Are D&D rulebooks stuck in the 70's?

[hong]

It amuses me that you believe that a flawed poll, dependant on the phrasing of the poll creator, influenced by the pollee's reading, and controlled by whimsical clicks can COMPLETELY DISPROVE any opinion.

Ah. This must be some new meaning of the word opinion that I wasn't aware of before.

Either that, or it's a new meaning of the word disprove that I wasn't aware of before.

 

[Samnell]

Re: Balance Anyone?

I’ve never understood why those that feel strongly about the importance of the social interaction/in-character dialogue component of RPGs somehow feel like the presence of detailed combat rules (or in some cases even combat itself) detracts from the game.

That makes two of us. I think it's one of the more widespread gaming superstitions online.

 

[Shadowlord]

Are D&D rulebooks stuck in the 70's?

I too wrote a thread on this subject and I totally agree!

Let's start with the books: why 3+ ?? And then you need a setting too! D20 modern can get it all into one book, as do many other RPGs (like SW, CoC, WoT...) -> 1 rulebook and 1 campaign setting. There's no need for more.
In fact, almost half the PHB is taken in by with spells. We don't need that many to start with. Let's keep it to 5th level (like in d20 modern) and bring out a "Book of FX" to get all the extras. There'd be even place for basic psionics in the corebook (again, llike in d20 modern).

Classes: make them more generic and limit them to 4-5 (warrior, priest, rogue, mage, psion). Now you have enough place left to include a decent GM's section (only basic magic items, the rest comes in the "FX book"). Then include the most important monsters & NPCs and put the rest in monster compendiums (one per setting).

More emphasize on skill use! And I always thought rogues should get only 6+ skill points. And more feats that have nothing to do with combat benefits!
Many times I noticed D&D is still too dungeon-oriented. Maybe you should take a look in the upcoming Dragonlance which has been more story-centered.

D20 tries to make a generic RPG, but it's stuck with outdated topics! Those two don't mix well.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I hope one day I can grow up and run a game where the PC's never fight except for verbal sparring, and a great session is the troupe sitting around a campfire discussing elven poetry and the meaning of love.

 

[MerakSpielman]

As an aside, there was a point where the PC's stopped at a roadside temple to Farlaghn (sp?) for the night. Later they came back to it hoping for a respite from some battles they had faced, only to find it burnt out with evidence of a battle around it. The look on all 5 players' faces were priceless. My best DM moment...ever.

Hey, I'm the DM who burned down that temple! heh.
One of my PCs was a cleric of Farlaghn and was framed for the assassination of the King. The successor of the king (who was really behind the assassination) declared the worshippers of Farlaghn outcast, and sent a small army to destory their main temple and scatter the clerics into exile. (if you wanna talk about looks on their faces!)

Now, the PC cleric was there, taking refuge among friends. When the army showed up and said they were going to burn the place down, he was so upset he damn near attacked the army single-handed (at 8th level!). Only the timely intervention of the High Priest held him back, saying that if he attacked them, it would almost be admitting his guilt. Also, the soldiers were innocents who were just following orders. Also, it would probably initiate a kingdom-wide hunt-to-kill of all clerics of Fharlong. Also, the priesthood was more at home on the open road than in a temple anyway.

Only after all these arguements did he relent and watch from the nearby woods as his temple was demolished. After that, it was personal, and his character became very grim and ruthless.

 

[MerakSpielman]

Well, to post on-topic ))...

All RPGs are nothing more than what those who play them make of them.

So some of you play one way and the others play another way. Forget trying to justify your way. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're having fun.

RPGs are, and always have been, and always will be, little more than "play pretend" for teens and grown-ups. We didn't need rules when we were six, and we had fun. Now we need rules, or we feel it isn't a "real" game. And we have fun.

Cheers!

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I think I agree.

This is how i see things, they totally hosed the ballance of classes races by their over emphasis on combat.

They made sure every class can hang in there in combat, rogues, wizards, clerics, everything except amybe the bard is at best only marignally worse than the fighter in combat. Sure the fighter dishes more ocnsistent daamge but in way to many situations they out perform the fighter in a fight, so he is only margianlly better. What situations out of a fight is the fighter beter, riding a horse maybe. Yippee for the fighter he can ride a freakin horse.

If the fighter is only marginally better at fighting which he is, then he should only be marginally worse out of combat which he isn't.

They mangled the ballance by over emphasising combat.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Many times I noticed D&D is still too dungeon-oriented.

Well, during 3E's "development era", one of the catch-phrases WotC starting tossing around was "taking it back to the dungeon." Guess we should have seen it coming, eh?

25 years of evolution down the drain.

 

[Shadowlord]

Well, to post on-topic ))...

All RPGs are nothing more than what those who play them make of them.

So some of you play one way and the others play another way. Forget trying to justify your way. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're having fun.

RPGs are, and always have been, and always will be, little more than "play pretend" for teens and grown-ups. We didn't need rules when we were six, and we had fun. Now we need rules, or we feel it isn't a "real" game. And we have fun.

Cheers!

This is all true. Who cares about the books?? Just play!

 

[barsoomcore]

we can't really physically duke it out for every game combat.

Really? Huh. I've been doing it wrong all these years. No wonder my players never seem to stick around for long.

"The ogre gets a 24! He hits you on the head with his mallet!

"...hey, sit still!"