Dungeons and Dragons: Fourth Edition

So, my roommates, their cousins, and I started a beginner’s module to the new Fourth Edition of Dungeon’s and Dragons.  Now, before we played, I was pretty sure that I was going to hate the new ruleset.  I had been DMing before this, and I was pretty in depth on the rules of the previous version.  My friends and I had played it for years… since high school, really.  There was no way I was gonna like these new rules.

But they needed an extra body, and since it was the beginner module, it came with a starter set of pre-setup characters.  That, and I did not have to DM, since Ken was already doing it.  So I figured, what the hey, I’ll give it a shot.

…There will be those hardcores who will have contempt for me after this statement: but I believe the rules here are a MUCH more accessible set of rules.  I avoid using “watered down,” although some hardcores may use, as there is plenty of complication, but fortunately, it is mostly during battle, where you want lots of options and strategy! 

The good parts are better, and the mundane tasks of spellbooks and preparing spells and a ridiculous number of skills to keep track of are gone.  They are replaced instead of with a fewer number of skills that are a combination and simplification of older skills (Jump + Swim + Climb + Tumble = Athletics), and magic is handled differently.  Everyone has certain abilities.  Some you can use as you wish, and others have limitations on how often you can use them (once per encounter, once per day, only when a certain trigger occurs, etc).

It makes setup so much quicker, less dealing with character sheets and minute tasks throughout.  It allows more focus on the actual battles and role-play.

I need to talk to Blank, but I believe after doing this, I will be adapting my campaign to Fourth Edition.