So. 3E/3.5E, is it still D&D to you?

[francisca]

When thinking about 3E/3.5E, is it still D&D to you?

For me, it is. It's a different ruleset for sure, but it's still about splitting the skulls of foes and grabbing their loot. I run a pretty plain vanilla D&D game. As long as the core classes, Vancian magic, Orcs, Dragons, and butt-kicking are still there it will be D&D to me.

But what about the rest of you?

 

[WanderingMonster]

Hey, if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and bleeds like a duck...

 

[MarauderX]

Gotta pipe up to mention the steady power creep that seems to be happening, but the feel of it has turned more towards the OD&D I first loved. As a player that wants more, faster, now, I love the new edition since I can get levels faster than any other version, and along with that comes the gold and items to match. Eggsalad (excellent) to me as a player & DM, now I can get to epic level in less than a RL year. The mechanics may have changed, but the feel has come back for me after I tasted 1E, spat it out, and skipped over the deranged 2E. Oh, lemme throw in an 'IMO' on all of that, just in case it's not understood.

 

[DaveMage]

I've played Basic D&D, 1E, 2E, 3E, and 3.5E.

I've loved 'em all at the time I played them. They are all "D&D" to me.

The only thing I don't like about 3/3.5E is the time it takes to resolve combat. Now, I love the combat system, just hate the time it takes. (So there's really no way to solve my problem without changing the system, and I like the system the way it is. )

Otherwise, I think D&D is as good as it's ever been.

 

[francisca]

Oh, lemme throw in an 'IMO' on all of that, just in case it's not understood.

Understood, and thank you very much. That's the kind of stuff I was looking for.

 

[Wombat]

It still has Character Classes, Armour Class, Alignment, Hit Dice, Levels (spells & character, which never match), and the hordes of rather silly monsters (mind flayers, beholders, rust monsters, phantom fungus); in this way it is obviously D&D.

OTOH, the mechanics are much more cleaned up, which definitely changes the tenor of the game.

In my opinion, it is Close Enough For Government Work.

 

[CaffeineBoy]

3.0/3.5 actually feel WAY more like D&D to me than 2nd edition ever did. I was a hardcore 1st edition AD&D player way back in the late 70s/early 80s. I drifted away as I "grew up" and 2nd edition took the game in directions I didn't like. Now I'm back, playing semi-regularly, and D&D feels like D&D to me again.

Not that I can really quantify why I feel that way... I think it's about attitude... that and the enthusiasm the creators seem to have for the game. The mechanics are different, to be sure, but the *feel* is like a comfortable old steel-toed book used to kick orcs in the head.

 

[Chupacabra]

A much different experience these days. Combat is so tactical and s-l-o-w, and while all those options and neat combat tricks are kinda cool, you have to pay for it with increased time between turns, etc. Sometimes it feels like playing a old-school cardboard box wargame (e.g. Squad Leader) rather than D&D. Still fun, just kinda...different.

 

[Gothmog]

Overall 3E/3.5 still pretty much feels like 1e AD&D, but with a few notable departures and improvements.

Improvements:
1. Constent game mechanic (d20 + mod to beat a DC) streamlines play and gets rid of combat matrices and THAC0.
2. More flexible and internally consistent than 1e
3. Characters are not just identical cookie-cutter designs of each other anymore ability-wise
4. Monsters finally get the same treatment as characters! (stats, feats, skills)

Departures:
1. I've noticed MUCH more min/maxing and powergaming in 3E/3.5 than during my 1e time. This is a bad thing- players quit focusing on roleplaying the character and instead worry only about getting the necessary prereqs out of the way for the prestige class they have had their eye on. Also, the whole planning a character's advancement (build- ugh) from 1st level on annoys me- too much metagame thinking.
2. 3E/3.5 have a videogamey kind of feel. I'm not sure exactly why, but people talking about buffs, powerups, and some of the feats just strike me as belonging more in a video game.
3. Power escalation in 3E/3.5. Admittedly, 3.5 is MUCH better than 3E as far as rampant power escalation, but its still there. I'm not sure why to make everything "bigger, badder, kooler" other than to just increase the power level. And while templates are a cool idea, would monsters with 3+ templates really be running around all that often?
4. 3E/3.5 combats can become a nightmare to run due to all enemies having skills, feats, etc. Also prep time for a 3E/3.5 game is much higher than a corresponding 1e or 2e game.

 

[Emiricol]

3.0/3.5 actually feel WAY more like D&D to me than 2nd edition ever did. I was a hardcore 1st edition AD&D player way back in the late 70s/early 80s. I drifted away as I "grew up" and 2nd edition took the game in directions I didn't like. Now I'm back, playing semi-regularly, and D&D feels like D&D to me again.

Same here It's a common story - one I've heard from too many people to count! Anyway, the 3.0/3.5 version feels like D&D to me. As much as 1E.