Possibly dumb poll: Playing vs. Running D&D Editions

[Storminator]

I put play any and run 4e. Had you asked last year, I would've put play any run 3.x. I consider each version of the game better than the last (but I never actually played 2e, so I've no experience there), but the old versions have to many fiddly rules that annoy me. I know the game runs well if you ignore/forget those rules, but it still irks me that they're there.

PS

 

[Desdichado]

3e is the only edition I would run. I would play in BECM, 3e or possibly 4e, as long as I wouldn't be expected to have the books and understand all the rules for the first and last option.

 

[Psion]

If it meant playing with a group I'm friends with, I'd play almost any of the above. Even 4e.

Of those presented, I put I'd only run 3.x. I've felt every edition was an improvement to my play experience until 4th. Though I can see some things that need addressed in 3e, both the metasetting changes and philosophical changes put me off.

 

[FireLance]

Very interesting that 3e beats 4e on Play, and 4e beats 3e on Run. Sounds like WotC achieved their goal of making 4e easier to run, but did not achieve their goal of making everyone want to play 4e.

I don't find it surprising, since 3e probably beats 4e for PC customizability (which many players want), and 4e probably beats 3e for ease of DMing (which many DMs want).

EDIT: In addition, complexity is probably manageable and desirable if you're a player playing a single character, but probably less so if you're a DM running multiple NPCs and monsters.

 

[drothgery]

I think the #1 reason for that is, that many are voting what they prefer and not what they would be willing to play.

Also because if you can find a D&D game at all, you can almost certainly find a 3.x game.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Very interesting that 3e beats 4e on Play, and 4e beats 3e on Run. Sounds like WotC achieved their goal of making 4e easier to run, but did not achieve their goal of making everyone want to play 4e.

It's an interesting result given that 4e has only been out a few months. I wonder what a similar poll would look like in a year's time, as more people try 4e? I reckon it might be fairly close still, but I'd probably expect 4e to edge ahead as time goes by.

I'd put down that I'd be willing to play 3.x and play or run 4e - the idea of going back to THACO and all that attendant rules argh is more than I want from my game, thanks.

I'm also very sure that I'd only run 4e - having tried to run 3e a couple of times and really struggled with a game I was very familiar with, but taken to DMing 4e like a duck to water.

 

[Obryn]

It's an interesting result given that 4e has only been out a few months. I wonder what a similar poll would look like in a year's time, as more people try 4e? I reckon it might be fairly close still, but I'd probably expect 4e to edge ahead as time goes by.

Well, FWIW, 3e and 4e are basically dead-even for Play at this moment. I don't know that the small difference between the two is statistically significant.

And yeah, it'll be interesting to see how the landscape changes a year from now.

-O

 

[Mercule]

The dip for 2e surprises me, too, since it basically plays like 1e and had a crapload of fun settings.

1e and 2e were very compatible, but 2e had kits (my dislike for them is probably unusual), TWF rangers, arquebus in the RAW, illusionists were a subset of mage instead of a completely separate class with unique spells, botched druid class, non-weapon proficiencies (not a bad idea, just a bad implementation -- 4e skills are NWP done right), possibly the worst DMG ever, and several other issues.

I could take the couple of good aspects (customizable thief skills, stealthy rangers) and port them into 1e with a single sentence. Ditto for the settings, though I didn't care for many of them -- I won't touch FR, Planescape, or Spell Jammer.

2e brings nothing significant of value that isn't part of or 99% compatible with 1e. On the other hand, it has some real shortcomings, IMO. If I'm going for nostalgia, I may as well pull out 1e.

 

[Arnwyn]

I was kinda ignoring time constraints - just, you know, given limitless time and a willing group.

Ah, my dreams!

Heh. I was actually kinda going with that, so I did vote for both of them. (I just used the post space to go into a little further detail, not fully related to the poll!)