Sentimentality And D&D Editions OR Happiness Is The Edition That Brings You Joy

First off I want to iterate that I was not interested with 4E to begin with. I only bought the 4E PHB for two reasons; 1) I wanted to plunder it for ideas for The Tale of The Twin Suns, 2) Blackrat is running a 4E game in the pbp are of EnWorld and I wanted to get to know my character that he made for me better.

I started looking over the game and I came to a conclusion. No edition of D&D is perfect and there never will be a perfect edition because you can't improve upon perfection. I have not yet read the 4E PHB from cover to cover but I understand the basics well enough to understand that 4E is the natural evolution of the game; this thoroughly my own opinion. Dice probability is detrimental in 3E games at higher levels; I've played enough of it to understand this. This is the reason for the 1/2 level boni to defenses.

Multiclassing in 3E was well too broken. Take 1 level in all the base classes in the 3E (that you are legally allowed based on the RAW) and you won't have a character focused in one area, but you will have a character that has mad modifiers to BAB, Fort, Ref & Will. Feats & Magic can bolster these further, too much so.

I've realized that despite my apprehension for 4E that the time is right for the system. How many of of the people out there that play 3E have switched over to Pathfinder? Be honest. Pathfinder does help to fix inherent flaws in the 3E system, yet it opens the floodgates for new ones as well. 4E is no exception to this either. Like I said before, no edition of D&D is perfect.

I don't fully grasp Rituals yet, but I think that the modification of the sytem from 3E to 4E has allowed anyone to create magic items using the Ritual Caster feat. This is a huge step up from all the various Item Creation feats.

I've realized that though not everyone is ecstatic about the change and there are the ravid fanpersosns of both systems (and Pathfinder) that 4E is not an attempt to siphon money from gamers on Hasbro's part. All the complaints that wizards got regarding 3E led to the outcome of 4E. I've wisened up enough since GenCon 05 to realize this.

Sentimentality can be a persons undoing. A person can either try to better themself or is arrogant enough to think that they are beyond fixing, because they think they don't need it. As the world turns, the times change. I've come to the realization that expansion of the mind is paramount and that broadening it is the healthy thing to do.

I'm not asking everyone to embrace 4E with open arms but to be wise enough to be a better person and realize that 4E is here and it’s not going to go away. If you don't like the new edition, that’s fine. It’s perfectly acceptable. You don't have to like the fact that its here (personally I'm still a little shocked) you just have accept that it is.

I know what some of you are thinking. Reveille, how could you? Easy, I'm a gamer with an open mind, a very open mind. I may be without a stable group but I have EnWorld and I have an overactive imagination. I think that like some of you, I long to be the person that has the ability, time and resources to stand up for the good of humankind. That’s what D&D stands for in all editions. To throw off the shackles of oppression and rise up beyond what we are labeled.

We are gamers and we are proud. We might not be able to be a hero in real life, but fantasy role-playing allows us to cast an avatar into that medium to either be the hero we so desperately want to be or to cast a dark shadow into the medium to be able to rid ourselves of our dark half for a short time.

I for one would love to be a shining paladin, a symbol of hope and glory of humankind on Earth. Since I know I can't, D&D (and roleplaying in general) allows me to take on that persona for a short time. I would never trade way my gamer status for anything other than to actually be that hero in real life.

So I put it to everyone here at EnWorld, look beyond editions and be thankful that our Founding Fathers made the medium possible for us. Dungeons & Dragons and roleplaying systems in general make it possible for all of us to play whichever version we want to in order to be the hero for a game session. Happiness stems from doing what makes you happy. If 4E isn’t making you happy then don’t play it. For some of us it does bring happiness. Don’t worry about the rules of a system you don’t want to play, just pick a system that does make you happy and let the good times roll.

Preach it, brother!

Reveille said:

I started looking over the game and I came to a conclusion. No edition of D&D is perfect and there never will be a perfect edition because you can't improve upon perfection.

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I came to the conclusion that no edition of any RPG is or can be perfect. In my case the conclusion was more easily drawn because my ideals have contradictory elements that always are fighting it out for the right balance. Also, different players are looking for different things in an RPG, and every group will find someone has an issue with some elements of the RPG.

