D&D General D&D Evolutions You Like and Dislike [+]

[Lakesidefantasy]

My group has played and enjoyed so much over the years from three editions at least. We played AD&D from high school to grad school when 3e came out.

Rumbled with 3e for years and were brought back in with 5e. And we have not looked back much.

The odd editions are the best.

 

[dave2008]

I'm talking about the 1989 PHB, the one with the fighter charging with the orange-y background. I don't have it handy, but I remember it having like at least 8-10 different full page color art work. I think this one is the most famous.

View attachment 427799

that to me is the one really good piece of art from that book. It is the same book I posted the art from!

 

[Reynard]

5E: That they posit Interaction and Exploration are also pillars of D&D. Lifestyles, downtime actions, and bastions.

But do they do anything about it.

3.x had much more robust 3 pillar support. But that's obvious: 3.x had much better overall support.

I guess one thing I dislike is the low level of support overall. Despite more customers than ever by orders of magnitude, we get very little support.

 

[Professor Murder]

Top of the list is the move to the unifying d20 mechanic for task resolution with 3rd ed.

 

[Reynard]

Top of the list is the move to the unifying d20 mechanic for task resolution with 3rd ed.

I don't think unified mechanics is good for its own sake. Mechanics should support the thing they are trying to emulate. Sometimes that works with a unified core mechanic. But sometimes you need something bespoke to get it right.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The odd editions are the best.

The unnumbered editions are best

 

[Professor Murder]

I don't think unified mechanics is good for its own sake. Mechanics should support the thing they are trying to emulate. Sometimes that works with a unified core mechanic. But sometimes you need something bespoke to get it right.

To each their own. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum on this issue clearly.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

For D&D, I feel the unified d20 mechanic was a huge leap forward.

So was putting all classes on a single XP progression and balancing them against each other.

So was removing the legacy restrictions on class and race so you can build the character you want.

It's amazing how many HUGE improvements 3E made to the game, even though I find it beyond complicated.

And of course 4E and 5E continued the work, even if they didn't always get it right.

 

[Reynard]

For D&D, I feel the unified d20 mechanic was a huge leap forward.

I don't think a d20 skill check is particularly helpful with wilderness exploration. You need a more robust system.

 

[Warpiglet-7]

Somehow I missed your reply until now! Thank you for taking the time to respond. I don't agree with your desire, but I understand your frustration. For me, the art direction of most of 2e and into 3e bothered me enough that I mostly lost interest in the game. 1e and 5e are the height of D&D art for me (for often different reasons).

No worries! And I don’t hate5e art. I don’t like the later stuff (mostly 2024).

I will never stop liking Easley or erol otus weirdness!

I did not prefer 2e…found I liked some of 3e…especially Lockwood dwarf in the PHB!

But while I wax nostalgic I am really thinking about playing a hobgoblin wizard in armor…so clearly am not against all change

But one thing we clearly agree on and people often minimize…the art MATTERS and is not a small part of me sticking with 2014 D&D. It helps create a vibe and seeds character and adventure creation…for me at least.