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Message: <blockquote data-quote="molonel" data-source="post: 3256814" data-attributes="member: 10412">Were they more flexible? As in, 1st Edition and 2nd Edition AD&D?Yes, no and it depends.Yes, in some senses, they were more flexible in that certain game mechanics were not defined. I read a thread on this forum one time where someone typed out the description of how to write scrolls from a 1st Edition book, and compared it to a 3rd Edition book. The former read a little like something out of a fantasy novel. The latter sounded like it had been written by an accountant. The former had reference to collecting rare materials, and penning on rare, specially prepared parchment using quills plucked freshly from a cockatrice, or somesuch.The only problem was, the 1st Edition book said absolutely nothing about the mechanics to use in writing scrolls. A lot of people didn't even make scrolls in 1st Edition. Since it was undefined, in a sense, it was more flexible. But it's rare to encounter a mid-level wizard in 3rd Edition that does NOT make scrolls. Because he doesn't need to ask the DM for every single cotton-picking thing about the process. It's all right there in the core PHB. If he wants to make a scroll, and has the time, boom! He does it.No, in the sense that earlier editions of the game had their own constraints. In 1st Edition, every fighter wielded a longsword, and wore full plate with a shield. Unless you used Unearthed Arcana, all rangers and paladins were human. In 2nd Edition, elven bladesingers were all the rage for a while. Level limitations on demihuman races made no sense whatsoever.It all depended on how you ran the game then, and how you run it now.As some other folks have already pointed out, you're crunching a lot of unrelated complaints into one post. There are so many ways to curtail powergaming in D&D that it's not even funny.Rule 0 is the first one to remember.The second rule is to control what materials are used in your game. In my games, only the core rules are certain, and even then, I've made changes. Shadowdancers annoy me, so they don't exist. Hide in Plain Sight is a Rogue special ability that isn't available before 13th level. Paladins don't get Sense Evil. Instead, they get a scaling divine bonus to Sense Motive. And so on, and so forth.\Of course it is, and the DMG provides suggestions for how to do so. There are alternate rules sets, like Midnight and Conan, if you want something off the shelf.Or just make up your own rules, and change them to suit the style and taste of play that you want in your game.</blockquote>

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