Well, now that I have a 4E game under my belt, I thought I might post a few thoughts on the newest edition of D&D and a few new techniques that I have found to be very helpful.
D&D has finally evolved to match how I’ve always wanted to play out combat scenarios. I love to use tactical aspects in combat. Whether it is getting the best and/or safest position on the battlefield or lining up a spell effect to take out the most targets, I have always loved visualizing the combat and planning out my moves, much like a game of chess. Playing throughout the various editions of the D&D, many of my favorite characters have had abilities, powers or skills that allowed them to move about the battlefield in unusual ways, but I often felt like I rarely ever got to fully utilize those abilities. 4E has answered that little prayer of mine and, if nothing else, that has me leaning favorably toward 4E’s corner.
One of the new techniques I’ve adopted is printing out a pre-generated list of random d20 results. A few different bloggers have suggested doing this, so I thought I’d give it a try. Well, it worked out wonderfully. It definitely saved me time during combat situations. I am surprised however that my players never wondered out loud why I hadn’t rolled any dice during the attack phases. (failed Passive Perception check, I guess.)
Each of my players has their character’s At-Will powers written down in front of them at all times, but I’ve discovered that using power cards for encounter and daily powers works wonderfully, especially for beginners who are just learning 4E. I also developed cards for Second Wind and Action Points as well. Even though every character can use these choices during combat, I have found that having the cards in front of you acts as a constant reminder of these options as well. It really helps my players to remember what they can do and what they have already used.
Finally, if you’re anything like me, you hate to write, erase and write yet again on your character sheet. It never takes long before it’s a mess and you can hardly read it. So, to solve that particular problem, I developed some simple scratch sheets for each character and one for the DM to take notes on the group. Player scratch sheets contain all the variables and perishables that are constantly changing during a game such as hit points, healing surges and ammunition. The DM’s scratch sheet contains all the information that I’m usually asking each player over and over again, like what’s your AC, Passive checks and such. It’s very handy and a great time saver.
