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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greg K" data-source="post: 7781920" data-attributes="member: 5038">The only complaints that I recall , initially, having had with the 2e changes was the renaming of demons and devils to pacify the complaints of right wing conservatives such as the self labeled "Moral Majority". I, personally, did not care about the removal of the Assassin class or half-orc.I thought that the 2e PHB had some nice additions (e.g. Priest spheres, Priests of Specific Mythoi, Proficiencies in the PHB, Rangers and Thieves being able to allocate points).   I also liked several of the early products including  the Complete Fighter's Handbook (although the actual implementation of several kits had left me cold), the Complete Thief's Handbook, and, as a DM, the Complete Priest's Handbooks. I also liked several of the early settings including Al Qadim: Land of Fate, the original Dark Sun boxed set, and Ravenloft: Realms of Terror. The only early setting that I did not like was Spelljammer (and I was fine with it existing until official cannon was revised to force it upon Dark Sun and Ravenloft). Now, around late 1992 early 1993, is when I started to develop issues with 2e. First, I disliked the 2e material being released. Between late 1992 to 1996, I still like a few of the releases including the HR Series, Complete Druid's Handbook, PO: Combat & Tactics, PO: Spells & Magic and a few Ravenloft supplements. After that period, there was nothing at all that I liked and Slavicsek had already ruined Dark Sun (in my opinion). Second, many of the AD&Disms that led me to nearly leave AD&D with 1e really started to grate on me around 1993. So after, walking out of a 2e Revised Dark Sun campaign, I left AD&D completely.3.0, eventually,  brought me back to D&D. While I disliked the art,  there was a lot that I really liked about the 3.0 core rules and many of the changes found within were what I had wanted. My only major disappointments with the core books (beyond the art) were the cleric, the monk and the default setting feel with its smokesticks, sunrods, tanglefoot bags, halfling riding dogs,  and  exotic weapons (e.g., the urgosh and spiked chain). There was also the paltry number of skill points for several of the classes. and my disappointment with the the barbarianclass  being a berserker rather than closer to both the 1e Barbarian (or better David Howery's revision from Dragon Magazine and 2e's Wilderness Warrior kit). Despite these issues  and my finding WOTC's supplements unimpressive (which didn't change until the 3.5 Unearthed Arcana), the core rules impressed me enough to keep an eye on 3.0 until I, finally, jumped on board following Green Ronin's release of their Psychic, Shaman, and Witch Handbooks. Part of why I was able to enjoy running 3.0 was Mr Tweet's discussion of the commoner standard in one of the Dragon Magazine 3.0 previews. Between that and Monte's DM's Best friend option in the DMG, I threw out almost all of the sample DC in the PHB and ran 3e skills closer to how it is done in 5.0. In my opinion, that discussion of the  Commoner standard belonged in the DMG (much like Skip's information about the various monster types should have been in the DMG or MM rather than MMII).</blockquote>

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