I won't be switching to D&D 3.5e

[John Crichton]

Considering I already pre-ordered my books I probably shouldn't even comment. But anyway...

Since my current campaign is in a bit of stall (waiting for summer and possibly more players) and I was going to buy a new PHB & possibly DMG (my original has been messed up since I bought it) anyway this is a perfect time for a change to happen. To agree with others: I would buy the new MM just for the layout. The current one gives me headaches and always has. I wouldn't even own it but a friend gave me a copy as a gift.

I am a PC in another game right now and the DM has already stated that he likes the changes and we will most likely be converting, depending on the amount of time it will take and our confort level with the changes. Since we only game once a month, time is an issue as I'm sure it is with many groups.

As for a community split, I'm sure we'll have folks with various preferences, but most of these fixes are things we have been complaining about for years. I expect within a year that we'll have the same kind of split between 3e and older version supporters that we do now between 3.5e & older version supporters. It just may take a little time for everyone to adjust, buy the books, read the rules, finish current adventures, etc.

I think it is an overall step in the right direction but I totally understand money being an issue. That's what summer jobs are for.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

As for a community split, I'm sure we'll have folks with various preferences, but most of these fixes are things we have been complaining about for years.

Y'know, I don't think we'll have that much of a split as much as we'll have diversity. While some folks will stick with 3.0 (most of whom are likely finishing their current games) and some folks will become 3.5 dogmatics (you always get a few of them), I think a lot of people will be somewhere in-between.

Mostly a guess, but it seems to be the majority from what I read on various boards I visit.

 

[Arnwyn]

Ah the new rule books....
I want to switch. I really do. I could probably get the money for the books without much of a problem. That's what plastic is for.

The problem is the rest of my group. They played 2nd ed for years. They only converted to 3e a year and a half ago. Many of them are still fumbling with the rules (they don't compulsively read the books in their off-time, like me).

Eveybody in my group is just now managing to truly start understanding the nuances of 3e.

I tell you now, another change will not go down well.

Maybe in another year or so.

Merak, Azlan - I'm in the same boat as you guys. I could change right away. However, there's no point in the DM buying new books if none of the players are going to, or are even interested in doing so.

Mine aren't. When they heard about 3.5e (from me, and it was a surprise to them), they then looked at me and said "we're not buying new books until ours fall apart". Based on the conditions of everyone's PHBs (mine and theirs), it doesn't look like we'll even be looking at 3.5e for a couple of years. (They have absolutely no interest in "downloading" and printing anything. Some of them don't even have that capability. "We have perfectly good PHBs... why the <deleted> would we be using a bunch of printed loose sheets, even if we *could* print them?".)

That problem solved.

(However, I am buying the new MM for the new layout and beefed up monsters. And I've already house-ruled a few of the changes like Haste and Harm - long before 3.5e was announced, actually.)

 

[TalonComics]

You bring up an excellent point.

My group is pretty much like yours. While I may be willing to buy all three of the core books again, most of the players in my group are not. I guess they don't have as much a passion or an inquiring mind for roleplaying games as I do. Heck, most of the players in my group don't even peruse the EN World website like I do, even though I've pointed it out to them several times. (It was a surprise to them all when I mentioned that 3.5 is coming out, and in return, I got a bunch of groans and shaking heads. And more than one of my players thought I was kidding them.)

I wouldn't expect my players to buy all 3 revised corebooks but I would expect them to buy the revised PHB. A player really doesn't need the MM and the DMG is a great book to have but not totally necessary as a player.
In all honesty if I had a player who refused to switch to revised they would no longer be playing in my game. Let me clarify "refused." I mean the person would be saying, "I absolutely refuse to take part in revising game play to 3.5 because I find that irritating!"
I would have no problem working with a player who just couldn't afford the new books at the moment though.

I personally have no problems with the revised editions being released.

