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You can view the page at http://loremaster.org/content.php/22...ers-Matt-James
Matt James
Freelance Game Designer
I have always thought of previous editions and the pain staking care we would take when we rested to make sure we were safe. I encourage my players to push on and do not make it easy with a huge neon sign saying "REST NOW". If you work off a milestone reward system then this can really keep the tension and pace of the game. Perhaps one surge recovered for every milestone would keep the work day trucking along a bit more. With essentials builds the issue of the extended rest is even less. I have never understood why people sit around and wait for you Matt, or any of the designers to say it is okay to do something before they adjust THEIR game to the tastes of the DM and players.
I can understand and appreciate their concerns, and I don't want to come off as uncaring, but I agree. Perhaps there needs to be more focus on training people to think outside of the box. In earlier edition, such as 2e, it was almost mandatory. Many of us cut our teeth in the game by just coming up with stuff on the spot. This grew into more. I never recall RAW being such an important aspect of the game until around 3.5. I would be interested in investigating the social and cultural reasons on why it became so prominent.
Matt James
Freelance Game Designer
That would be a good topic to sling around.Originally Posted by Matt James
Their was a stark shift with the release of 3rd Edition to a game where options where laid out for the players in overwhelming abundance from this is a basic guideline now have at it feel of earlier editions of the game. I think the focus of companies was primarily on designing adventures since I don't remember an overwhelming number of supplements. I think supplements that increase character options and expand their power(s) sell. So newer players to the game and even some of the veteran ones feel that they must follow the guidelines and wait for someone to create a rule instead of just trying out things until you find something that clicks for your group.
In re the reason for RAW emphasis, I can't speak for 2.0 at all, but 3.5 took players inside the black box much more deeply than 1.0 did. Exactly how things work, and the math governing it, becomes the player's responsibility, and that leads to player input and disagreement. This isn't to say the problem is system-based only, though. In Gamma World, I haven't experienced this problem. Granted, the rule on cover and concealment is simply, "Your GM determines whether you have cover or concealment," which helps, but the goofiness of the setting seems to contribute to player's just going with it. In re the healing surge issue, this is something that D'Karr and I have discussed ad nauseum, and many of us have addressed from time to time. I published an article here with my solution (appropriate within a particular context), and Matt presents one here with a bit more general an application. What's strange to me is that if 1) we're all talking about it, and 2) there are lots of ideas out there, why hasn't WotC released at least an Unearthed Arcana article with some ideas? There's just too much of a concern among the player base (in my anecdotal experience) to believe they aren't aware of the issue, but they've completely ignored it AFAIK. Perhaps they're relying on Loremaster posts and articles. :-)
My group must be special because I have never had to worry about these issues. Honestly they look at the usage of dailies and ask me, what time of day it is. If it is late and they have been going all day they tend to unleash the powers of the dailies and go crazy. Sometimes they count encounters but I toss it up some and throw in some exploration inbetween them and maybe some downtime so it throws things up a bit. You know some of that DM illusionary magic. As far as Daily magic item useage, I thought they did away with that with the Rules Compendium, if not it is a rule I do not use and it really does not have much bearing on my game as I try not to hand out magic items with daily powers on them. - Stingy DM here.
I am fortunate that my players are typically not to big on counting encounters unless it is in the direction of "we are so bad ass because we got through seven encounters without a rest." That sort of encounter counting is fine with me. I typically use the inherent bonus option in my games so I can lay out magic as I see fit and I am stingy with the magic as well. I give out items that are more than the average magic item, making them something you don't want to melt down for magic dust in a few levels. I just don't give a lot of magic items out to the players. As far as dailies go in magic items I hated them as a player are glad to see them go and would always rather have just had a property that was constant.
I think my players count encounters to get the extra action points. To them those are very important. Since I also use fate points they can typically use those to refresh a power it does limit their need for extended rests.
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