D&D 3E/3.5 3E sucks, but keep playing it for next few months

[Khairn]

Anyone else notice this conflicting message? One of the big points in the presentation is to "keep playing your 3E game for now." It's been mentioned in a few interviews, too.

On the other hand, we're treated with examples of how 3E is horrible and will be made so much better in 4E. Damn those grappling rules and attacks of opportunity! I'm so confused! I'm not sure I can keep playing!

WotC still has inventory it needs to sell. So give 'em a hand and encourage everyone to keep playing.

 

[Agamon]

WotC still has inventory it needs to sell. So give 'em a hand and encourage everyone to keep playing.

LOL, I'll keep playing long after they have inventory to sell, no problems there.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Well, it has occured to me that I will just do both: I will run a 3.5E campaign, and a 4E campaign. That might just work out fine. There are still some 3.5E books I want to get, and I have no shortage of players that want to play 3.5E.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[blargney the second]

I think I know why you guys are confused by the video guy's accent - it's actually TWO accents. One is fake french, and the other is, um, "light-in-his-loafers"ese.
-blarg

 

[Agamon]

That entire video was light in its loafers.

 

[caudor]

Greetings!

(2) Speaking of the problems of 3.5E, whatever they may be, to whatever degree that people guage them at--why couldn't these problems, such as they are--have been dealt with in the DMG II, PHB II, or an Unearthed Arcana II, instead of an entirely new edition?

...

So, I'm not sure, again with my above questions (1 and 2)--how these problems necessarily demand a whole new edition to address, because while they may be problems, they are not necessarily that *big* of a problem. If that makes any sense?

SHARK

In response to item 2, I believe they felt a fresh slate was needed since they are introducing an online aspect of the game that requires things like key codes inside of books for future database population, coupled with the unfeasibility of back-tracking into 3.5 for these tools. I think they finally 'got' the possibilites of an online compliment to the game. I can see how acheiving this would require a fresh slate.

 

[Someone]

Although I never really understood the confusion over grappling rules or attacks of opportunity.

Me neither, I can easily tell if some action wil draw an AoO or not. But Ive played with people with degrees that seem unable to grasp the concept: mind you, they were able to understand the Navier-Stokes equations or can calculate the expected efficiency of a chemical reactor, but apparently don't care about a rule that is probably perceived as unneeded or innecesarily complex for the perceived result.

Mysef, I'd appreciate some simplicity on generating NPCs. It routinely takes much more time than writing the adventure itself, and I take shortcuts like just stating the skills they have max ranks and such, leaving open many spell slots to be filled on the fly, and arbitrarily determining ACs and stats instead of calculating or generating them. And I know the rules fairly well - I can't imagine how much time it'd take a unexpienced DM to do the same.

Also I remember a campaing where two new playes could be introduced. I discussed it with my playes and we decided that the campaing was too high level (12 or 13) for them to be able to play remotely well, being new roleplayers.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

(2) Speaking of the problems of 3.5E, whatever they may be, to whatever degree that people guage them at--why couldn't these problems, such as they are--have been dealt with in the DMG II, PHB II, or an Unearthed Arcana II, instead of an entirely new edition?

AFAICT, they've been doing that with the newer books (PHB II, To9S etc.). The problem is, the core books are still the way they were, so if you want the additions and fixes, you need a big pile of books, which is a problem for a casual gamer.

Better to put out a new, refurbished and hopefully improved edition, which consolidates the good stuff WotC has come up with over the last several years into the three core books. And while you're at that, you can tweak some of the fundamental rule structures (classes, races, levels, whathaveyou) as well.

Really, the shift to 4th edition is only a "problem" for the hardcore gamers, who already own whole shelves full of D&D; for the casual gamers (the guys w. the core three, a setting book and maybe a two or three additional books), and people getting into the hobby, it's not a major issue.

I expect a lot of the HC gamers to switch to 4th edition, or grumble, moan and complain and then switch, so no problems for WotC. As for those guys who already have what they want, and are not going to shift, would they be buying all that much 3.5 stuff anyway, if it kept going?

 

[Alnag]

Swiss? Czech? The guy with the European accent so bad, I can't figure it out.

I am Czech and I can assure you, it is not Czech accent. It sounds like native english speaker trying to funny imitate french accent to me, though.

 

[pemerton]

SHARK, I think Caudor and Lurks-No-More have given good answers to your question as to why a whole new edition.