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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 6547785" data-attributes="member: 87792">The problem here is a culture clash. The D&D wizard sucks at replicating Gandalf. According to a particularly notorious (and well argued) article in Dragon Issue #5, <a href="http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?300886-Gandalf-was-only-a-Fifth-Level-Magic-User!" target="_blank">Gandalf was a fifth level magic user</a>. Gandalf was also the only member of the party able to go sword-to-whip with the Balrog, meaning that Aragorn and Boromir were both weaker in combat than a level five multiclass character.For some groups "I wear a hat and can cast spells" is enough to say "I'm Gandalf". And for some groups the SCA version of history is more than sufficient to say they are reproducing history.For other groups, "This character might be able to dress like Gandalf but behaves nothing like him and the game mechanics actively make it almost impossible to behave like him in almost any way" is a killer argument.And there was a culture clash between the groups willing to put up with a D&D wizard in cosplay as Gandalf and those who actually wanted to play Gandalf when they were trying to play Gandalf. [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] IIRC favoured Runequest at the time - which is less cosplayish than pre-4e D&D (actually the 3.5 Bard makes a pretty good Gandalf or Merlin, and the 2e one a just about passable one). The groups were self-separating (as many are).And from everything I've read right from the beginning the newbie expectation that the wizard = Gandalf or Merlin was well known. As was the sheer disappointment on behalf of many people when they found out that this simply didn't work mechanically. Until 4e the D&D wizard was first and foremost a gamist construct that in practice resembled nothing other than a D&D wizard (even "Vancian Magic" doesn't help the wizards behave at all like the wizards of Jack Vance).And here you are the one with a bubble. There were two separate groups of players - on the one hand were those happy to play an unashamedly gamist game and just wanted the excuse to dress their characters up as Gandalf. Those behaved as you describe. On the other hand there were the players who actually wanted to play as Gandalf rather than as Stock D&D Wizard #14 dressed as Gandalf. Those have all the problems [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] outlines and left D&D for other games that actually allowed them to get within hailing distance of the characters they wanted to play because Gandalf spamming fireballs is not Gandalf. It's not "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards for that suit of armour makes a good roasting pan."There's nothing wrong with wanting to play someone inspired by Gandalf and that wears Gandalf-like robes. And there's nothing wrong with wanting to play Gandalf. But pre-3e D&D only caters to the former group (unless you delve deep into 2e and specialist priests).</blockquote>

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