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

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="an_idol_mind" data-source="post: 4841764" data-attributes="member: 43749">I think the term "bloat" as used here is one of those subjective terms that can't really be defined outside of personal preference. 1st edition was considered bloated when it had a dozen rulebooks. 2nd edition was arguably the most bloated of systems because not only did it have a ton of books out but supplements and adventures all assumed the use of non-core books - look at the number of times kits were references or spells from the Tome of Magic were referenced in adventures without any help for those who didn't own those books. The appeal of 3rd edition to me was that the game was complete as I wanted to play it in just the core books. As a result, I never saw the game as bloated. However, many people, especially online, seem to assume the use of the vast number of supplements WotC released, leading to a glut of material that was shoehorned, often quite poorly, into the main game. I don't see 4th edition as particularly bloated because the game was designed around a continuing stream of supplements. In 2nd and 3rd edition, the new supplements didn't meld with the game as well because they weren't thought out from the beginning - the core books were the game, and everything else was an artificial graft on top of that. 4th edition was designed with an eye toward future supplements, as was driven home when WotC flat out admitted that frost giants and other iconic creatures were being held until later Monster Manuals. As a result, the products being released now are more filling in holes rather than adding to a system that doesn't really need the addition. By the time WotC gets to the point where they do perceive the game to be overbloated with a glut of additional books, they'll probably be ready to kick off 5th edition.</blockquote>

Verification