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General Tabletop Discussion
D&D Older Editions, OSR, & D&D Variants
4E reminded me how much I like 3E
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<blockquote data-quote="rounser" data-source="post: 4417055" data-attributes="member: 1106"><p>It's like D&D has spawned two caricatures of itself. The atom is split, and it's components are spinning off independently, speeding into the vacuum.</p><p></p><p>One of the subatomic particles is 4E, an idiot savant of crunch.</p><p></p><p>The other is Hackmaster, a motley fool of flavour. (Although not an official D&D edition, it uses so much of D&D's intimate IP that it is in all but name.)</p><p></p><p>Receding rapidly away in time is 3E, only truly playable with computer generators like NPCDesigner. 2E, which was as much an exercise in campaign setting theses as a game, and did little to alter 1E. 1E and OD&D, which pioneered concepts, created some classic adventures, but without a doubt clunked loudly as game systems...but had enough charm and support for that to be overlooked.</p><p></p><p>So where is D&D now? </p><p></p><p>It's not 4E - the flavour's mostly gone or been compromised for crunch or marketing reasons. It's not Hackmaster - that borders on unplayable. 3E looks tired and needs generators - it desperately needed a new edition to bear it's load, and that never arrived. And 2E, 1E and OD&D don't cut the mustard with regard to today's game design "technology" - today people want better.</p><p></p><p>I think a lot of people are going to give up the game this time around, and maybe come back if Pathfinder or 5E does a good job. I think that D&D's owlbear has begun hibernating, and it's anyone's guess when it'll wake up.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="rounser, post: 4417055, member: 1106"] It's like D&D has spawned two caricatures of itself. The atom is split, and it's components are spinning off independently, speeding into the vacuum. One of the subatomic particles is 4E, an idiot savant of crunch. The other is Hackmaster, a motley fool of flavour. (Although not an official D&D edition, it uses so much of D&D's intimate IP that it is in all but name.) Receding rapidly away in time is 3E, only truly playable with computer generators like NPCDesigner. 2E, which was as much an exercise in campaign setting theses as a game, and did little to alter 1E. 1E and OD&D, which pioneered concepts, created some classic adventures, but without a doubt clunked loudly as game systems...but had enough charm and support for that to be overlooked. So where is D&D now? It's not 4E - the flavour's mostly gone or been compromised for crunch or marketing reasons. It's not Hackmaster - that borders on unplayable. 3E looks tired and needs generators - it desperately needed a new edition to bear it's load, and that never arrived. And 2E, 1E and OD&D don't cut the mustard with regard to today's game design "technology" - today people want better. I think a lot of people are going to give up the game this time around, and maybe come back if Pathfinder or 5E does a good job. I think that D&D's owlbear has begun hibernating, and it's anyone's guess when it'll wake up. [/QUOTE]
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4E reminded me how much I like 3E
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