I find myself wearing my ‘Defender of 4e’ hat a lot lately and there is another common complaint that I am struggling to understand.
Powers ruined the game!
What is it about powers that made 4e so bad?
I mean, so much of the stuff contained within the powers exists in other versions of the game. Paladins have Lay on Hands. Wizards have Ray of Frost. Dragonborn have Dragon Breath. Why is the fact that they are called powers in 4e such a deal breaker?
Oh. One other interesting thought that was shared. The powers (and really much of 4e) defined the rules very clearly. Some players did not like that because it made it harder to dispute what the ability did.
When the ability is written out like prose, it is easier for the player to interpret it in a way that benefits their character. This causes more arguments at the table. But the powers are written like rules. Very direct and specific. Not a lot of room for interpretation and, therefore, fewer arguments.
Kind of sheds some light on those claims that powers limited what their character could do. That is true if what they mean is that it was harder for them to claim the rule was not clear.
I posted the same question over on my YouTube channel and it sounds like it falls into 2 categories. People either didn't like the use of the word 'Power' as it was too video-gamey or they felt the powers actually limited what they could do.
The first concern is really just an aesthetic. Seems odd (or rather petty) for someone to completely trash a game because of one word choice. I am sure some did, but they likely were just looking for a reason not to like it.
I would guess the second reason comes from those that did not play the game very much. Powers most certainly do not limit what you can do.
I've also heard the complaint that it was unrealistic that martial characters would be able to do such things. But most of the things that martial characters can do either exist in other games or are pretty mundane things like extra damage and pushing enemies. Is it really so hard to believe that in a fantasy world where humans change change shape into a spider that a martial character might be able to channel energy in a way that allows them to push an enemy or gain some extra hit points?
I loved that the powers defined exactly what they did, and kept flavor text to a blurb at the top. Though this might be a product of my being autistic, I really appreciate the clean design and knowing every important mechanical thing about a power at a glance.
Oh. One other interesting thought that was shared. The powers (and really much of 4e) defined the rules very clearly. Some players did not like that because it made it harder to dispute what the ability did.
When the ability is written out like prose, it is easier for the player to interpret it in a way that benefits their character. This causes more arguments at the table. But the powers are written like rules. Very direct and specific. Not a lot of room for interpretation and, therefore, fewer arguments.
Kind of sheds some light on those claims that powers limited what their character could do. That is true if what they mean is that it was harder for them to claim the rule was not clear.
I posted the same question over on my YouTube channel and it sounds like it falls into 2 categories. People either didn't like the use of the word 'Power' as it was too video-gamey or they felt the powers actually limited what they could do.
The first concern is really just an aesthetic. Seems odd (or rather petty) for someone to completely trash a game because of one word choice. I am sure some did, but they likely were just looking for a reason not to like it.
I would guess the second reason comes from those that did not play the game very much. Powers most certainly do not limit what you can do.
I've also heard the complaint that it was unrealistic that martial characters would be able to do such things. But most of the things that martial characters can do either exist in other games or are pretty mundane things like extra damage and pushing enemies. Is it really so hard to believe that in a fantasy world where humans change change shape into a spider that a martial character might be able to channel energy in a way that allows them to push an enemy or gain some extra hit points?
I loved that the powers defined exactly what they did, and kept flavor text to a blurb at the top. Though this might be a product of my being autistic, I really appreciate the clean design and knowing every important mechanical thing about a power at a glance.