4th Edition D&D has arrived, and we started out with Keep on the Shadowfell, the introductory adventure. I am not always the best person to run preset adventures, often growing fairly bored partway through. I made it to the end of The Keep, however, mostly because it was a new system.

The adventure itself was nothing special, mostly showcasing the new combat mechanics of the new edition. During the course of play we saw all eight classes and races in play, with differing opinions on all of them. There were two character deaths, one party capture and one monster humiliation (goblin chief swept into the pit of rats). The traps weren't particularly well implemented and we pretty much ignored the town.

As for the game itself, after initial reservations I've warmed to it. It plays like D&D and feels like D&D. Focused mostly on combat, but with the skills and rituals (and the bits in the DMG) providing enough of a framework for outside of combat. Hopefully high-level play will be much quicker and adventure preparation will take a lot less time. At worst we can fall back on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Dark Heresy and Savage Worlds, all of which I really like at the mo.

My next campaign will be another test, trying out a group of 15th level characters for the summer.