BelenUmeria said:
The difference between that group playing 2e and that group playing 3e was night and day. As 2e players, they were all focused on characterization and the game was far more cinematic.
As 3e players, a huge majority of the game I watched was mechanics and rolling. That was the focus.
Which is *funny*, because *my* group just played an Eberron campaign setting game on Saturday night.
The group's comprised of several players who've played just about every game system under the sun, some who've played quite a few but can't remember the old mechanics to save their lives, and one (possibly two) who are brand new to roleplaying in general.
The session - which ran from about 5pm till 10pm - started out with the party recovering from a midnight attack by goblinoid assassins on their inn in the town of Korranberg. In a single, foritified room with patrolling guards, the party finally went back to sleep. Those who could dream - as in, everyone but the Kalashtar - were awakened simultaneously by disturbing nightmares.
The next couple hours were spent roleplaying the in-character reactions to these dreams - pondering whether or not they were visions of the past, or the future, or of a non-existant timeline; whether they were intentional or not; whether we should even do anything about them.
Some characters shared openly, which gave the party further insight into certain character's backstories.
Some clammed up and refused to talk - like, for instance, my character, who upon awakening went immediately downstairs and purchased, at great expense, the largest, foulest bottle of dwarven hooch he could find, and proceeded to get roaring drunk.
Our group generally meets once every other week - so twice a month. Therefore, in a 3.5 Edition game, we spent roughly 50% of our *monthly* roleplaying time without touching a single dice - and we haven't had our 2nd monthly session, yet, so that number will increase.
So, in summation, my anecdotal evidence is superior to your anecdotal evidence, and 3.X does not have the effect you claim it does.
