Anticipation for 3.5

[Fenes 2]

I am not excited about 3.5E anymore. The more information I got about it, the less I saw it as a core rule book I will use, and the more as a simple source for some tidbits and rules clarification - a glorified FAQ/errata/Splatbook, so to speak.

 

[bwgwl]

The sooner you come to realize that just like real life, RPG's are not meant to be balanced, the sooner you can get passed balance and have fun.

no thanks, i'll take my RPGs balanced. that's how they're meant to be, for me. i get enough arbitrary unfairness in real life.

 

[Psion]

Now however, with 3.5, I feel that they are throwing away that D&D feel in favor of the elusive "balance".

No, they are throwing away D&D's flexibility in favor of making everyone at their best in a dungeon...

The sooner you come to realize that just like real life, RPG's are not meant to be balanced, the sooner you can get passed balance and have fun.

Not at all. The whole point of balance is fun. A lot of people don't have fun if they don't have a means of contributing; balancing helps preserve that. (That said, some groups don't find mechanical balancing essential at all...)

But in 3.5, the problem (or one problem) seems to be that they have selected the dungeon as the SOLE balancing point.

 

[Fenes 2]

no thanks, i'll take my RPGs balanced. that's how they're meant to be, for me. i get enough arbitrary unfairness in real life.

Well said. And I say the same to all those people talking about "earning" XP and rewards, and "paying the price for stupidity".

 

[Fenes 2]

No, they are throwing away D&D's flexibility in favor of making everyone at their best in a dungeon...

Not at all. The whole point of balance is fun. A lot of people don't have fun if they don't have a means of contributing; balancing helps preserve that. (That said, some groups don't find mechanical balancing essential at all...)

But in 3.5, the problem (or one problem) seems to be that they have selected the dungeon as the SOLE balancing point.

I think I'll ban "Knowledge: Dungeoneering" just to make a point (Unless it is just a stupid name for a skill with useful "civilian" applications and should read "Knowledge: Mining" or "Underground survival".)

Did I mention I hate Dungeon Crawls?

 

[KDLadage]

Re: Re: Anticipation for 3.5

Well, I hate to sound unrealistic but since we're getting the revision in less than three years (3e went on sale in August 2000), I'd like that same $20 "promotion" price to upgrade my current set.

While I sympathise, and understand, your view on this. And while I believe that, since they were making money on the core books at the $20 price, they should have left it there -- prices are set based upon percieved supply and demand. As long as the books sell at the price they are set to, then staying the same or raising the price are the only reasonable options.

For me, it's the timing. Three years is too early for a revision, and personally not enough time to get enough feedback to warrant a consensus of changes and demands.

If this were 1979, I would agree. If this were 1985, I would agree. Hell, if this were 1992, I might even agree then too. But this is 2003. This is the age of the internet, instant feedback, mass debate and world-wide global universal communications. The amount of feedback -- positive and negative -- that WotC has recieved in the last three years is not even something I want to speculate on. But, it was enough that they were willing to put the entire RPG division on this project long enough to get a complete revision done.

Is it too soon? That is subjective. But if the books sell, then no -- it was not too soon. Is every three years too much? Probably. But then again, I would be willing to entertain a new edition of StarWars already, given the level of inconsitancy in those books...

In fact, they didn't distribute a formal questionnaire to determine what gamers want. They just monitor the conversations on messageboards.

Where are you getting your information? You, as far as I am aware, are not privy to the internal workings of WotC; thus, you are speculating. You may or may not be right... but without having proof, I would say that this is an unfair statement.

That's why I'm not really excited for 3.5e as I was with 3e. I do like a FEW of the changes (they promised to mentioned in print regarding autosuccess/autofailure should apply to saving throws as well as attack rolls, but we've yet to see that) but not enough to buy the books yet, and even then I wise up and prefer to wait for the Second Printing.

The errors in the first printing of 3.0 were minor enough that I consider (in my opinion) your assessment of 'wisening up' to be a bit premature. And buy or don't buy. But if you buy, you are voting (with your money) for WotC to consider this a good move -- three years later to issue a new revised edition. If you are really thinking it is too soon, then do not buy them, and just use the revised SRD combined with the Backwards compatability Guide... and go from there.

 

[KDLadage]

Sorry. I did not mean to kill the thread.

 

[Kershek]

Re: Re: Anticipation for 3.5

Well, I hate to sound unrealistic but since we're getting the revision in less than three years (3e went on sale in August 2000), I'd like that same $20 "promotion" price to upgrade my current set.

You can get the books for $20 each. Check out amazon.com. If you don't want to buy from them then that's your own fault

 

[The_Gneech]

So what I want to know is, what makes an individual want it or not want it? Is it change (change bad, same good)?

I want it because I like pretty much everything I've seen from it. For what I want in a fantasy game, 3.0 was miles above any previous version of D&D, and 3.5 appears to largely be an improvement on that, so I'm takin' it.

Although, I gotta say, I'm mighty interested in Conan d20...

-The Gneech