I may not be switching to D&D 3.5 (Crossposted)

[johnsemlak]

I had no Idea computers were being used to this extent in D&D.

I wonder how many people actually use D&D-specific software such as etools. I do use MS Word, and that's about it (I do math mostly the old fashioned way, a calculator).

A slightly side-topic question, why don't the copies of the PHB contian the PC gen disk anymore? I still have never seen it as the book I have and my players have didn't come with it.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I use Word and Excel a lot in game prep (all my PCs are done in Excel).

I use Jamis Buck's generators -- particularly the NPC generator -- quite extensively.

Unless there are rather dramatic changes, though, 3.5 won't affect my prep work. Who cares if my NPC's skill points are off slightly? The PC's will never find out about his four ranks in Profession: Flower Arranger anyway ...

About the only thing I'd want would be a tweak to HeroForge, which I'm sure someone would do (and if push came to shove, I'd do it myself).

 

[maddman75]

I'm with Arcady. I have no computer support for 3e. There's PCGen, where you can't get the non core WotC materials. Then there's e-Tools, where all you get is the core. Neither one will do the job.

As geeky as I am, I don't use any kind of tool. I type up the notes in a word processor, and the only mapping I do is to steal a map-a-week occasionally and photoshop a key into it.

 

[Desdichado]

You're really not making it any easier for me to tease Eric you know.

Oh, sorry! Thought you were serious there for a moment.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I also use my PC for all PC and NPC creation and don't bother with many 3rd party character creation pieces (Feats, skills etc) if they are not supported by software. I work full time, am married and have other hobbies, I would rather work on story rather than crunching numbers and makingg PCs/NPCs. If I were is high School or College, then it might be different but I doubt it, I have always been much more about story than special abilities.

 

[diaglo]

Eric, stop trolling the boards!

<snip>
This is why D&D revised (let's do away with the 3.5 or 3.2 nonsense, in my opinion - it really doesn't describe what the revision is) won't depend on my computer support, or lack thereof.

since you are using computers as the be all end all for D&D. it is 3.11 for workgroups.

 

[Henry]

since you are using computers as the be all end all for D&D. it is 3.11 for workgroups.

C'mon, Di, focus - this thread ain't for smackin' on 3E. Do you even use 3rd edition D&D currently, you DOS-lover, you?

 

[Creamsteak]

I'm pretty good with my computer, and it trickles down into my games. Print offs of anything I do are sufficient to impress and legitimize my house-rules to my players. Because of this, I, like Eric, depend on my computer.

However, I still expect a great deal of good from 3.5e, and will buy it. Also, I'm really curious as to what Wizards expects us to do with our 3e rulebooks? Can we return them for $10 or something? I won't pay for the books if they expect me to pay 100 bucks and destroy the value of 100 dollars worth of books I own. I'll use whatever they 'give' me for my original purchase, like the updated SRD info, but I won't pay 50% more for three books that reduce my copies to crap.

 

[ForceUser]

I'm not sure why, but my notes scrawled on paper always seem to be more creative than my notes written on computer. Weird.

Mine too, PCat. Mine too.

 

[buzz]

And realistically speaking, I'm sure they will update the software. They would be stupid not to. I really don't think you have anything to worry about.

I agree. Has WotC given any indication that they don't plan to keep E-Tools current with the revision? I would tend to doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if the new PHB comes with a demo version of E-Tools.

As for computers in my game...

I'm a Mac user, so I'm used to a lack of support. PCGen is pretty good, but I still find it a bit of a pain to work with. For the most part, I use Word and Excel to lay out character sheets and write up adventures. I tend to "roll my own" as I've never been that happy with most of the fan-generated sheets/aids out there. All the lines and boxes and cramped text makes me feel like I'm doing my taxes.