dave2008
Legend
That could be true. I can only see things how I see them and I don't see them as saying "this is how it is." I want to be clear, this is my perspective and has almost nothing to do with how things are actually written on the page.I would be fine with that if the book was clear about it being a tool and guidebook that provided multiple ways of doing things. But that's not what they do. They change things and present them as, "This is how it is". We're already seeing that all over the 5.5 books, just like D&D has always done. The books are not presented as a bunch of options to choose from.
Every since about my 1st year playing D&D in the 80s I realized the game was a vague suggestion on how you might want to play. That understanding was integral to my D&D experience. It is my game to make with what I want (and I quickly developed 24+ pages of houserules for our 1e/BECMI D&D game). Nothing has changed in the past 50 years (about 40 years for me) to change that mindset and understanding of the game. D&D, for me, is not about what is written in a book, but what you play at the table. That is what it will always be for me.