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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Libramarian" data-source="post: 5877545" data-attributes="member: 6688858">I wonder to what degree this narrative of old rules = clunky and modern rules = sleek is just a book-level aesthetic preference that doesn't really have much to do with actual table-level handling time and cognitive workload.I don't have a problem running Basic or AD&D. The rules work fine*.* Alright except for encumbrance by coinweight.But the strength of the preference some people have for unified XP charts is strange. I just can't understand how differing XP charts could substantially impact someone's ability to run D&D. It's just not complex enough.Differing XP charts didn't have that big of an effect, they were just a quirky interesting thing that was scrubbed away without compunction because they "looked weird".I don't like that. Don't touch stuff just because you think it looks weird. That's like reducing the size of Michaelangelo's David's hands or something.If you have solid evidence that it's actually holding up newbies as they try to learn the game, OK fine. But otherwise leave it alone.I'm just going off on a bit of a rant about how 3e went a bit overboard with excessive system rationalization.There are a million different directions WotC could have gone with 3e. Sometimes it seems like their particular design choices are seen at this point as just plain "modern", like 2e to 3e was some kind of preordained, teleological progression.Anyway. As for objectively better mechanics, I guess I would say moving from THAC0 to base attack bonus although that's close, and I personally would be fine with THAC0. Thief abilities that don't suck so bad at first level, yes. Some of the racial and class limitations, yes. I have recently seen in person just how bummed someone can get if they really really want to be an Elven ranger but the game says they're not allowed. Saving throws that are less arbitrary, yes. I don't find old school saving throws to really be that iconic and flavorful, given that they differ for no apparent reason between AD&D, Basic and OD&D.</blockquote>

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