3.5 Fans - Wassup!?!?!

[Arkhandus]

Currently substitute-DMing the For More Than Glory campaign in The 13 Kingdoms with 3.5. Homebrew setting, though not mine, and the campaign is pretty much organic (no predetermined plotline, each of us just plans out whatever we're doing when the DM hat gets passed to us). Mostly core rules + minimal other material. Game's been running for about 5 years or so, since shortly before 3.5 came out, so we started with 3.0 until maybe half a year into the campaign. PCs are around 14th-level now.

Recently DMing Fall of the 14th Kingdom, also T13K setting and 3.5 rules, but with more non-core stuff allowed. PCs are 2nd-3rd level now.

Only playing in a few play-by-posts. One is Paizo's Curse of the Crimson Throne trying out the Pathfinder Beta rules. Don't know yet what I think of it. The others are 3.5 PbPs. Paths of Legend: the Azgundi Tournaments, Crazy_Monkey's homebrew setting and campaign. Creamsteak's DMing Red Hand of Doom in Greyhawk. Scotley's running Tomb of Horrors in Greyhawk. Mark Chance is running the Caves of Chaos (?) in Greyhawk. And Jemal's still sorta running his Final Fantasy J campaign, homebrew. Most of these go slowly in PbP, otherwise I'd play in fewer.


I agree with the sentiments that Pathfinder is adding some needless complexity, and making some changes just for the sake of change IMO, which is my main gripe with 3.5 over 3.0. I much prefer 3.0 over 3.5, but have to deal with the fact that most folks these days only have 3.5 or 4e, and I'm not gonna bother with 4e with the way it turned out. Might eventually play in a 4e one-shot if someone else provides the books, but probably not.

Still, I don't mind playing the Pathfinder Beta so far, and I wouldn't be any more reluctant to play it than I am towards 3.5. Not likely to pick up the final version, but I might eventually if it's kinda different from the Beta and fixes some problems differently (not to mention the problems it doesn't even address). Definitely not going to mine PF for ideas; I prefer my own solutions to what it does. I don't hate it, but I don't think it addresses quite the right problems or in quite the right way. Just as 4th Edition addresses too many things in such a different way from what I'd prefer for D&D.

But then, I like to try different games, so I don't mind using them for different genres besides D&D. D&D is its own genre.

I haven't picked up any RPG material in a while, can't afford it, but there are still a handful of 3e/d20 books I'm looking to get once I can afford it.

 

[El Mahdi]

For those of you who are staying and enjoying 3.5 (or playing both 4E and 3.5) - what are you currently playing in 3.5 (published adventure or homebrew), and what are your thoughts regarding the Pathfinder Beta?

Staying 3.5 (houseruled) with some stuff stolen from 4E. Not switching to 4E, although I do have the core books. I have a few friends scattered around the world that do play 4E, so if we happen to hook up for a game, or play online, I wouldn't be above "slumming" it with a 4E game. I'm using a mix of published adventures and homebrew. Although, the majority of published adventures I use are not 3.5. Most are 2E Dungoen adventures I convert for my use, and I plan on converting Pyramid of Shadows to 3.5 also.

Are you going to go whole cloth with Pathfinder or just take whatever you want from it and ignore the rest (or ignore it completely)?

I think Pathfinder has some good ideas, although I'm not switching to it whlolesale. I am stealing some ideas however. I was trying to work up a new Grapple mechanic from the ground up, but Pathfinders version seems the best place to start (I still want to add a bit to it though, for situations that aren't addressed). However, Pathfinder seems pretty good for the most part.

Finally, what loot have you picked up due to the massive sales that have occured with 3.5 stuff?

I have so much material, that even with the sales I'm not buying much. Even if I had switched to 4E, I wouldn't be buying much for that either (over and above the core books that is). If I really wanted something for 4E, other than core material, I'd probably just make it or convert it myself.



Also, this makes 666 posts. I think that means I get a gift set of Demon Forged steak knives.

Note to ENWorld: Please send the steak knives to my alternate address in the Abyss.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Please send the steak knives to my alternate address in the Abyss.

I dunno mate. The postage is awful tricky from the other side here. . .

 

[Jan van Leyden]

For those of you who are staying and enjoying 3.5 (or playing both 4E and 3.5) - what are you currently playing in 3.5 (published adventure or homebrew), and what are your thoughts regarding the Pathfinder Beta?

I'm satisfied with running two 4e campaigns, but have some 'applications' from people who want to give role-playing a test run.

This will probably result in another group without long term planning. I will use either straight 3.5 or Conan for flavour.

4e's strength of relieving the GM of a lot of tasks by handing them over to the players is not what I want in a beginner's game. Teaching a beginner to read and understand their character's powers means teaching her to think on a mechanical level. For their first games I'd like for them to just tell me what their characters want to achieve and let me handle the mechanical stuff.

Are you going to go whole cloth with Pathfinder or just take whatever you want from it and ignore the rest (or ignore it compeltely)?

Ignore it completely. As 3.5 and its variants, among them Pathfinder, will only be a secondary game for me, I see no reason to 'learn' it; I'd rather fall back on my existing knowledge of the 3.5 system. Judging by a quick reading of the beta it feels more like a Big Mac as compared to the Cheeseburger 3.5: even more calories with essentially the same tast.

Finally, what loot have you picked up due to the massive sales that have occured with 3.5 stuff?

Those 'massive sales' are probably not for me. I've got more than enough 3(.5) stuff even if I decide to convert complete campaigns to 4e, and I'd rather not swamp my disk with PDFs I'll never read, anymway.

