Back in the day, the Dungeons & Dragons game had been divorced from its creators
and became an (even more) arcane and bloated rules labyrinth. While 2nd edition
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons were on the shelves in book and hobby stores, I
was a young fantasy enthusiast who had stumbled into the Dragonlance series of novels largely by accident. While reading and
thoroughly enjoying the two “core” trilogies I was thrilled to discover that
this setting was also available as a game! Consequently I bought into AD&D
heavily and although it was years before I actually played and I gradually lost
interest in Dragonlance, my passion
for roleplaying games in general, and the Dungeons & Dragons experience in
particular, has been an enduring one.
Once I actually got down to playing the game, I found that things didn’t work exactly as I expected and even though I had studied the current (at the time) rules set with far greater zeal than I pursued academics, I always felt that something was missing or else that I was missing something. Of course, I found that there were volumes and volumes of material released long before I discovered the hobby and many of these were hard to find at the time - public internet use was in its infancy and not something I would be aware of for several years. I realized it was impossible to understand everything and it would be many years before it dawned on me that focusing only on a comprehensive knowledge of the game could be detrimental to the enjoyment thereof, particularly if that knowledge came at the expense of developing memorable characters, preparing for GM/Player interactions, or creating an engaging setting or setting components.
Once I actually got down to playing the game, I found that things didn’t work exactly as I expected and even though I had studied the current (at the time) rules set with far greater zeal than I pursued academics, I always felt that something was missing or else that I was missing something. Of course, I found that there were volumes and volumes of material released long before I discovered the hobby and many of these were hard to find at the time - public internet use was in its infancy and not something I would be aware of for several years. I realized it was impossible to understand everything and it would be many years before it dawned on me that focusing only on a comprehensive knowledge of the game could be detrimental to the enjoyment thereof, particularly if that knowledge came at the expense of developing memorable characters, preparing for GM/Player interactions, or creating an engaging setting or setting components.
Although
I still played the game when I could and perused my books often enough, I felt
far less inspired by it and branched out into other games and settings. Years
later, the news of a third edition spread and my interest was piqued. It’s
difficult to describe the atmosphere this generated in the gaming community of
which I was just really becoming a part. The majority opinion in my circles was
either that this was a really great thing or a non-event depending on whether or
not the individual liked D&D. I was aware of a few grognard types who would
shake their heads or frown at the mention of a new edition, but since this was
in person and not on a message board, there was little edition hate in
evidence.
Upon release, Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition completely changed the hobby as it existed at the time, mostly for the better in my view. There was tremendous excitement in the game store I frequented and campaigns and pick up games were starting simultaneously there and at homes all the time. Good gamemasters were turning players away while having full tables of as many as ten players (or more!). Even bad gamemasters like myself had no trouble getting a group to meet regularly.
Of course, not everyone was interested in this new version of the game, but the tide of enthusiasm for 3rd edition brought new players into other games and systems as well. Some players and gamemasters seemed to see 3rd edition as a challenge. “Think that’s a good game? Humph!” and they’d pull out a stack of books and tell you you’d just have to try their favorite. It was during this time I learned about Ars Magica, Earthdawn, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon and countless others. This exposure, which would never have happened for me without 3rd edition, lead me down the path to becoming who I am now. Because of it, I knew about Cthulhu before he was all the rage! I also learned what I liked and didn’t like about games and after several successful campaigns I’d run or played in, I found a lot to dislike about D&D.
Upon release, Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition completely changed the hobby as it existed at the time, mostly for the better in my view. There was tremendous excitement in the game store I frequented and campaigns and pick up games were starting simultaneously there and at homes all the time. Good gamemasters were turning players away while having full tables of as many as ten players (or more!). Even bad gamemasters like myself had no trouble getting a group to meet regularly.
Of course, not everyone was interested in this new version of the game, but the tide of enthusiasm for 3rd edition brought new players into other games and systems as well. Some players and gamemasters seemed to see 3rd edition as a challenge. “Think that’s a good game? Humph!” and they’d pull out a stack of books and tell you you’d just have to try their favorite. It was during this time I learned about Ars Magica, Earthdawn, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon and countless others. This exposure, which would never have happened for me without 3rd edition, lead me down the path to becoming who I am now. Because of it, I knew about Cthulhu before he was all the rage! I also learned what I liked and didn’t like about games and after several successful campaigns I’d run or played in, I found a lot to dislike about D&D.
