where you spend HOURS creating a character only to have him die to a luckily rolled critical in the very first combat he encounters, or even the Stormbringer system where you have a better chance of playing a one armed beggar than anything actually useful, I have to say I already miss the struggle. What is the point in pushing on with a particular character if the hopes of seeing him finally come into his own when each character shines from day one? I know this directly conflicts my previous statement that such balance is a strength of a system, but I allow myself such contrasting opinions.

Overall I’m happy with what I’ve gotten from 4e so far. However I can’t say I’m going all in on the system yet. I’ll have a much better idea in a year or two. If I’m still playing my Warlord Trader and still discovering neat new aspects to the character, I’ll be more than pleased. If things end up becoming monotonous with each encounter pretty much seeming like the one before, then I’ll end up dropping 4e like I dropped Everquest, with a disgusted “what’s the point” attitude never to return. We’ll see (no pressure Tiny King).

© 2010, Joseph Little. All rights reserved.