This article was entered into the RPG Blog Carnival at 6d6 Fireball.  The topic for this month was D&D.

Over the past year or so I’ve pondered questions about DnD 4e and whether it is the game for me or not. In general, I’ve always tried to be middle of the road when it comes to my approach on gaming. I like roleplaying, combat, exploring, and socializing all equally. Sometimes I love certain aspects of roleplaying games more than others. Different roleplaying games lend themselves to one specific aspect over others. With DnD 4e, it took me a while to figure out exactly what aspects the game was good at and what parts I liked. I heard what other players, gamemasters, bloggers, and industry people were saying about this next version of ‘the game’ of all roleplaying games, Dungeons & Dragons. I tried to answer the question, “Is it for me?”

My early struggles were chronicled in my first major DnD 4e article, “My D&D 4e Character Sucks! How Do I Fix It?” Our group consisted of four to five players each week and the gamemaster. I like filling in the utility role in our roleplaying groups, usually playing whatever will round out our group the best. After every player in the group had made their character selections, I ended up going with a Cleric since we were high on damage and low on healing. Several sessions in, it seemed like everyone else was really getting a lot of cool powers and abilities with their characters. Mine seemed to feel somewhat lackluster, as if I had little or no effect in the game. For whatever reason, I wasn’t having a lot of fun with the character even though our gamemaster was running a phenomenal campaign.

Fast forward six months and many adventures later, I found myself still playing the same character but with the opposite problem! I wrote a new DnD 4e article entitled, “My D&D 4e Character Is Too Powerful! How Do I Fix It?” Call it good fortune, a change of mindset, or perhaps I just followed my own advice, but my Cleric had easily become one of the most powerful characters in the party. A major plot point in the story was centered on my character. I had fairly good fortunes with getting some gear. And, I changed how I played the character and a few of the abilities he had. Everything seemed to be going my way and I was definitely having a lot more fun roleplaying with the character.

In May, I asked the RPG Bloggers Network to discuss, “The Future of Roleplaying”. One of the biggest topics being discussed was DnD 4e, how it was being received by roleplayers and what impact it would have on the future of roleplaying. There are a lot comments on both the positive and negative side for DnD 4e. However, a few things seem to be accepted by most players when it comes to DnD 4e –

• Every gamer has an opinion on DnD 4e.
• Love it or hate it, Wizards of the Coast has created a monster of a game.

My opinions of the game swayed back and forth with different points and counterpoints offered by players. I also discovered different aspects about the game that I liked or disliked as I was able to play through it. For me, I loved how the rules were easier to understand. The game seemed a lot more polished than previous versions of DnD and many other roleplaying games. But, the game did seem somewhat watered down in certain areas. I also felt like the focus was being pushed more towards miniature combat and less towards actual roleplaying.

My overall opinion has gone back and forth drastically during my time with the game, but then I had an epiphany. Eventually I asked myself, “DnD 4e – Is it for me?” I finally came to the conclusion, “It is… if I let it be.”