DMing a 4th Edition D&D Game

When 4th Edition appeared on the scene in 2008, I was initially both cynical and skeptical about it. The cynic in me said "WOTC just wants more money," and the skeptic in me added "How on Earth could any changes to 3.5 Edition of D&D possibly warrant a move to a 4th edition?"

Well, WOTC certainly must be making some money from 4th Edition (witness the recent appearance of the Player's Handbook 2 in the top 15 New York Times non-fiction bestsellers, and number 4 on the Wall Street Journal's list). I have no problem with a company making money from its products, despite feeling like I paid for 3rd Edition twice when I bought the 3.5 Core Books.

Once I got to look at 4th edition, though, I saw that it was not going to be a repeat of the change from 3 to 3.5. This was almost a whole new game. I was a little shaken at first. As a 30-year veteran of D&D, this was something unexpected -- a radical re-thinking of the basic mechanics and powers. But the more I read the more I liked it. My 3.5 game bogged down and became almost unplayable with a table of just 6 characters of levels 12-15. Too many options and details and special rules, along with juggling all the math during combat, ground the game to a glacial pace. I love that 4th Edition manages to have plenty of variety but streamlines the mechanics such that I have a much easier time DMing and the pace never bogs down due to mechanics. It's just out and out more fun.

In the late summer of 2008 I asked my long-time players to give 4th Edition a shot. I decided to run the current WOTC-produced adventures to cut down my prep time. This decision helped me focus on getting the hang of the new rules, while giving me plenty of latitude to customize the game world. I'm using the Vale of Nentir right out of the DMG. (In later articles on the blog I plan to discuss how I'm customizing it.)

I sent my players a great "10 minute" survey to flesh out their character's background and aspirations. Each player described 2 allies and 1 enemy for their character. They gave their character 2 secrets - one the character knows about, and one the character does not know about. (Each also has a third secret that only I know about.)

From their backgrounds, aspirations, allies, enemies, and secrets, I was able to weave together a societal framework tying the player-created content with the DMG's sketchy details of the Nentir Vale. There are 5 PCs and we play once a month. The characters are currently adventuring in the Thunderspire Labyrinth and recently hit 7th level. Overall, the group seems to enjoy the flavor of 4th Edition.

Next time, I'll write about "The Unaligned", a secret organization in the Vale to which the PCs belong.

Notes:
This is another interesting and extensive character survey over on Dragon Avenue.