2nd vs 3E rules. Most difficult transition?

[mzsylver]

i think it took me the most while to get used to Skills versus Proficiencies. yes i know they're silly and unrealistic - but dammit i liked Proficiencies.

i still like 2e better because 3e seems way more combat-oriented - but i do enjoy 3e.

i just fear next week... when i play a campaign in *GASP* 2e! i am so going to keep trying to make an AoO.

 

[WillieW]

Re: Re: 2nd vs 3E rules. Most difficult transition?

OH MY LORD!!! When did you start posting here?? I've said it many times, your adventures in Dungeon absolutely rule the school. What a treat to have you around!!

Thank you kindly, Eric. I punched "Willie Walsh" (many people would like to) into a Search Engine and someone bewailing the fact that they'd not seen a module by me in a while popped out. Tracking the message post brought me to here. Isn't technology wonderful?

I'm impressed by a real feeling of "community" in the posts here. I know that's not accidental, but the result of hard work and careful administration. You are all to be congratulated for what you've built.

AoOs were a little tough but not too bad. What actions you can do in a round was a bit of a trick to figure out. I still have no clue how to do item saving throws, or how to do spot/listen checks with two groups who are both initially unaware of each other's presence. Oh, let's see, what else... the invisibility rules (how you can listen for invisible characters, etc.). There's a lot of stuff I'd consider a challenge to learn, actually, especially if you're used to something else.

I'm going to take the advice of people who say read everything as it comes up. That means I have to bite the bullet and do some DMing, not difficult to get back into, as my original playing group is mostly intact and playing not too far from here still. I also plan to put together a module which I'll "donate" to the EN World community by way of appreciation for all their kind words and verbal kicks in the pants -- a combination of both are probably required at this stage to get me to un-fossilise. *LOL*

I'll need help with sorting out the legal stuff around this "license" and what I can and can't publish, plus some practical help on how to publish in PDF format (hopefully someplace in ENWorld, if you'll have me).

 

[el-remmen]

Heh, where were you a year ago when I was trying to get "Midgard" off the ground (the ENworld equivalent of Dungeon - with free adventures to be downloaded)? A "Willie Walsh" would have been nice to drum up more interest

Personally, I think 3E's codified rules make adventure writing easier. AoOs are not the kind of thing that matter to writing an adventure - but to the actual running of the game.

I fell in love with 3E the moment I started playing the half-assed version I cobbled together from Eric Noah's scoops before the books were even released - it is better and more intuitive in everyway than 2E was (though there are still some unintuitive things - it IS still D&D )

For me the hardest thing to get use to is CR - It just doesn't work for me and how I run my games - since it takes in account what I consider to be a god-awful amount of magic as what is "average" for a party of appropriate level.

If I remember correctly, you adventures were never really magic -heavy (one of the reasons why I think you were among the top 3 writers for Dungeon, hands down) - so this might be a problem for you.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with and feel free to email me: aquerra@hotmail.com - if you have any questions, want someone to throw ideas past OR if you want to join the Rat Bastard DM club.

 

[WillieW]

Heh, where were you a year ago when I was trying to get "Midgard" off the ground (the ENworld equivalent of Dungeon - with free adventures to be downloaded)? A "Willie Walsh" would have been nice to drum up more interest

I was a little bit busy a year ago. Midgard is still active, yes?

 

[Wicht]

I was a little bit busy a year ago. Midgard is still active, yes?

No

At least not last time I checked.

 

[WillieW]

No

At least not last time I checked.

Has it folded up for lack of material? Lack of support? Both?

 

[Desdichado]

Well, 2e drove me away from D&D for years, so I can't really comment on your question as worded.

However, what I found (find? I still can't stand it) hardest to adapt to about 3e is the fact that combat now plays like a miniatures wargame. I prefer a looser, more cinematic feel to combat rather than having to set up the minis on the dumb squared off board every time we get into combat.

 

[jaults]

I didn't play 2E much, but the thing I had the biggest problem explaining to 2E players was muticlassing.
Them: "So, where's the other XP chart?"
Me: "This one right here is it."
Them: "What?"
Me: "There is only one chart. Everyone uses this one, and you just switch classes whenever you advance a level."
Them: "What?"
Me: "Never mind... Wanna play a Fighter?"


Jason

 

[GenLang]

One of the more subtle things that I had to get used to as both a player and GM is the fact that rogues -don't- hold up the party anymore spending ten minutes per door/wall/whatever they're searching. No excuse for the rogue not to be searching for all that s/he's worth, no room for companions to complain, "We don't have time for that!" when you can pop off a door search in 6 seconds. Even in super-paranoid take-20 mode, you're still only using up 2 minutes instead of the ten I'm used to from playing 2e. And I love it.

 

[Tonguez]

Like many 2e put me off DnD until 3e brought us back

Yeah Actions were bad - until Spycraft came along and now we use that

AoO weren't to bad once you analysed the PHB and worked out oh okay if you walk pass someone or stop in midcombat to do something then the bad guys will try and whack you - cool.

TOO MUCH MAGIC

3e is wonderful intuitive and it just works. You can be as flexible as you want and if you want cinema just create a feat to change how actions work and do what ya wanna...

(who needs balance when your having fun)