The Magification of D&D ?

[Rydac]

From Thalmin's recent posting of the upcoming WoTC catalog

Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords introduces new rules for players who want interesting combat options for their characters. The nine martial disciplines presented within allow a character with the proper knowledge and focus to perform special combat maneuvers and nearly magical effects. Three new martial classes allow a character to develop his or her discipline even further. Also included are new feats and prestige classes that build on the disciplines, new magic items and spells, and new monsters and organizations.

Emphasis mine.

This made me start imagining conversations like...

Me: are you going to the game con this weekend?

Friend: yeah I can't wait to play in the D&D tournament

Me: I'm excited to play in one too. Maybe we can sign up for the same event

Friend: I'm already signed up to play in the Weapons of Legacy release.

Me: The wha? Can I just use my core rules Fighter?

Friend: Maybe. Have you checked the banned feats list? Legacy release characters can't use Forgotten Realms feats.

Me: Hmmm. Well I never picked up Weapons of Legacy. I just want to play a D&D game with my Fighter. Maybe I'll enter the open tournament.

Friend: Ooh, so you've got the 3.5 Nine Swords release then. I hear one of the new martial classes has some speed manuevers that might be banned very soon. Some kid from Muskogee took out a Lich King in two rounds.

Me: No I don't have the Nine Swords "martial classes" release. I just want to play my Fighter!

Me: Sigh. Maybe I'll just play a wizard.

Friend: Are you going to be playing a Book of the Seven Rings of Power release ?

Me: Ay caramba...where's Diaglo and an OD&D game


Now I really enjoy playing the current version of D&D, but wonder if they aren't going to start down a slippery slope.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Now I really enjoy playing the current version of D&D, but wonder if they aren't going to start down a slippery slope.

WotC is pretty good about making each of their books compatible with the core rules. The books are not always compatible with each other, but they work with the core rules.


That being said, I think they go a little nuts on prestige classes.

 

[DonTadow]

From Thalmin's recent posting of the upcoming WoTC catalog

Emphasis mine.

This made me start imagining conversations like...

Me: are you going to the game con this weekend?

Friend: yeah I can't wait to play in the D&D tournament

Me: I'm excited to play in one too. Maybe we can sign up for the same event

Friend: I'm already signed up to play in the Weapons of Legacy release.

Me: The wha? Can I just use my core rules Fighter?

Friend: Maybe. Have you checked the banned feats list? Legacy release characters can't use Forgotten Realms feats.

Me: Hmmm. Well I never picked up Weapons of Legacy. I just want to play a D&D game with my Fighter. Maybe I'll enter the open tournament.

Friend: Ooh, so you've got the 3.5 Nine Swords release then. I hear one of the new martial classes has some speed manuevers that might be banned very soon. Some kid from Muskogee took out a Lich King in two rounds.

Me: No I don't have the Nine Swords "martial classes" release. I just want to play my Fighter!

Me: Sigh. Maybe I'll just play a wizard.

Friend: Are you going to be playing a Book of the Seven Rings of Power release ?

Me: Ay caramba...where's Diaglo and an OD&D game


Now I really enjoy playing the current version of D&D, but wonder if they aren't going to start down a slippery slope.

At the tournaments they rarely ask for stuff outside of their core books. Even with other campaign settings RPGA will usually provide you reference material for whatever is not core. My theory is don't play in tournaments unless you're ready to compete or just want to have fun and don't care about knowing all the rules. Your example sounds like a situation I was in at gencon where i ran into some friends whom were playing the rpga open. These are some of my favorite role players and i really wanted to play anything with them, so i signed up. We get to the table and its all core stuff but the setting is Eberron. The DM had reference material eplain the eberron stuff to those at the table whom didn't know of the system.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I think the thread is about criticizing game design, not game contests.

But on that note, since an Iron DM guy is here, what is Iron DM?

That being said, I think they go a little nuts on prestige classes.

A little?

 

[Aaron L]

If youre really concerned about new options being banned in tournaments... dont play in tournaments. I never would. I like new things to play in my home game, and banned options in homogenized "tournament rules" be hanged.

You dont want to use cool new things that are presented?

Then dont. But dont complain about them being made, because I use them.

Im sorry for being pissy, but see so many of these threads calling out 3Es supposed "video gameyness" or "magification" or whatever you want to call it, and then people looking at 2E through rose tinted glasses, it gets me upset. 2E had 10 times the releases of 3E, most of the books directly contradicting each other. 3E has been consistently engineered to have every book work in conjunction with every other.

New optional rules subsystems and one shot alternate books a slippery slope? Well, if they said "this book replaces the combat section (or magic, or whatever) of the PHB, Id agree with you. As it is, Ive seen 2 (TWO!) books with alternate systems of magical powers, supplementing the core rules. And a book on the way with combat options. Which Im looking forward to very much.

 

[Rydac]

I really am just poking a bit of fun at the them. I get and use lots of the new supplements.

I do wonder why I'm not getting the combat stuff from Book of Nine Swords in PHBII. I think the Nine Swords title is kinda silly, but I'm sure it is a play on or influenced by Musashi's Book of Five Rings.

 

[gamecat]

I kinda like the video-gameyness of 3e. You can rp *and* kick ass at the same time. You don't need to have straight negative modifiers to have a character with personality.

 

[DonTadow]

I think the thread is about criticizing game design, not game contests.

But on that note, since an Iron DM guy is here, what is Iron DM?



A little?

Sorry got confused. As far as game design go, i dont think you can have too many variants. If you would have asked me two years ago if Modern varients would have picked up, I'd have flat out laughed because I thought other supplments handled Modern better. BOY was I wrong (at the sales not if other variants handled it better).

Iron DM is a yearly competition at GENCON for Dungeon Masters. THe contest was in its second year last year and I won it by unanimous vote. It's a 6 hour tournament. Each dm is assigned random people. Each DM is given three things to write an adventure about in one hour. They may use any props, supplements or 3.5 material but may not use set adventures and such. They then craft an adventure and run it. The DMs are judged by a combindation of 3 judges (the guy who runs it is a freelance writer for dungeon and other rpg magazines ) and the group they are dming. They won't confirm this but I swear they tell some of those players to be as difficult as possible (one guy kept wanting to take her patns off and another
had a question filled character. I hope to see more enworlders in the tournament next year.

It is a very fun, but difficult tournament. I was exausted afterwards.