3e and the Test of Time

[jester47]

One word: SRD. That will ensure that some form of D&D is around for a long long time.

However, I think come a new edition the books that I will hold on to are the MotP, all the 3.x FR source books, All my necromancer games and goodman games modules, all my Dungeon mags.

The thing is that C&C is on the way and from what I can tell this thing has a neat parasite effect going on. Because it is based in the 3e mechanics it absorbs 3e material fairly well, but it is simple enough that it can also use materials from 1e (thus hackmaster), 2e, even ICE MERP/RM stuff. All with minimal conversion. I suspect it will also work well on whatever 4th edition winds up being.

So I think that after the environment series and the monster series I will only be picking up FR stuff and 3rd party adventures/sourcebooks and Dungeon. (well maybe dragon after Erik gets done with it)

My collecting is winding down, but I think it will be the real beginning of my gaming as I will not have to readjust for rules.

Aaron.

 

[Acid_crash]

D&D 3.x will not stand the test of time for ME when Castles and Crusades comes out later this month...then all my D&D 3.x books will be gone. So, will it stand the test of time for another person? Perhaps, but not for me.

D&D 3.x taught me how to appreciate the previous editions open endedness when it came to 'crunch'...but I would never play a game with something called THAC0... to me that is still the dumbest game mechanic I have ever seen in my entire life. But that's just IMHO.

 

[The Grackle]

I see lots of people complain about 3rd ed. doesn't have any flavor, and that seems weird to me. It's got triple-templated monsters, and tons of prestige classes and class combinations, and interesting fighting styles. The rules may be presented in a more dry, technical manner b/c there's so much crunch, but that is its flavor.

So, yes. It will stand the test.

I expect that there will be just as much nostalgia for 3ed as there is now for the past editions.

 

[nopantsyet]

I think it will, but for purely practical reasons. It's easy. Sure there are a lot of rules, but you can play fine with minimal competency. If you don't know, roll a d20 and by the time it stops the DM will have told you which bonus/penalty to use.

I'm in my 30's for crying out loud! Not that I'm the oldest person here, but life is different than it was three years ago, to say nothing of ten when I last played regularly before picking it up again when 3E came out. I've been able to keep a group together for over three years. It has changed, but I've been playing on a regular basis for three years, so I can't complain.

Now standing the test of time is unfortunately less of an issue than standing the test of the market. If all D&D publishing stopped tomorrow, I could continue my game happily with what I've got or less. But if they release a new version and that new version has strong support and doesn't suck, I'll probabyl go with the market. And that would effectively kill 3E. But ostensibly I will not care, having happily paid the price to stay current.

I do the same thing with gadgets--because it's fun. I don't feel ripped off by it; I enjoy it for its own sake.

 

[Akrasia]

... I like the general recognition that fantasy fiction has changed over the past twenty years, and that not everyone has read Howard, Vance, Lieber, and Tolkien. ....

Heh, that pretty much sums up the problem with this new generation of gamers.

 

[Akrasia]

... The thing is that C&C is on the way and from what I can tell this thing has a neat parasite effect going on. Because it is based in the 3e mechanics it absorbs 3e material fairly well, but it is simple enough that it can also use materials from 1e (thus hackmaster), 2e, even ICE MERP/RM stuff. All with minimal conversion. I suspect it will also work well on whatever 4th edition winds up being. ...

D&D 3.x will not stand the test of time for ME when Castles and Crusades comes out later this month...

Ahhh ... I am not alone.

 

[JPL]

Heh, that pretty much sums up the problem with this new generation of gamers.

Well, they're missing out on some good stuff, that's for sure.

But I'm interested in see seeing the new influences come into play...the LOTR movies, anime, Everquest, Magic: The Gathering...and I want to see those new gamers in their mid-teens keep coming into the hobby. That energy and enthusiasm is far more important than what set of rules you use.

 

[Akrasia]

... But I'm interested in see seeing the new influences come into play...

New influences are overrated. Homer is great. The Bard is still the Bard. One learns from reading Aristotle to this day.

Kids these days just don't appreciate the enduring power of the classics. That is, until they read them...

... the LOTR movies...

Based on the books -- not really a 'new influence'. But it is great that they are helping to correct the new generation's understanding of what fantasy is all about.

... anime ...

Maybe this is just my age (34), but all anime does is remind me of those awful "G-Force" cartoons from my youth. It just looks bad. Big eyes, absurd expressions, etc. Any game influenced by this stuff (I'm looking at you Exalted) is on my "avoid list".

... Everquest ...

Never got into this, and cannot comprehend how a game played by people in their parents' basements around the world could "add" anything to RL RPGs. In any case, it now has its own d20 system.

... Magic: The Gathering...

Ummm ... you do know about 3E D&D right?

That energy and enthusiasm is far more important than what set of rules you use.

On this I agree 92 percent!

 

[barsoomcore]

Maybe this is just my age.

It is. There's plenty of crappy anime, of course. But Sturgeon's Law alone mandates that. If you're not watching Princess Mononoke or Akira, you're missing out.

 

[Virel]

3e and the test of time?

3e lasted four years before being supersecded by 3.5

1st ed AD&D lasted over ten years before being superceded by 2nd ed AD&D which also lasted around ten years.

3e has already failed the test of time, compared to it's forerunners.

3e is OOP just like 1st ed AD&D.

I play both and it doesn't bother me in the least that both are OOP.

I think the real question is will the d20 mechanic stand the test of time. I think it will hold up very well.

As for 3.5e, I'll wait and pick up that stuff when it starts showing up in used book stores and ebay dirt cheap, like the 3e and 1st ed AD&D stuff is.

I like 3e and AD&D for different reasons. I fail to understand why there is conflict between AD&D fans and many 3e fans, both are D&D and both are fun with the right group and a good DM.

When I play in the 3e game, I do tend to think about the 1st ed AD&D Players Handbook and how it describes monks. This inspires my play. I have the 3e stuff and 3e OA and it's turgid prose is less than inspiring, however it cures insomina.

I really like the 3e changes in the monk, decent hit dice and not having to fight another monk for every level beyond 7th are all good changes IMO.

Yet, I've re-read the AD&D book section on the monk many more times since I started playing a 3e monk, than I have the 3e section on the monk...