MoogleEmpMog
First Post
First and foremost, I don't like "D&D" all that much. I don't like its spell system, I don't like its emphasis on equipment, and I don't like its high fantasy vibe. I'm more inclined to rare-magic or even downright non-magic fantasy worlds, and enjoy later eras (steampunk, interbellum pulp or modern) more. Pure personal preference here, but there it is.
Second, I've felt for some time that Wizards hasn't been terribly innovative in game design. Many of the 3.5 products are brilliant examples of fitting pieces into the system, but they take few, if any, risks. Sword and Fist may have been unbalanced compared to Complete Warrior (Hulking Hurlers aside), but I've had far more fun with the former, and it broke more new ground from a design perspective. d20 Modern radically redesigned the class parameters of d20 (in a way I personally found very appealing); its supplements have only sketched out campaign models to take advantage of the original's innovation, and d20 Future featured, IMO, some of the blandest takes on concepts like mecha and starships I've ever seen.
Other companies, like Green Ronin, AEG and Malhavoc seem to be on the cutting edge of game design. Mutants & Masterminds True20, Spycraft 2.0 and Iron Heroes have pushed d20 in amazing new directions; D&D and, after the core book, d20 Modern have not.
Green Ronin, AEG, Malhavoc, Sovreign Press, Goodman and Mongoose serve up more content I find wild and fun to introduce to campaigns.
Wizards has become, IMO, much too cautious in its design work, too concerned about balancing its supplements to a baseline that's hardly as flat as most seem to think, too worried about offending the die-hard fan of Core D&D.
With that said, I *loved* Lords of Madness, and Stormwrack looks quite good, too.
Second, I've felt for some time that Wizards hasn't been terribly innovative in game design. Many of the 3.5 products are brilliant examples of fitting pieces into the system, but they take few, if any, risks. Sword and Fist may have been unbalanced compared to Complete Warrior (Hulking Hurlers aside), but I've had far more fun with the former, and it broke more new ground from a design perspective. d20 Modern radically redesigned the class parameters of d20 (in a way I personally found very appealing); its supplements have only sketched out campaign models to take advantage of the original's innovation, and d20 Future featured, IMO, some of the blandest takes on concepts like mecha and starships I've ever seen.
Other companies, like Green Ronin, AEG and Malhavoc seem to be on the cutting edge of game design. Mutants & Masterminds True20, Spycraft 2.0 and Iron Heroes have pushed d20 in amazing new directions; D&D and, after the core book, d20 Modern have not.
Green Ronin, AEG, Malhavoc, Sovreign Press, Goodman and Mongoose serve up more content I find wild and fun to introduce to campaigns.
Wizards has become, IMO, much too cautious in its design work, too concerned about balancing its supplements to a baseline that's hardly as flat as most seem to think, too worried about offending the die-hard fan of Core D&D.
With that said, I *loved* Lords of Madness, and Stormwrack looks quite good, too.
) in battles that are supposed to be fast & furious.
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