3rd
edition brought something else with it though. The open gaming license for one
which lead to d20 versions of some of the games mentioned above as well as Star Wars and loads of other licensed or
original settings. I really fell in love with the d20 system during its boom
period and that love persists well after the inevitable bust that chased it.
Even though many games have distanced themselves from the “d20” or “OGL” tags,
some of the best games on the market originated with d20 (like Mutants & Masterminds) or owe it a
tremendous debt (like Savage Worlds,
and arguable, every other tabletop
rpg released since then).
Once the genie was out of the bottle though, Wizards of the Coast came to the conclusion that to remain competitive in the now crowded RPG (and specifically d20) market would require them to entrap the genie once more. Like AD&D before it, 3rd edition had become bloated with splat books, arcane optional rules, settings and the like. The situation was so intense that some settings, beloved by the community, were either ignored (like Dark Sun) or outsourced (like Dragonlance and Ravenloft). As fast as Wizards could push out those increasingly superfluous expansion books, scores of competitors flooded the market with similar products. Some companies were better than others with even top tier developers producing hits and misses. But the fact was that nobody really needed official products after the core books, a few favorite setting books, and some of the better splats.
Although the 3.5 revision was an improvement, it also created a tremendous loss of confidence with fans. It clearly indicated that D&D was moving towards another edition and it virtually required players to re-purchase the core books if they wanted to continue investing in official products. It could also be seen as a stealth attack on other d20 developers as their 3rd edition products were now less compatible. In reading about this time in the industry, it seems pretty clear that those most involved in the design and development of 3rd edition had (wittingly or otherwise) played the role of Prometheus in creating the d20 OGL. They had stolen fire from the industry’s license holders and placed it into the player’s hands. In retrospect, D&D 3.5 is a clear stop-gap to foil competitors while 4th edition was developed.
As we now know, the problems with 4th edition were these: it made grognards of loyal 3rd edition players; it was released before the gaming community was ready for it; and it was 4th edition. The thing was, I actually like 4th edition and I probably liked it better than 3rd edition overall. I disliked the (even greater) focus on play balance, the rigid advancement structure (with completely unnecessary numerical inflation), and the implied restraints on gamemasters. All of this was done to streamline play, but created a very real risk of a “vanilla” game and required the gamemaster to add flavor. This was fine for experienced gamemasters who didn’t mind making a ruling and sticking with it for the life of the campaign, but 4th edition’s clear intent to make the game easy to play and run meant that inexperienced gamemasters could coast with what they were given by the designers. That’s a fine starting point, but (in my experience) you don’t become good at GMing with “nerf” rules.
Good gamemasters get that way when they part ways with the rules. That’s not to say that you need to fudge rolls or make up loads of house rules; only that you have to realize that the rules (and play balance and everything numeric) are no more real than the characters and situations being portrayed. The rules are a reference point, a facsimile of the interactions between skill, talent and chance - an illusion, and they only exist to facilitate play. Out of the box, 4th edition was too “safe” for gamemasters. No doubt many 4e gamemasters faced their trial by fire and found themselves re-forged in the crucible of improvisational play, however it was my impression that many gamemasters could escape that fate and basically go on as players with more books rather than becoming a “good” gamemaster.
Once the genie was out of the bottle though, Wizards of the Coast came to the conclusion that to remain competitive in the now crowded RPG (and specifically d20) market would require them to entrap the genie once more. Like AD&D before it, 3rd edition had become bloated with splat books, arcane optional rules, settings and the like. The situation was so intense that some settings, beloved by the community, were either ignored (like Dark Sun) or outsourced (like Dragonlance and Ravenloft). As fast as Wizards could push out those increasingly superfluous expansion books, scores of competitors flooded the market with similar products. Some companies were better than others with even top tier developers producing hits and misses. But the fact was that nobody really needed official products after the core books, a few favorite setting books, and some of the better splats.