Game shops in my area have already cut back on older books, so there will probably not be a bargain bin of stuff which might trigger me pulling out the wallet.

The only thing I'll definitely watch is Goodman Games for Castle Whiterock. If this thing (PDF) will be offered for the price hinted at in another thread...

 

[Knightfall]

For those of you who are staying and enjoying 3.5 (or playing both 4E and 3.5) - what are you currently playing in 3.5 (published adventure or homebrew), and what are your thoughts regarding the Pathfinder Beta?

Are you going to go whole cloth with Pathfinder or just take whatever you want from it and ignore the rest (or ignore it compeltely)?

When Pathfinder Alpha first came out, I was really psyched to read it and hopefully begin a playtest for it. However, I've been distracted lately by other things including night classes, d20 Modern, and Mutants & Masterminds. It doesn't help that I don't currently have a gaming group (or the time to game on a weekly basis for that matter).

I've bought a lot of Pathfinder stuff including the campaign setting, several Chronicle products, and the first six Pathfinder adventure modules. I've even bought Pathfinder Beta and have browsed through all the chapters. Still, I don't have the time for it that would like to have. Perhaps I'll be more eager about it as the release date approaches for the offfical Pathfinder RPG hardcover.

Finally, what loot have you picked up due to the massive sales that have occured with 3.5 stuff?

I've been able to get some discounted v.3.5 books but there haven't been any massive sales here in Edmonton. One LGS is selling its v.3.5 (and d20 Modern) products for 15% off but they don't have a lot. RPG products are not their main source of income (comics are).

I'd hoped that the LGS that buys and sells used RPG products would have gotten in tons of used 3PP v.3.5 books, but they aren't willing to buy used d20 books from people. I keep hoping that someone might sell some of their d20 sourcebooks at the local used book stores, but I haven't seen anything major yet.

The main LSG in Edmonton moved to a new location earlier this year, and they did a massive 50% off sale before the move. However, I didn't know about it until it was nearly over, so I missed out on a lot of discounted d20 references. And, now, they won't order in d20 sourcebooks unless it is something one of their distributors still has in stock. (They were able to get me a True20 reference I wanted, however.)

And they're not putting their official D&D v.3.5 stuff on sale. They do have a bin with a lot of older d20 sourcebooks but the books aren't organized and they're bottom of the barrel references, as far as I'm concerned.

The Golden Age of d20 gaming is over in my city. It makes me sad and mad.

 

[Aus_Snow]

I've been able to get some discounted v.3.5 books but there haven't been any massive sales here in Edmonton.

Not sure if you already know about these, but well, just in case you don't:

* Green Ronin Online Store: RPG Stimulus Package
* Fantasy Flight Games - Leading publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games.
* paizo.com - Store / On Sale Now

And there might be others, too.

 

[Betote]

Returning to 3.5 after a mostly failed run at 4e (I liked it, most of my players didn't).

Well, at least your players let you test 4e. Mine refuse to even stand near a 4e manual

No thanks to Pathfinder. For every good idea they add, they add 10 layers of complex for no good reason (Rage points, I mean you.)

Rage points are gone

 

[kensanata]

For those of you who are staying and enjoying 3.5 (or playing both 4E and 3.5) - what are you currently playing in 3.5 (published adventure or homebrew), and what are your thoughts regarding the Pathfinder Beta?

I'm starting to run Rise of the Runelords next Monday. I'm also running a Wilderlands of High Fantasy inspired game on two Sundays a month. I'm playing in a monthly Shackled City game, an irregular West Marshes style game, and in an irregular Echoes of Heaven game.

It's all core D&D 3.5 with the occasional feat or prestige class from one of the other books.

I'm trying to play a Labyrinth Lord game every now and then with my wife. Going old-school is also an option: I'd play whatever other DMs run, and my own games will be Labyrinth Lord (roughly D&D from 1981 by Moldvay, Marsh, Cook). We'll see.

Are you going to go whole cloth with Pathfinder or just take whatever you want from it and ignore the rest (or ignore it compeltely)?

I was interested in the Pathfinder RPG but found the sheer volume of messages on the boards impossible to follow. So now I'm waiting for them to finish it and then maybe I'll buy it, maybe not. I'll be waiting for some reviews of the final product, I guess.

I'm subscribed to the Pathfinder adventure path and the modules and thus my collection to unplayed 3.5 adventures keeps on growing. I also bought the campaign setting but I'm feeling drowned by the companion material they'll be putting out there. I fear this is going to be the new Forgotten Realms.

Finally, what loot have you picked up due to the massive sales that have occured with 3.5 stuff?

Afraid of big shipping costs and alreadying about a meters of unplayed adventures, I had to give the sales a pass up to now.

 

[Betote]

I've fully switched to Pathfinder Beta (with web and message board updates). Subscribed to all the Pathfinder lines, and mostly surely I'll buy the Pathfinder RPG core book. Being essentially D&D3.5 in just one book is a winner for me. It tweaked some things, but I don't see a great deal of differences, just changes as the ones from 3.0 to 3.5.

From the 3.5 sales, I bought the Shackled City and Dragon Ecologies books (I'm definitely a Paizo fanboy ), and am waiting to see some WotC books (Expanded Psionics, Magic Item Compendium) in the discount bin of a FLGS, although here in Spain there's no 3.5 sales fever yet.

 

[avin]

DMing 4E and 3.5 ... will take a shot on Pathfinder on the future but, except for the fluff, I don't think I'll be going 3.75... unless they have a 4E like grapple