Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 9390323" data-attributes="member: 6667921">I was first introduced to the game in the early 80s with the Basic set. Over the years, I moved into Advanced and continued with 2nd edition. Lots of settings, lots of novels, and plenty of computer games to keep me enthralled despite having few opportunities to enjoy these at a table with real persons.3rd edition was an exciting time when the game appeared to be evolving for the first time in decades. And creators were given access to design and develop in a space that had been denied to the general public for so long. More importantly, the internet was making it easier to connect with more people to share ideas, opinions, and made it easier to play the game with others.Up until this point, I had never been fully satisfied with the game itself. There were always aspects that I didn't like, or thought could be done better. Some areas were overly complex, while others were not developed enough. And every other system or clone just perpetuated the same flaws, the same expectations, and the same stereotypes. And while 3.5 fixed a few things (that should have been obvious with hindsight), I was not happy with the short turnaround that had me re-purchase my books only 2 years after buying into the new edition.When 4th edition was announced, I largely ingored it. I was already burning out on what seemed like a constant cycle of purchasing new libraries of books in order to support my interest for something as basic as a "game". Likewise, Pathfinder failed to grab my interest for much the same reasons, though I figured their content would still be compatible with 3.5e, so I could continue indulging in what was otherwise a "perfectly usable" system that I still owned.When I finally did get around to checking out 4e, I was blown away. This was actually something different! And interesting! And yet, familiar enough that I could still relate to the system and lore I had been investing for years! It appealed to me for many reasons, and on so many levels. It wasn't perfect, however. But it made running games and DM prep so easy and so fun for me. And with the Encounters program, I was able to meet the first real group of gaming friends in years! The experience at the game tables (virtual and real) were some of the best experiences I had with the game since I started way back in the 80s.And then WotC took it away. And yes, I am still bitter about it. Not only did they cancel the edition I enjoyed and supported the most, they kept it locked down with a prohibitive license that won't allow anyone else to offer continued support, like a workabke VTT with usable content so I can throw money at rather than spending hundreds of hours learning code and input data by hand.Despite all that, I still gave 5e a chance. Several, actually. And while I saw some appeal for the system itself, it just doesn't have the same zing like 4e did for me. Things that were promised never happened. And that was the end of DnD for me.Since then, I have discovered my favorite RPG of all time: FFG's Star Wars RPG. It took some getting used to, and I had to get out of the DnD mindset to realize what RPGs could be. I learned that my biggest strength was being able to improvise on the spot, and learned to go with the flow, giving players much more agency with the narrative. This made for a better game where I no longer had to worry about getting the numbers right and memorizing useless details of every room, encounter, or reward to ensure everything stayed in balance. And, of course, it revitalized my love for Star Wars in general, which opened up more games, stories, etc.In time, I did miss some of the tactical, crunchy goodness of DnD-style games. I really liked Starfinder as an alternative sci-fi, but couldn't really get into all the mechanics again. Pathfinder2 showed a lot of promise, with more than a bit of 4e-isms to pique my interest. But at the end of the day, my heart still longs for a cleaned up and concise version of 4e. Even if that should happen (unlikely), I feel I am too old to do this anymore.</blockquote>

Verification