3.5 release verse 3.0 release

[EricNoah]

It's character building.

"Suffering builds character." -- Anton Chekhov

 

[hong]

"Suffering builds character." -- Anton Chekhov

"I'm gonna open up a can of character building on yo' butt." -- me

 

[Psion]

I was not around at the time so I just have to ask.

Was there this much continual whinning and complaining (though I admit not everyone is doing this) about the release of DnD 3.0 as there is with the release of DnD 3.5?

Well, I think the issue then was a lot of people knew that the system was bent. They knew a lot of big changes were on the way, but many of them were sorely needed.

But to an extent, yes. On rgfd, many things were hotly debated. Common issues were:

• "Why bring assassins back?" (I was a big advocate of that one... glad to see they got booted out of core class land...)
• "Barbarians are just fighters with the right feats, aren't they?
• Only roll initiative once at the beginning of combat, are you crazy?
• They can pry speed factors out of my cold dead hands...
• Why do rangers have two weapon fighting? Must all rangers be drizzt? (this one lives on...)
• yadda yadda.

Most of these issues were eventually accepted by most people. It was a big adjustment, though.

That said, I (and I imagine, some others) don't see 3e as in desperate need of repair as 2e was, so find some of the changes much less warranted. I imagine like some of the above issues, I'll grow into some changes.

But others, I will continue to think were the wrong idea. Perhaps I'll change my mind in a few years, but I do not have as much faith in the current design team as I did the 3.0 design team.

 

[Henry]

I was not around at the time so I just have to ask.

...So was it this bad when 3.0 was coming?

I don't like the term "whining" - but the outrage was even moreso at the time.

The following changes from 2e to 3e had the world on fire:

-Feats
-Skill points instead of proficiencies
-Hit dice that went all the way to 20 instead of capping at level 9
-Casters not being interrupted upon being hit anytime before their turn
-Cyclic initiative
-Critical hits
-Haste not aging people by one year
-True resurrection


I forget many, many more, but many things current players don't even bat an eye at, caused a storm the likes of which I never saw before.

If you ever want an idea of gripes against 3E that go on even today (and are based on complaints from back then) go, and LURK, at www.dragonsfoot.org at their edition wars forum. Please observe their code of conduct if you go there, and tell 'em I sent you.