Why is it called "3.5e"?

[shadow]

Okay, I know this is a stupid rant, but I've been wondering about this for some time. Why is 3.5e called 3.5? When I originally heard of the books, they were called the "revised" core rule books. Somewhere along the line, they became the "3.5e" core rule books. Now, maybe this is just me, but 3.5 sounds a lot like a computer game. In fact I wonder if some non-gamers who hear of "D&D 3.5" will think D&D is some computer game. Why did Wizards decide to market the books as "3.5e" rather than "revised"?

 

[TroyXavier]

Mostly because everyone referred to it as 3.5

 

[Cedric]

Conventional numbering required it to be something other than 3.0. However, if they made it 4.0 they would have had to do much more than just repackage the books with slight layout changes and a few different pieces of artwork.

Not to mention the fact that coming out with a full version change so close on the heels of 3.0 would have been seen as a sign of weakness and lack of confidence in their product.

By renumerating the revised books as 3.5 they are able to firmly establish that this is an advancement in the game, worthy of it's own designation in the numbering scheme...thereby worthy of buying. But at the same time they did not make such significant changes as to deny the progress and success they had created with 3.0.

In short, it's a marketing thing...

Cedric

 

[Crothian]

Eh...a rose by any other name and all that

 

[reiella]

More or less, 3.5 was the internal name being used that was let out, and it caught on in the board / internet community, so they went with it.

 

[Zerovoid]

I really have no idea why its called 3.5. It should be called 3.1. I think that was an often used term before Wizards started referring to the revision as 3.5.

 

[Thanee]

3RE

3.1 would somehow imply, that they plan to do a lot more revisions. 3.5 carries the intention, that this is the only one, tho.

Bye
Thanee

 

[The Sigil]

I really have no idea why its called 3.5. It should be called 3.1. I think that was an often used term before Wizards started referring to the revision as 3.5.

Perhaps because too many of us geeks still remember Windows 3.1?

Or Win 3.11 - Windows for Workgroups?

--The Sigil

 

[Buttercup]

Perhaps because too many of us geeks still remember Windows 3.1?

Or Win 3.11 - Windows for Workgroups?

--The Sigil

Get away from me, evil one! How dare you mention the abomination that was 3.11?

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

Okay, I know this is a stupid rant, but I've been wondering about this for some time. Why is 3.5e called 3.5? When I originally heard of the books, they were called the "revised" core rule books. Somewhere along the line, they became the "3.5e" core rule books. Now, maybe this is just me, but 3.5 sounds a lot like a computer game. In fact I wonder if some non-gamers who hear of "D&D 3.5" will think D&D is some computer game. Why did Wizards decide to market the books as "3.5e" rather than "revised"?

Preach on brother. I ranted about this here before the Revised Edition came out. Basically, I felt like it was going to put off the people who felt D&D had become too computer-gamey, and it left the door open for potentially endless 3.# revisions. And it sounds really dumb.

With the amount of junk they changed and the amount of retconning I had to do, they might as well have just called it 4th Edition.