D&D 3E/3.5 4E reminded me how much I like 3E

[John Q. Mayhem]

So, I've been thinking about 3E and 4E. I was really excited about 4E leading up to its release; I'd been playing mostly Savage Worlds, kind of taking a break from 3.5 for a while. However, when 4E came out it just...didn't really grab me. I won't speculate here on why.

What 4E did do was remind me of all the things I love about 3.X. I am extremely familiar with the mechanics of 3.X, able to build almost any character concept I want, even without access to books. I can DM it completely off the top of my head, and my players all enjoy the system and the games I run.

Basically, 4E drove me back to the 3E fold. I haven't played Savage Worlds since 4E was released, although I still like that system. I am engaged in several new 3.5 games, and they're all going really well. Did anyone else have a similar experience?

 

[ExploderWizard]

Not lke that but somewhat similar. I played a lot of GURPS until 3E got me interested in D&D again. 3rd Ed. got to be too much work creating NPCs so I looked forward to the 4E promised simple statblocks. After seeing the rules and playing a couple sessions I have a desire to dive right into 4E............GURPS.

 

[Mercule]

I haven't played enough 4e to say how I'll like it. But, if it doesn't float my boat, I'll be moving to 5e -- Hero. Or, maybe Savage Worlds.

 

[Dragonbait]

I like 4E, and am in 2 campaigns, but the 3E to 4E transition for me was not as celebratory and "this is NOW so full of awesome!" like the 2E to 3E conversion was. I'm actually thinking about other systems like WHFRP, L5R, or nWoD..

 

[renau1g]

My group had the other reaction. We had grown tired and weary of the multitude of splatbooks, rules, etc that 3.x had become after years of releases. We also routinely play till about 8-12th level max, so we never experienced any epic gameplay and also didn't really run into the ineffectiveness of fighters vs. magic users, that I think plagued the system.

We really enjoyed playing a level 1 wizard and after 3-4 rounds of combat being able to do something besides shoot a crossbow with a below average chance of hitting.

 

[Imaro]

My group had the other reaction. We had grown tired and weary of the multitude of splatbooks, rules, etc that 3.x had become after years of releases...

I really don't get this "complaint" when it comes to 3.5. I mean no one forces you to use every book that comes out...and 4.0 will soon have a multitude of splats with new stuff in it as well.

 

[jaerdaph]

Wow, talk about déjà vu. Could have sworn I've read all of this before word for word....

 

[Darrin Drader]

I really don't get this "complaint" when it comes to 3.5. I mean no one forces you to use every book that comes out...and 4.0 will soon have a multitude of splats with new stuff in it as well.

The biggest problem I've seen with the splats is having too many books at the table just to play one character. The solution to this is to take all of the applicable game mechanics, transcribe (or copy) them into their own Word file, and refer to that rather than referring to them in their original source. Yes, that means that your character might have a small booklet once you add in spells and everything, but it really, really avoids the clutter. I really like to only need the core books, adventure material, and maybe a monster book or two at the table when I play.

Also, every mechanic borrowed from splats has to be OK'd be me before it's allowed in game. If the prestige class has no conceivable place in my campaign world, or the mechanics seem overpowered, or the mechanics are just plain wonky and hard to remember, they're a no-go. On that note, I advise my players not to buy the splats unless they don't mind the possibility of not using them in my game.

 

[underfoot007]

Until I played 4E, I really liked 3.X a lot (like 8 years worth). Then the more I played 4E the more things I found I never liked in 3.X. So many things I doubt I will go back and play 3.X. I will miss 3.x, but no tears.

In 3.x your char is weak if you do not multi-class and have 3-4 prestige classes. Spell casters are easier to run and create. I also love the direction that the RPGA LFR campaign is going.

 

[Jasperak]

The biggest problem I've seen with the splats is having too many books at the table just to play one character. The solution to this is to take all of the applicable game mechanics, transcribe (or copy) them into their own Word file, and refer to that rather than referring to them in their original source. Yes, that means that your character might have a small booklet once you add in spells and everything, but it really, really avoids the clutter. I really like to only need the core books, adventure material, and maybe a monster book or two at the table when I play.

Also, every mechanic borrowed from splats has to be OK'd be me before it's allowed in game. If the prestige class has no conceivable place in my campaign world, or the mechanics seem overpowered, or the mechanics are just plain wonky and hard to remember, they're a no-go. On that note, I advise my players not to buy the splats unless they don't mind the possibility of not using them in my game.

Nice. Every single character I have played in the past 20 years has had their info stored in a three prong folder. 1e, 2e, 2e+, 3e, 3.5e, 4e; it doesn't matter. A character still takes up the same amount of space regardless of edition. 4e has not made any of my bookkeeping any easier as a player.