Don't get your OSR panties in a bunch. Armed with a 33% coupon at Borders I bought *gasp* the new Red Box. I would put a picture up, but everyone knows what it looks like. It looks like the old red box, but its not. You maybe asking yourself, why? Why would I waste money on this instead of a kickass OSR module? Or you may have already clicked away. Anyways, I have my reasons.
1. I have been looking at that damn box on the shelf for months. Being a bit compulsive in buying gaming stuff I think I did real good with resisting.
2. Recently I started playing S&W with my wife. She has a knack for questioning things we gamers sometimes take for granted. So, I wanted her to try the 4th edition red box vs. S&W. Sorta like a blind taste test, except she won't be blindfolded. There is a joke in there, but I will leave it alone at risk of being smacked later.
I'm curious to see which one she will prefer. To see which game is more beginner friendly. It should be interesting.
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I prefer the game where I don't die, right away.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting experiment. I am doing something similar with my wife, but I am not telling her anything about the different games and I am also not telling her what they are called, or giving her the rule books to read. I am just explaining the rules to her and seeing if she gets it. Good luck with your test :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you both with that!
ReplyDelete@Happy Whisk - that was my problem with S&W/LL when I ran it; everyone kept dieing and the characters never had a chance to develop.
I love old D&D and I love to hear tales of successful adventures and campaigns, but we don't have the years of weekly gaming to invest in that anymore... hence one of my reasons to reverting to superhero gaming ;)
Thus far, I've resisted the urge myself to buy it, but that red box is so pretty. And it's in a box.
ReplyDeleteMy fiancee has a gaming background (AD&D2e and some boffer LARP) and she found the volume of choice much more overwhelming in 4e when I showed it to her last year.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the Red Box eases you into it, please let us know.
OMG SAY IT ISN'T SO!!! Nah, just kidding. I have the new red box and quite a few of the books from 4e. I prefer the old school stuff just because I like the play style better (I just don't have the time to figure out the tactical combat stuff). But hell, I just like gaming and fantasy so my book shelves are loaded down with every version of D&D from the 1974 LBB through 4e and the retro-clones. Like I said in a recent post, it's all rock 'n roll to me ;).
ReplyDeleteSee, that's kind of the problem with the box. It's designed so a 7 year old can get through it and then you plunge the player into a slightly lighter version of 4e with the very next product.
ReplyDeletePeople misunderstand the different systems viewpoints. OLD school D&D (Gygax-style) was about who lived the longest in the crawl. AD&D was the beginning of character development and story line.
When someone says the players keep dying there is only 2 reasons for that-too much combat that overwhelms them or players who don't grasp that a 2nd level magic user can't beat a dragon toe to toe.
It's like saying "man this drill ain't worth a crap for making pancakes'.
I think it's always good to look at game products no matter what. There is always something useful in almost everything. But to be fair I think the box is not really the test of Essentials. Cool box though :)
I love an open mind! I hope you and she enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHi Flea - yeah to die so fast is kind of hard but ... I'm having fun with Tim, even though I do ask a lot questions. Kind of like a little kid. Why? Why? But why? But, we laugh a lot and that makes it a hoot.
ReplyDeletePlus, Tim bought me pretty pink dice. So that makes it even MORE fun.
-Whisk