I've played 4E now for maybe about a year, and feel that I have a good solid working knowledge of the game for the most part at this point. However, I've yet to play a first level character, which sounds rather strange, I know...
My first character was created for me, and is 12th level. He was 11th when we started. My second character is currently 6th, a convert from 3.5, who - generally speaking - is not a lot different from his 3.5 version in practice. He doesn't hit quite as often, but perhaps that just a side effect of how encounter creation works in 4E, or how my GM (same guy in both editions) handles things now as opposed to before.
One thing I saw frequently on the internet was that 4E supposedly featured a more fluid combat mechanic, which resulted in combat scenarios moving more quickly. So far, this has not been my experience. Dungeons and Dragons 4E combat seems - at least to me - to be almost exactly the same as 3.5 with respect to how long it takes.
I HAVE been in a few combats which were quick, but I'd been in similarly quick combats in 3.5 as well. I'm curious about where this idea came from, and wish I could remember exactly where I'd seen it. Could it be that there's something I'm missing, having not played at level 1? Might it just be a function of playing with the same group through both editions? Similar GMing styles from one guy to the next that result in similar combat lengths?
I have a difficult time imagining why it would be faster, given the mechanics. You still get a similar set of possible actions, you still have to roll the dice, calculate modifiers, roll damage, etc. It's still very much the same animal.
Have you heard this about 4E? Do you find that it's faster, or about the same?
