What details do you miss from older editions?

[milotha]

I miss:

- The simplicity and speed of NPC and PC design.

- 2 ed priests. The spheres/powers concept was cool and all priests felt unique.

- Demons, devils, and archdevils.

- Wish spells that did anything.

- A good number of interesting mage and priest spells - the old Clone spell, Glassteel, Numbers and Thought spheres, etc.

- Permanent character death through system shock and ressurection survival rolls.

- Gary Gygax's adventures and artifacts.

- Multiclassed wizards and clerics that worked.

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Campaign settings that took D&D in different directions (Greyhawk, Realms, Al'Qadim, Mazteca, Kara-Tur, Birthright, Dark Sun, Planescape) instead of just further down the road in one direction (High Magic, Super Magic, Cheesy Magic... Oh, 'scuze me... I meant "Greyhawk, Realms, Ebberon", really I did...).

Illusionist Core Class.

More detailed Monster descriptions instead of combat-focused descriptions.

Better art that showed the great variety available in fantasy instead of just comic-book spikey neo-goth.

Psionic-flavored Psionics (although I've yet to see the XPH, so don't bite my head off if you think they finally got it right).

Edit:

Priests that were different from each other before getting a Prestige Class.

 

[kamosa]

Psionic-flavored Psionics (although I've yet to see the XPH, so don't bite my head off if you think they finally got it right).

They did and they didn't. It's better than the first 3E offering on the topic, but it isn't anywhere near where the 2e product was for creating new or different concepts. The Psion ends up feeling very similar to a sorcer in scope and general abilities. They just Psionsized a bunch of mage spells and call it psionics.



Anyway things I miss:

Not having every useful spell nerfed.

Priest spell spheres.

Better multiclassing rules.

A less fighter based game.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I miss...

Finding two rules on the same subject which contradicted each other.

Never being able to succeed at the simplest tasks within your special proficiencies.

Rolling up a character with all 14's and realising that he was no better than a character with all 9's, except that he could qualify for ranger.

Having the GM tell me that there was no way anyone would buy a +1 sword, even though when I was low level, I'd easily have killed for the chance to pay for one.

Knowing that once the campaign hit 9th (or whatever) level, my single-class demihuman would basically have to retire, and not having the faintest clue exactly why that would be...

Items which would simply kill me, where the only way that I could avoid them would be to never go looking for treasure in the first place.

THAC0

 

[Gothmog]

1. I preferred it when there wasn't an assumed/default level of magic across the board, and when magic items weren't easily bought and sold as commodities. (Yes, I know that it's all flexible in 3E. But we're talking preferences here.)

2. The Illusionist core class. I like the notion of specialist mages being truly different from normal mages. The new specialist varients in UA are a nice step along that road, but I still miss this guy.

3. Art. I won't go into detail, for fear of reigniting this old argument, but I preferred an artistic style that was less comic-booky, more geared towards scenes/sequences than portraits, and portrayed people with armor and weaons that looked vaguely realistic.

I have to agree with you on these, especially #1 and #3. The minis focus of the game doesn't bother me too much since I have always used minis, but sometimes the rules go a little overboard talking about "squares". Other thigns I miss:

-Monster ecologies
-Priests with different powers based on their area of influence. Domains are a nice idea, but clerics turn out identical except for 2 spells per level! That is really lame. This one really bugs me, and I'm working on cooking up a Domains list that is much more like the old Spheres in design.
-The old treasure type chart. That old chart of types A to Z made more sense, because different types of creatures would have different objects. I don't care for the 3E "standard", "double standard" treasure per EL thing- its just too silly.
-Old halflings. The new sexy halflings make me want to puke.
-Demons and devils- none of the tanarii and baatezu silliness.
-Flat XP awards for monsters and slower advancement.

 

[Tuzenbach]

1. Magical aging: It was cool knowing that certain spells made you pay a price for their use. Oh yeah.........AVOID THE GHOSTS!

2. Basic/Expert/Advanced: Do you realize how difficult it is to create a character these days? Under the original system, you could easily make a character with the basic rules and then gradually work your way up from there. I foresee an eventual 4.0 having the three choices for easily bringing new players into the fold. The way it is now is WAY too convuluted. Feats shouldn't be worried about until someone has mastered "basic", while PrC really are for an "advanced" mastery of this game.

3. Artwork: The simple art of the past gave way to far more imagery in my head. My brain would supply the missing details. The artwork in 3.0/3.5 insults my imagination. It does more than that, it totally rapes it, leaving nothing for it to do!

4. The mental aspect of the game: And this is connected with the artwork. For me, the game never was an experiment in visuals, but concepts, plot development, and player/DM strategy. The more visual me make the game, the more "dumbed-down" it becomes. I've played with persons who really have zero regard for the plots I try to outline. All they care about are what the NPCs are wearing and what colour hair they have. *Sigh*

 

[Dark Jezter]

I miss good modules.

I liked City of the Spider Queen, but since modules aren't very profitable nowadays, that'll probably be the last module we see from WotC unless the demand for them increases drastically.

 

[SeRiAlExPeRiMeNtS]

Anyway things I miss:
Better multiclassing rules.

Are you joking, right?

Well the only thig I miss from the 2nd edition is the DiTelrizzi´s art, the plane scape books are too beatiful...

 

[Alzrius]

I miss good modules.

I liked City of the Spider Queen, but since modules aren't very profitable nowadays, that'll probably be the last module we see from WotC unless the demand for them increases drastically.

You do know that WotC has already announced that they'll be publishing adventures for Eberron right? (And I don't just mean the adventures for it in Dungeon)

 

[kamosa]

Are you joking, right?

Well the only thig I miss from the 2nd edition is the DiTelrizzi´s art, the plane scape books are too beatiful...

No I'm not. The multiclassing for spellcasters is totally broken in 3e. The only classes it works for are rogues and fighter types.