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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SSquirrel" data-source="post: 1463254" data-attributes="member: 5202">Well you have to remember that 3E is designed so that everything is viewed more as a toolbox than a finished product per se.  So instead of saying "Hey here's an entire planar campaign for us to support enjoy" they say "Hey here's the Manual of the Planes 3E style.  We'll provide some examples, give a lot of technical advice and leave it all up to you."  This is totally in favor of the DM IMO.  The DM can make up everything exactly as they want it and not have someone whining about how it should be blah blah blah.  Similarly the planar rules will seem far less ingenious now than they did back when Planescape came about simply because Planescape came first and it was all tied together already.  The FR books are pretty nice, but the FR flavor has always been pretty good.  Flavor text needs no conversion and that is why you always see people pulling out all the old area books.  In 1E Greyhawk was king for years and then people finally started saying they would like to see more worlds.  This brought about the purchase of FR (Greenwood was foolish to sell so cheaply) and that quickly became the core setting for D&D.  2nd Ed was very odd the way every game world had drastically different rulesets, but really a lot of current d20 products do the same.  Fundamental stuff is the same in D&D, Conan and Midnight, but how they go about many things is quite different.  Same with Planescape, Birthright, Red Steel, Mystara, Dark Sun, Spell Jammer, Ravenloft, Dragonlance (1E as well I know) etc.  There was this massive explosion of game worlds in 2E b/c people had responded so well to FR and wanted more and by golly TSR was determined to deliver on that.  While I wouldn't have minded if they had supported some of them slightly better or at least advertised them better (Planescape and Spelljammer come to mind here), they did at least get the basic product and some supplements out for everything.  Other 2E aspects>Kits I found to be fun, but many of them were just plain crap.  I hate arbitrary rulings and the multi/dual class systema nd level limits seems so arbitrary its unreal.  Why can't anyone but Human be a Paladin?  They don't have anyone who follows a good god and wants to be uber goodie goodie?  Get real.    Worst example of dual classing is actually in 1E with the Bard from the back of the PHB next to the insane Psionics section.  15 or better Strength, Dex, Wisdom and Charisma.  12 Int and 10 Constitution.  Go up to Fighter 5, then prior to 8th level switch to thief.  Then between 5th and 9th level switch to druid.  Oh yeah and they're always Neutral of some variety.  I liked the unarmed system in Complete Fighters...but they made a new one for Complete Priests and then ANOTHER one for Complete Gladiators in Dark Sun.  Yeesh.  Complete Necromancer is still probably the coolest complete book and I made sure to d/l a copy of that when WOTC put it up for free.  The Battlesystem referrals everywhere was lame.  Making your own class in the DMG was easily done, but pretty easy to twink out.  Players Options just made me boggle.  I mean, people considered it easier to double the # of attributes and such and basically point buy your character?  Uhm...no.  I DO think that prestige classes are a better system than kits as is a single class system to start with (altho the Gestalt idea in UA is interesting).  People whine that they can't start as a Wizard/Fighter (besides the 0 level rules in the DMG) and to that I say wah.  PrCs are perfectly fine so long as the DM actually takes the time to go thru and say yea or nay to different ones.  I went thru all 5 splat books for feats/PrCs and weapons to consider for an upcoming AU game.  Doesn't take long to decide on that kind of stuff.  If a player has a PrC from some source, require that you look at it first and if you don'town said source and agree to it, you need a photocopy so you can refer to it as needed.  Unlike some I LIKE having rules for nearly everything.  How much damage needs done to cut your way out of a stomach?  Look in the MM, its there.  What kind of action is it to light a molotov cocktail and will someone get afree shot on me?  PHB.  Yes rules lawyers will always pipe up with what the books say, but same thing in other editions.  DM word is always final, just make sure you're consistent.  I'm glad I don't have to keep up with a vast volume of house rules like in the old days.  Right now my house rules for 3E consist of maybe 1-2 pages.  Tops.  Right now tho I'm not even playing 3E, I'm waiting to run Arcana Unearthed b/c I haven't been as excited about any product since 3E first came out and before that not since I played my first game of OD&D back in '87 or maybe the first time I saw RIFTS in '91.  Ok this was long and i tried to avoid rambling, but I DID actually read all 4 pages before posting so I had a lot to say.  Hagen</blockquote>

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