Anyone else have a hard time adjusting to Str, Dex, Con

[Snarf Zagyg]

Its 30 years ago, 1e/2e and all our character sheets, and adventures I wrote

Str, Int, Wis, Dex, Con, Chr

and I still have to pause and process in my mind that everyone know does Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Chr

I feel Int, Wis got the short end of the stick, with someone deciding Dex and Con are way more important and so inferior abilities go to the back of the line.

As is well-known and cannot be disputed, the TSR-era ordering is the only proper ordering.


However, I will also accept the new, variant, Order of Importance Ordering in 5e, which goes like this:

Dex, Dex, Chr, Dex, Chr, Con.

 

[Orius]

2e informed my most formative years of gaming so there was no real adjusting for me.

 

[fba827]

Shhhh, we don't talk about THAC0.

Cue Encanto music...

For those who simply must have the song tune in their head some more ....

Spoiler

We don't talk about THAC0, no, no, no!
We don't talk about THAC0... but

It was my gaming day
It was our gaming day

We were getting ready, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky
No clouds allowed in the sky

Attack was rolled with a mischievous grin-
Thunder!!

You telling this story, or am I?
I'm sorry, mi vida, go on

THAC0 says, "It looks like pain"
Why did he tell us?

In doing so, he floods my brain
Abuela, get the umbrellas

Gamed in a hurricane
What a joyous day... but anyway

We don't talk about THAC0, no, no, no!
We don't talk about THAC0!

......

 

[overgeeked]

Its 30 years ago, 1e/2e and all our character sheets, and adventures I wrote

Str, Int, Wis, Dex, Con, Chr

and I still have to pause and process in my mind that everyone know does Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Chr

All the time.

 

[Mezuka]

Never understood why they weren't alphabetical: Cha, Con, Dex, Int, Str, Wis.

For a role-playing game, it makes sense to put Charisma at the top since you want to influence others into doing what you want, most of the time.

 

[Raduin711]

I feel that the current ordering seems to be in order of conceptual complexity, starting with the physical (least complex), and ending on the mental (most complex.)

STR: muscle. Extremely simple to understand.
DEX: Hand-eye coordination, agility, but not speed. A little more complex. This is probably the first time some players have read the word "dexterity" before.
CON: General health. By learning about Strength and Dexterity first, we can better understand Constitution's role as the "health" stat. Concepts like "Strength" and "Agility" are often considered being part of being healthy and physically fit, so beginning with Constitution could be potentially confusing. Also, this is probably the first time some players have seen the word "Constitution" used in this way.

INT: When people hear the word "smart" they often think about this kind of mental attribute, so it's natural to start with this one.
WIS: Most players who explain wisdom have to do it in contrast to Intelligence. Fortunately popular culture has plenty of examples of high intelligence, low wisdom characters: Doc Brown, The Absent-Minded professor... Tony Stark is surely smarter than he is wise.
CHA: is grouped with the mental attributes, but it is almost it's own category. And for new players, this may be the one that is going to take some time getting used to. People can easily understand Dungeons and Dragons as a game about making characters and having them fight things, and the first session is probably going to consist of "lets make a character and fight some monsters." Once the players get comfortable with this, then the wonderful world of role-playing(tm) can open up for them, so understanding the value of this attribute is probably going to come last. Oh, and... this is probably the first time some players have seen the word "Charisma."

 

[GMMichael]

I believe you're right, Voadam, but the 2e sheets still had room for odd things like that, for reasons I never understood. Note "Social Class, Race/Clan, Status, and # of Siblings".

EDIT: oh and Birth Rank too.

"Odd things?" I'd call those "character development." Never got to fill them in though...

I find that a nice mnemonic device is a good way to go for ordering the sacred cows (ST, DE, CO, IN, WI, CH):

-COuld WI DEscend INstead (of) STill CHastising?
-DEcent CHaracters WIll COntinue IN STrife
-IN STory, WI DEcide (to) COunt CHickens.

(Help me out. Struggling here...)

 

[Haiku Elvis]

Steed coin witch?

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

Never had a problem with it, nor has anyone I game with.

 

[ilgatto]

Anyone else have a hard time adjusting to Str, Dex, Con​

Definitely.

Especially because the change has made it even more impossible to pronounce stinwicodech.