4E Red Box

I have avoided 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons like the plague. I read the quick start when they where released and found the sweeping changes to the game to be abysmal. I detested the focus on combat, the way roleplaying was reduced to a series of skill checks and nothing more. I despised the way the new game attempted to emulate popular computer role playing games. I did not want to play World of Warcraft on my table, I wanted to role play dammit. I maintained these opinions for a long time and I defended 3rd and 2nd edition with all my might, insisting that they where the best systems for Dungeons and Dragons ( while I realize that some old school purists would argue that 1st was the best but I am 29 so my introduction to D and D was 2nd). I wanted nothing to do with the grid-based combat, if I want grid-based combat I will play HeroQuest or Decent. I did not want to have to carry around cards for my characters because they worked on some crazy keyword system that looked more like if-then statements than gaming rules. If I wanted to multi-class into a fighter/ranger/rogue/bard/wizard/druid/monk then I would, because I played 3.5 and was not and will never play 4th.

So, I bought the red box for 4th edition last week.....




I have two friends that are very into video games but have never role played, I also have a seven year old son who has a ten year old friend. Over the last couple of months they have all expressed interest in playing D & D. I did not want to introduce them into my 3.5 group that has been playing together for years for two reasons. First we have been doing this a long time and when we go off into character it can get kinda scary for someone who has never been exposed to this hobby before. Secondly we are all around 30 and our language can get rather crass and what kind of father would I be if my son repeated some of the things said around the table to his mother?

With that in mind I hopped on Amazon and snagged the red box for $16. I figured if we all tried it and hated it at least I was not out a ton of money and could go right back to my main group and never bat an eye. When the box arrived I set to creating a fighter NPC using the character creation rules that come with the beginner box. This was by far and large the worst part of the entire experiment with the red box. To put it simply the solo "adventure" that Wizards uses to create new characters is horrid. I slogged through it and ended up with a fighter and a moderate understanding of how 4th edition worked, and I still hated it. After helping my son and friends through the process we sat down to play the short dungeon crawl that came with the box.

As they made their way through the adventure, killing monsters and failing skill checks something magical began to happen. I had to help my young son less and less, he started telling me what he was doing and why. My friends also caught on to the rules rather quickly and began questioning how powers worked and when they could do what. After a nail biting fight with the final boss of the dungeon I closed the book and looked around. Everyone at the table was laughing and having a great time. I asked if they wanted to do it again and was greeted with a resounding yes.

After this experience it's looking like I will be DMing an essentials campaign now as well as my 3.5 campaign. I don't know that I love the new rule set but I do love what it was able to do. With the understanding of MMOs that my friends and son have they where able to adapt to the 4th edition rules rather quickly and everything just kind of clicked for them. So while my older friends and I will stick to our 3.5 role playing, if the video game style approach of 4th edition is going to allow my son to enjoy a hobby that has given me so much joy over the years than in my opinion it is the best role playing game ever.