Thoughts on what might be fun in a game like this? Race/Class/Build reccomendations?
I was thinking of maybe a generalist/decent at everything type character. But I'm not married to that idea.
Not sure what other folks are playing yet.
Fighters and Wardens may be the kings of holding a choke point, but they can be effective on the open field, too.Long endurance fights are going to favor characters that can avoid or mitigate damage. Being outnumbered favors characters capable of hitting multiple foes in a single round. Big, open battlefields mean cover is going to be rare, so Stealth* is out as a means to avoid damage, which means your best bets are going to be characters that can lay down some pain at range and on the move.
Given that: Rangers (any flavor, really), Pursuit Avengers, Assault Swordmages, Storm Sorcerers, Shamans, Virtuous Bards, Tinkerer Artificers, Seekers, Centered Breath Monks and Predator Druids are going to be among your stronger classes.
* Special mention goes to the Assassin, who can generate invisibility for himself right from level 1, and thus can basically always find something to hide in, and the Warlock, who has near-permanent concealment thanks to Shadow Walk.
For races, look for anything that can boost your ability to mitigate or avoid damage. Notably, Halflings (for their racial Second Chance and the feat Lost In The Crowd) and Goliaths (for Stone's Endurance) spring to mind, but a Dragonborn's built-in AoE can be a lifesaver, as can an Elf's natual speed of 7 (particularly coupled with a Predator Druid for a base speed of 8. Wahoo.). A Longtooth Shifter's regeneration can greatly increase endurance in a long fight, and Gnomes can go invisible as a Reaction to taking a hit -great to reposition yourself on the field.
Now, however, a question: has this buddy of yours DMed 4ed before? By this point there's no reason to try and hide the fact that 4e combat does run a bit slow, and a huge, sweeping fight with lots of monsters (that aren't Minions) on the field could potentially bog the fight down into unplayability. If he's new to 4e, you might want to warn him to stick to the recommended encounter format for a little while, at least until he gets the hang of things. Otherwise, he runs the risk of burning himself out in frustration over trying to do something that the system really doesn't handle well.
You'll be able to bring the AE pain to those big open fields, and you'll get some healing kick to help your group outlast the enemy in those drawn-out battles.
For open fields you want either mobility, range.
Wizards have range and moveable encounter long AOE spells.
Druids, have speed/range, and encounter long summons.
Barbarians probably have the most speed, and encounter long powers, and good at-wills.
Rangers (archer) have mobility and very long range, and one of the strongest at-wills.
The only race i know of that has an encounter long power are the shifters.
I would also recommend taking a dwarf with a lot of surges or a shifter. They are very good in surviving long fights with the minor action second wind (dwarf) or regeneration (shifter).
For long battles, you want a class with encounter long powers, and strong at-wills.
For open fields you want either mobility, range.
Wizards have range and moveable encounter long AOE spells.
Druids, have speed/range, and encounter long summons.
Barbarians probably have the most speed, and encounter long powers, and good at-wills.
Rangers (archer) have mobility and very long range, and one of the strongest at-wills.
The only race i know of that has an encounter long power are the shifters.
I would argue that Barbarians just might be trumped in mobility by Monks, but it'd be close either way. Monk is tougher to hit, but the Barbarian probably hits harder.
You have a healthy selection of At-Will and Encounter powers for some worthwhile control, Daily powers that will immediately shift the tide of battle, and with the right feats and items you can later dish out single target damage on par with any striker.
The versatility is what I loved and the fact that each round I would use every last action to do something that would leave its mark for rounds to come.
By level 10, you can get a truckload of damage improving feats and items so you can help out with the brutes and stragglers while still holding a wide array of massive control powers with undeniable effects. Thorn Spray, Faerie Fire, and Roar of Terror are among my favorites; and charging into combat advantage with Grasping Claws with all the extra damage toys can sometimes put even rouges to shame.
And there it is, my passion for the shifter druid in a as few words as I can bring myself to write.