D&D SHOULD NOT have a defined atmosphere/style *Semi Rant*

[mhacdebhandia]

These other games exist, and I play them, but what the "official" game-maker does is the stone that makes the pond ripple.

But that's absolute nonsense. Does anything Wizards of the Coast publish affect how you play Castles and Crusades, or Grim Tales, or Iron Heroes, or Arcana Unearthed, unless you choose to include it?

No.

So there are no God-damned ripples, are there? That is what I mean when I say that people like you think D&D should matter to them - the OGL exists in perpetuity, and cannot be revoked. All of these games will exist even if D&D is converted into a collectible card-and-miniature game tomorrow.

If you don't like the way the majority of people are happy to play, "resign" yourself to being the minority. You'll still be having fun, right? It does not matter what happens to D&D when you're after something it doesn't do anyway.

 

[Aldarc]

But that's absolute nonsense. Does anything Wizards of the Coast publish affect how you play Castles and Crusades, or Grim Tales, or Iron Heroes, or Arcana Unearthed, unless you choose to include it?

No but they do provide the baseline that all the forementioned games are drawn. 3E is the stone cast by WotC and the 3rd Party products are the ripples that come from it.

So there are no God-damned ripples, are there?

Just like D&D 3.5 did not affect 3rd Party Publishers or how people played their game? Yes, you can decide to ignore and continue to play whatever or go to something else, but that does not mean that these 3rd Party developers that make these said games will not be affected.

 

[The Shaman]

A completely false statement. Where are you getting this?

Right here...

There are some relatively few here who wear their hate on their sleeve, but they (and you) are mightily outnumbered....Your patently false and foolish statements have already been debunked by numerous people who know better. Now you're begging for some of the 10% to help you against the 80+%. Are you so foolish as to think you would magically change people's knowledge of the facts to believe your silly claims?

You also referred to a poster as a "jackhole" and an "idiot," which I personally find offensive but which apparently the moderators are willing to accept since punching the triangle on three of your posts has brought no response.

No, I don't think you play well with others, Quasqueton. I'll leave it at that.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Well, that's cryptic.

 

[LostSoul]

I've had some issues with D&D and house-ruling things. Sometimes what you think are small changes for flavour end up having unforseen consequences.

I had a 2e game that went into 3e. I had already made some changes, mostly flavour, like not having gods hand out favours to anyone with a cross and a 12 Wis. But that brought up a lot of other issues. I made magic, wizards, and sorcerers rare, and this had the unforseen consequence of turning the fighter into a lame duck! I would not have guessed that would have happened. And other little things like that kept cropping up.

I think that D&D runs nice and fine, but if you tweak things a little here, something can pop over there, and you might have problems. In my experience, anyway.

 

[Aldarc]

Well, that's cryptic.

If you are referring to my post, I'm sorry about that. I clicked the "Submit" when I was meaning to click quote. But I have edited my post.

 

[FireLance]

No but they do provide the baseline that all the forementioned games are drawn. 3E is the stone cast by WotC and the 3rd Party products are the ripples that come from it.

This is true. If WotC and third party publishers head off in a direction that I don't want, I will have to spend time coming up with my own material instead of just buying whatever they produce.

However, since I like the current style and direction of WotC, I owe it to myself to vociferously deride and ruthlessly crush any attempt to influence WotC to go in a different direction on a public bulletin board.

 

[S'mon]

D&D 3.X is a good game in my opinion but does anyone else sense a the creeping influence of a pervasive style...a kind of power up, magic toy, EXTREME/KEWL/IN YOUR FACE/RADICAL fantasy that is what D&D is now supposed to be?

That "skater boi" style does seem to be the standard WotC 3e style. I don't like it & it means I don't buy much WoTC D&D product.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I agree with the giest of what you're saying. That advancement is much faster.

Everything else, I disagree with.

One of the great things about the new setting and the latest round of products, is that we have the tools to take characters from 1st to 20th level.

In the past, outside of the motherload of ToEE,SotSL and the QotS, there weren't a lot of tools to do so.

Characters have always relied on magic items. Most of the old adventurers were packed with them. Many of them powerful for the levels they were encountered in. This doesn't count third party material were the items were often even more ridiculous and silly such as Arduin.

I think with feats, and the general amount of available options, that characters are much more self sufficient than their old counter parts could ever be. I mean imagine a 1st edition D&D character trying to say, use a skill or something? Heck, even 2nd ed if the character has a "NON-WEAPON PROFIENCICY", not a skill mind you, but a NWP, if he had a high stat, he was a god at it despite only having spent one rank in it.

 

[Akrasia]

For what it's worth, I don't think anyone has ever honestly complained about the attacks of opportunity drawn by spellcasting. ...

That wasn't my point. My point had to do with the consequences of removing AoOs, not the reason for doing so (with respect to which I agree with you).

In a larger, sense, though, I think this argument is illegitimate...

It's not illegitimate. 3e is a complex system with many interdependent variables. Changing one can have unforeseen consequences.

This doesn't mean that it's not impossible -- it certainly is possible. Also, there are plenty of companies producing material that already make the relevant changes for you (as per some of the examples you cited).

But as I stated earlier, having a group of players willing to revise house rules as necessary -- should unforeseen and undesirable consequences become apparent -- is key.