In an effort to actually use these social networking sites a little more, I'm going to try and make myself post more often. Today we have thoughts on D&D's 4th Edition, so new that the books still creak when opened.

First up, I like it so far. I wasn't sure what to make of it when I heard that there would be a Fourth Edition a year or so ago. Like so many gamers, I'm sure I worried that the sky was falling in one way or another, but as I have seen more and more of it over the last few months, it has really got me interested. Now that I have the books themselves (and the PDFs last week, but the less said about that the better, heh ^^), I can browse them at my leisure and try and investigate fully before finally deciding my opinion.

It's definately a change from 3rd Edition, 3.5 and the related games and OGL material, and not simply in terms of mechanics. The game openly accepts that Player Characters are different from everyone else in the world and that completing all the little details of NPCs who may only have 5 minutes screen time is pointless and a waste of time. At the moment I'm not entirely sure what to make of that. When I first read it, I was aghast. It seemed like oversimplification and likely to just lead to blandness. Now that I'm starting to get a feeling for the system (though I know there's still a long way for me to go), I'm starting to get the feel for how to work without the framework of exact feats, levels, skills etc. It';s also a godsend for dealing with rules lawyers, they can't really second guess levels and abilities any more .

The ground rules of the game are rather changed too, but that may well lead to a more enjoyable, more Heroic Fantasy game. The ability to overload on magic and magic items to be unkillable has gone, characters are more grounded in their roles and classes which fits the milieu and style of class and level-based games. Though there is still a lot of versatility, a Fighter for example is not just a thug in plate, he can be a swashbuckling duelist very easily or a rampaging barbarian. Right now I'm working through some PCs and NPCs from old campaigns and statting them as PCs and as NPCs in 4th Edition rules, to try and get used to the free-formness of the latter, and to show myself the flexibility of the system with the former.

The metaphysics and cosmology are some of the few things I have a bit more of a problem with, yet this more because it will take a little work to make things fit the cosmology of Tenaebrys, especially since the origins of certain things and places are radically different. The concept of the Primordials is still very usable, they could very well be the original spirits of the elements, empowered by the Elder Triad at the dawning of the world, that the god fought against for power over the world. However, the origins of the Abyss and Hell for example are at direct odds with my own cosmology, as are some of the ideas like the faceless angels of ideals. That said, the idea of the Astral Sea fits very well with my own concepts of the astral plane - an endless night sea that requires esoteric knowledge to navigate, lit by the stars of the planes, rather like Davy Jones' Locker in Pirates 3 - and the same with the Feywild and Shadowfell, though I may have to add a little more Old WoD style to them and make the current idea of the feywild the border with the material world.

In any case, it should be interesting. ^^

(because I'm bored and want to acutally use this for once

1. What time is it?
00:16

2. What's your middle name?
Eoghain

3. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom or your dad?
Mum

4. Where will you be 12 hours from now?
Sitting on the couch, sort-of working.

5. Is it easy for others to make you feel awkward?
oh yeah...

6. Do you know what you are going to wear tomorrow?
comfortable clothes, and a jedi robe

7. What serial killer do you find most disturbing?
the sociopathic ones

8. Does anyone hate you for no reason?
I hope not o.o

9. Can you make yourself cry?
Depressed, yeah. Cry, not so much.

10. How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
7

11. Is your life simple or complicated?
a bit of both

12. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance?:
yes

13. Do you know anyone who lives in Wyoming?
nope

14. Have you ever kissed someone whose name starts with an R?
nope

15. Have you ever passed out?
not as far as I know

16. What are you doing tomorrow?
tidying up the house, probably, then tormenting people at 'Slayers

17. Are you easily confused?
Sometimes, when I miss a key part of a conversation

18. Do you think you would make a good parent?
I doubt it

19. What was your last place of employment?
last and current - the gloriously incompetent CSA

20. Are you taller than 5'4"?
yep, 6'3 I think

21. Is your current hair color mostly your natural hair color?
yep, though it does change colour a little right after being washed

22. What color are your socks?
black

23. Has anyone ever borrowed something from you and never returned it?
once or twice

24. Do you fall for people easily?
sometimes, sometimes not

25. True or False: Everything happens for a reason.
true

26. Have you ever dated someone more than once?
nope

27. Who all have you texted in the last 24 hours?
no-one

28. Have you ever liked anyone on your top friends?
it depends on what you mean by liked....

29. What makes a hot guy/girl, amazing?
kindness, a sense of humour, intelligence, sharing my interests and hobbies

30. Do you find members of the opposite sex confusing?
sometimes

31. Is there anybody you wish you could be with right now?
yep, very much so

32. When is the last time you saw number 4 on your top friends?
several months ago

33. What are you listening to right now?
the ocassional traffic on the street outside

34. How has the week been?
emotional.

35. Is there something you wish you could tell someone but cant?
yes, many things...