~D

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I am firmly against 3.5. That being said I worry about a split in the community and D&D no longer being a unifying roleplaying game. As many have said it will become harder and harder to find a 3.0 game as time goes on and many of us who don't want to switch will be left with little choice. Unfortunately for WotC there might be another possibility that is even worse. Unlike 3.0 which brought back old gamers like myself who were turned off by 2.0 and stoppped playing, 3.5 might be like 1.0 to 2.0 and shrink the market instead. I find so many aspects of 3.5 either broken or not the way I envisage fantasy roleplaying and I will stop playing D&D again if I am forced to switch to 3.5. I went 10 years without playing 2.0 and while I missed D&D I could do that again if need be. Maybe it will be time to go and try the new Hero System or play CoC.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

I'm not switching. I've got better things to spend my money on now and my players aren't spending . If I ever get into a 3.5 game ran by someone else I'll just print out the relevent sections from the SRD. I don't see anything from WOTC getting my money in the future beyond some a couple of Star Wars books and the Dragonlance Campaign book and War of the Lance setting books.

 

[WizarDru]

I find so many aspects of 3.5 either broken or not the way I envisage fantasy roleplaying and I will stop playing D&D again if I am forced to switch to 3.5.

I'm not arguing with you, but I am curious...what do see as so radically different in 3.5 from 3e that changes who it represents fantasy roleplaying, to you? So far, I've seen lots of little changes, but nothing shocking, overall. So when I hear that you think the 3.5 is not the way you see fantasy roleplaying, and the inference the 3.0 is, I'm curious where you see the difference lies.

 

[seasong]

Well, I like my change to haste* better than their change, and I think the changes to polymorph X over time are just ridiculous... but thre's nothing I've seen so far in 3.5 that says to me, "this is a different game". Just minor adjustments and tweaks.

On the other hand, I'm not ready to shell out $60 for what amount to minor adjustments and tweaks. And my books are still in most excellent shape. And a lot of the useful rules for 3.5 appear to already be house rules in my campaigns (reduced DR, no +x vulnerabilities, nerfed haste, more skill points for bards, etc.). So I probably won't be switching right away.

* House Rule: You may cast a maximum of 1 quickened spell and 1 normal spell in a round. This is a limitation of magical physics, and haste and similar effects do not allow you to get around this limitation. The haste spell itself, save for the impact of this house rule, remains unchanged. Because of the way spell casting works, you could take a full round action, and then cast a quickened and normal spell during your haste action. Or you could cast a quickened and normal spell normally, and then use haste for an extra 30 ft of movement. Up to you. Still very nice for wizards (who can do a full round RUN AWAY and still cast their spells), but isn't monstrous.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I'm not arguing with you, but I am curious...what do see as so radically different in 3.5 from 3e that changes who it represents fantasy roleplaying, to you? So far, I've seen lots of little changes, but nothing shocking, overall. So when I hear that you think the 3.5 is not the way you see fantasy roleplaying, and the inference the 3.0 is, I'm curious where you see the difference lies.

I was trying to avoid bringing everything up but since you asked. The main issue I have with 3.5 not meeting my definition of fantasy roleplaying is the change in DR. In my perception of fantasy, magic always trumps materials. I feel that the new rule system in reversing this goes against the way I see magic, and creates other problems as well such as the golfbag instead of one weapon that is special to the character. This may not seem like much to others but it goes against the way I personaly envisage fantasy. The rest of my issues are ones of the new rules seeming broken to me. If it was one or two that would be one thing but I am not happy with most all of the "fixes" they are proposing. That was one of the issues that made me stop playing when 2nd eddition came out, too many new rules that I thought didn't work. Sure I could house rule things in 3.5 to the way I liked them but then I would have basicly 3.0. It is not that I am opposed to any change as I welcomed 3.0 with open arms as being significantly better that anything before it. And its not that I don't see any flaws with 3.0 but thier solutions IMHO either don't fix the problems or create new ones.

 

[TalonComics]

I am firmly against 3.5. That being said I worry about a split in the community and D&D no longer being a unifying roleplaying game. As many have said it will become harder and harder to find a 3.0 game as time goes on and many of us who don't want to switch will be left with little choice. Unfortunately for WotC there might be another possibility that is even worse. Unlike 3.0 which brought back old gamers like myself who were turned off by 2.0 and stoppped playing, 3.5 might be like 1.0 to 2.0 and shrink the market instead. I find so many aspects of 3.5 either broken or not the way I envisage fantasy roleplaying and I will stop playing D&D again if I am forced to switch to 3.5. I went 10 years without playing 2.0 and while I missed D&D I could do that again if need be. Maybe it will be time to go and try the new Hero System or play CoC.

You should give Hero 5th Ed. a try! Fantasy Hero is being released the end of July and you can taylor it to however you like.

~D