That being said, I believe there can be a perfect RPG for you. By that I mean an RPG that fits what you want in an RPG. It gets tougher though because RPGs are a group activity and you have the added hurdle of the RPG that starts to come close having to fit in with a group you can and will game with. Even then it's not a common experience to find that.

In practice I find it's a lot better if you focus less on finding the perfect RPG and settle on getting out of the one (or ones if you like to dabble) you are playing. That doesn't mean you don't keep looking around, but focus less on the flaws of a system that otherwise meets your needs and preferences.

Good words, keep on speaking your mind!

I accept that it's here, but don't see how it's inevitable that it should take the form it has, nor that it should be immune to criticism.

I also don't consider my objections to it just a result of a "fear of change". I wanted a lot of change. Reveille, you should just accept that 4E is just one bunch of guy's take on "improving D&D", and temporary. Nothing more nor less. It's "WOTC's Fantasy Heartbreaker", only it won't fail like all the others simply because it has the D&D name on the cover.

There is nothing more zen about accepting it than there is in pointing out it's flaws. That's what people did with 3E, and in your own admission that laid out the path for 4E.

I'm also not particularly sentimental. Right now, NO edition of D&D does it for me. 4E was supposed to fill that void, but just brings greater problems of it's own. Those who don't agree with your opinion aren't necessarily nostalgic or sentimental, and to make that assumption is somewhat patronising.

rounser said:

It's "WOTC's Fantasy Heartbreaker", only it won't fail like all the others simply because it has the D&D name on the cover.

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I don't think you're using that term correctly. Not all fantasy RPGs are Heartbreakers.

rounser said:

Right now, NO edition of D&D does it for me. 4E was supposed to fill that void, but just brings greater problems of it's own.

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I'm just the opposite. I think all editions of D&D are awesome. You just have to be in the right mood, since they all have their foibles. If I'm with a bunch of people who like playing 2E, I play 2E and I have a blast.

I'm just the opposite. I think all editions of D&D are awesome.

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I like all pre-4E editions, but can see their more obvious flaws. House ruling, crafty campaign design or using software utilities to get around these is possible, even designing a custom version of the game. Something published will fill the void, at some stage.

I don't think you're using that term correctly. Not all fantasy RPGs are Heartbreakers.

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If it lacked the D&D name on the cover, I'd assume that WOTC's creation would most likely be considered a D&D clone when it was considered at all, gather a niche following, and soon be forgotten and discontinued. Just like all the others.

Reveille said:

I've come to the realization that expansion of the mind is paramount and that broadening it is the healthy thing to do.

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Then hey, move on to another RPG altogether! Or another hobby!!!



I mean sure, that is probably solid advice for many gamers indeed, but I was kidding.

Still, to be honest - and I know you did even go to the extent of adding the disclaimer that it was purely your opinion, and so forth - I really, honestly don't see 4e as 'the natural evolution of the game'. In fact, far from it.

And, given that AD&D is quite a bit different to say, OD&D, and 3e is rather different to AD&D (let alone OD&D). . . and I don't mean in terms of natural evolution, either. . . well, it's a broken path already. There's no mending that now. And there's probably simply no way of anything evolving from 3e and 1e and OD&D (and all the rest.)

Some people are fine with a nearly unrelated game, like yourself. Some aren't.

Many aren't so sentimental as to cling to a brand name, no matter the amount of bizarre changes to the actual game.

rounser said:

If it lacked the D&D name on the cover, I'd assume that WOTC's creation would most likely be considered a D&D clone when it was considered at all, gather a niche following, and soon be forgotten and discontinued. Just like all the others.

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So in other words, if all of the circumstances were totally and completely different, it would be a fantasy heartbreaker.

What a non-statement...

-O

So in other words, if all of the circumstances were totally and completely different, it would be a fantasy heartbreaker.

What a non-statement...

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No. My point is that IMO it's just a fantasy heartbreaker with the D&D name attached, rather than a true new edition of D&D.