I like D&D 4th edition. It certainly has its flaws and it can easily move into a style of play I don’t care for unless you work at it a little. I actually need to write up a full post on 4e at some point to go into my feelings on it. This post though, I want to talk about a new product for 4e from WOTC: Fortune Cards.
Each card has a little character buff on it. Plus +1 for this or that in a particular situation or you knock someone prone in another situation.To get a better idea of what they are read up on fortune cards here: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drdd/20110223
There is not much if anything I like about fortune cards. 4e is “gamey” enough as it is with how abstract a lot of the mechanics (powers, hit points, and healing surges) are. To add another level on top of that with the fortune cards doesn’t sit well with me. 4e already has a billion powers and feats built into it from the get go. This is adding another layer of unneeded complexity. I don’t want to play in a game where the players are fumbling with cards trying to figure out what they want to do. 4e has enough options for the players and fumbling around with powers as it is. Players have enough options in combat as it is without fortune cards. That’s a major factor in long combats and now you adding in extra options with cards or trading cards with players. I think the Essentials approach of reducing complexity for players was the right way to go and this going in completely the opposite direction.
Also, I don’t like the idea of player built decks either. They come in random booster packs, so you don’t know what you’re getting. They’re adding this collectible card game element to a game that doesn’t need it. Giving a player mechanical advantages in the game for buying real world stuff is just antithetical to how I want to play the game. Further, I don’t want to play in a game where I have to buy cards to so my character can be better. It makes sense (I guess) in a competitive game like Magic, but not in a collaborative game like D&D.
It feels like Wizards of the Coast is flailing around with 4th edition. Essentials, Fortune Cards, canceling the minis line, the focus on boards games. They are really going in a lot of directions at once. Maybe they are taking some risks in trying new things, to give them the benefit of the doubt. But, it feels more like they are struggling to find a direction. The Fortune Cards are certainly a misstep.
Of course, Fortune Cards are entirely optional and you can play the game how you want. That’s one of the wonderful thing about tabletop RPGs, it’s your game to play how you see fit. If there are people who want to play with Fortune Cards, that’s fine, I just don’t want to play that way.
