Finished with DnD third edition

Just wrapped up my last game on Monday.  I greatly prefer the new edition so I handed off a good number of my remaining book immediately after that.  Bit of a shame to end on a total party kill, but such is life (or death in this case).

My main thought on ending is that DnD really needs a strategic level set of game mechanics.  Particularly as characters get more power they are going to do things that have far reaching implications.   This can apply for any role playing game.  The open world stories tend to allow a wide range of approaches and even variant storylines, but the impact on the world at large tends to be very localized.  Games with more linear plots often change the world in dramatic ways, but player choices matter little.  One exception is Suikoden 2 and to a lesser extent 1.  Those games had a strategic element that was influenced by which of the 108 characters were recruited.  The grand strategy was set in stone, but controlling the higher scale level was very satisfying.

More after the cut.

I think 4th edition has the mechanics it needs to allow for incorporation of a mechanically based bigger picture.  Specifically, I’m thinking of picturing the world at large as a board game.  The exact game would depend on the flavor of the world and the preferences of the table.  The players interface to that game would be completing quests via combat and skill challenges.  Storming an enemy square may involve a classic delve or a reconnaissance mission could be used to learn of an enemies next move.  GMs are often encouraged to let the players have their way; that’s solid advice but to the misfortune of my tables I was slow to learn to follow it.  But even a GM capable of giving players free rein might find it easier to determine whether PC plans are any good, allow for emergent strategies and second order effects, and avoid cliché if the big picture was part of the game itself.

Another possible approach is giving some GM-like responsibilities to the players.  However, I think that requires more research and experimentation than providing an interface for an existing game.  The Buffy RPG made some strides in this direction, but I don’t think that they were as far along as the skill challenge mechanic nor do they benefit from a series of terrific articles from DnD Insider.  I may write up reviews of a few of those, although they’re member only content so I can’t repost.