That's how long it took me to try and stay system-monogamous with Pathfinder....but I've fallen off the wagon and am going to start up a new 4E bi-weekly (or maybe weekly, we'll see) game soon.
A few reasons:
1. 5E's announcement has actually diverted all the attention of the Edition War gang away from bashing 4E to bashing Monte Cook's blogs and polls. This has effectively left 4E as "just another old edition" which I rather like.
2. I have my quibbles with 4E, and I really hope all the stuff I have issues with goes away in 5E and it also keeps all the stuff I like, but sticking with Pathfinder for a while has once again reminded me very much of just how much I dislike the 3rd edition approach to D&D. It's not that 3.X is bad, but it goes out of its way to make the process of simply enjoying a game for those with limited time too difficult to manage. I absolutely adore how 4E made the DM's job easier, and I really need that right now to be able to keep enjoying fantasy gaming. Traveller is good this way, too. So is The Mutant Epoch, for the record, and I still plan to run that soon.
3. Part of the problem is my new job. I've always noticed that there's a massive inverse ratio between "time I have to dick around designing stuff for scenarios" and "time I spend working my ass off." Right now, and for the forseeable future, I am in ass-worked-off mode. So in order to enjoy gaming, I need a system that lets me enjoy a night of gaming with minimum prep time (without also feeling like I'm cheesing it and basically providing a suboptimal experience; I can do 3.X ad hoc, but the experience is always shallower and less satisfying for it). 4E is one of several systems that handle minimal prep time really, really well.
4. I kinda miss the tactical combat that has clean, smartly designed rules that don't require constant rulebook flipping. Yeah I'm looking at you 3rd/Pathfinder. Regardless of the minis issue, 4E's streamlined combat mechanics are somehow more involved and interesting than 3rd edition's rules, while simultaneously being simpler and easier to moderate. Except for all the status markers, but we're all used to that now.
Okay, got that off my chest!
The decision to revive 4E lasted maybe 3 whole days....Wednesday night's Pathfinder game was too much fun, and snapped me back to my senses. Stick with what works best. Sigh. There's a lot I love about 4E, but I concede that the story structure I am most comfortable with fits best with the more conventional approach of Pathfinder and other RPGs. 4E's heavy design emphasis on encounter structure has, alas, made it the Red Headed Step Child of the RPG circle, doomed forever more to be too tightly designed for the open nature of RPGs at large...
ReplyDeleteOur group is in total chaos...I can see why you enjoy it so, we suffer at the hands of your abominations, lol! FYI, I'm still lost as to what happened to the rest of the group while my goblin wizard enchanted his way into the next session. All i know is that whatever shenanigans the group got into, my timid little goblin wants nothing to do with it. I'll send you the character concept I've worked on so far to give you an idea on introducing my new character into the group.
ReplyDeleteSounds good! Yeah, if you're (one of) the only one's who doesn't have your soul in the grip of a powerful Planetar of the war god, no reason to get sucked into their "save our own asses" quest....
ReplyDeleteI'll have that data on Navasar soon. Maybe I'll throw it on the blog for fun, although Enzada hasn't made a formal appearance here yet.
In the meantime, Jewd I assume will continue seeking the healer of Enzada, as that was his main hook in the story. From my guesses, he'll continue to be thwarted by the Grasping Craw for his involvement in their discord (thank you undead guy for re-dieing by my hand!). As for the whole Templar associations, well, that's just a bad membership waiting to suck Jewds tiny little Goblin soul. I won't even attempt to imagine what plot twists the Templar are going to pull Jewd into...
ReplyDelete