Although the 3.5 revision was an improvement, it also created a tremendous loss of confidence with fans. It clearly indicated that D&D was moving towards another edition and it virtually required players to re-purchase the core books if they wanted to continue investing in official products. It could also be seen as a stealth attack on other d20 developers as their 3rd edition products were now less compatible. In reading about this time in the industry, it seems pretty clear that those most involved in the design and development of 3rd edition had (wittingly or otherwise) played the role of Prometheus in creating the d20 OGL. They had stolen fire from the industry’s license holders and placed it into the player’s hands. In retrospect, D&D 3.5 is a clear stop-gap to foil competitors while 4th edition was developed.
As we now know, the problems with 4th edition were these: it made grognards of loyal 3rd edition players; it was released before the gaming community was ready for it; and it was 4th edition. The thing was, I actually like 4th edition and I probably liked it better than 3rd edition overall. I disliked the (even greater) focus on play balance, the rigid advancement structure (with completely unnecessary numerical inflation), and the implied restraints on gamemasters. All of this was done to streamline play, but created a very real risk of a “vanilla” game and required the gamemaster to add flavor. This was fine for experienced gamemasters who didn’t mind making a ruling and sticking with it for the life of the campaign, but 4th edition’s clear intent to make the game easy to play and run meant that inexperienced gamemasters could coast with what they were given by the designers. That’s a fine starting point, but (in my experience) you don’t become good at GMing with “nerf” rules.
Good gamemasters get that way when they part ways with the rules. That’s not to say that you need to fudge rolls or make up loads of house rules; only that you have to realize that the rules (and play balance and everything numeric) are no more real than the characters and situations being portrayed. The rules are a reference point, a facsimile of the interactions between skill, talent and chance - an illusion, and they only exist to facilitate play. Out of the box, 4th edition was too “safe” for gamemasters. No doubt many 4e gamemasters faced their trial by fire and found themselves re-forged in the crucible of improvisational play, however it was my impression that many gamemasters could escape that fate and basically go on as players with more books rather than becoming a “good” gamemaster.
Regardless,
there was a lot about 4th edition that I liked or loved. In particular, I liked
the distinctions created between spellcasters. Even though 4e powers could be
pretty “samey” across the board, I really liked that wizards, warlocks, and
sorcerers had unique spell lists. I also liked the concept of minions as well
as elite, leader and solo monsters, although like many portions of 4e I found
the implementation of the rules for these things a little detrimental to
immersion. “Whoa, it’s not dead yet!? Must be a solo” or “Okay, guys these
dudes are just minions we just need to hit an AC 19. Who’s got control
encounter powers?”
Whether any aspect of 4th edition was good or bad, they were largely ignored with 5th edition (at least initially, it seemed - I’m not following the current rules much). For me, this newest version again came too closely on the heels of its predecessor and, just as 4th edition changed too much (back then in an effort to reclaim WotC/D&D’s share of the market) too soon, 5th edition swept 4th edition under the rug and made a Bigby’s grab at players of 3rd edition as well as earlier editions, OSR sets, and Pathfinder. In the interim, I became a grognard. I still have some 3e, 3.5, and 4e books, a few of the better d20 fad relics and holdovers, and other games, but I’m really out of the market. I don’t see a need to buy more books, except adventures, because I’m confident that I can sit down with friends and any set of rules I have a fair understanding of and make sure everyone has fun for a few hours.
Most of the players I game with have stuck with 3rd edition or Pathfinder and for that reason I tend to convert rules from other games and systems into something at least vaguely compatible with those rules. To that end, I redesigned the sorcerer powers from 4th edition as Pathfinder spells some time ago. I also intended to make a sorcerer specific spell list for Pathfinder’s sorcerer so that they would be more sharply distinct from wizards and to freshen the play experience: you can find plenty of articles telling you exactly how to build your sorcerer and which spells are useless and which are must haves… how boring is that?
Whether any aspect of 4th edition was good or bad, they were largely ignored with 5th edition (at least initially, it seemed - I’m not following the current rules much). For me, this newest version again came too closely on the heels of its predecessor and, just as 4th edition changed too much (back then in an effort to reclaim WotC/D&D’s share of the market) too soon, 5th edition swept 4th edition under the rug and made a Bigby’s grab at players of 3rd edition as well as earlier editions, OSR sets, and Pathfinder. In the interim, I became a grognard. I still have some 3e, 3.5, and 4e books, a few of the better d20 fad relics and holdovers, and other games, but I’m really out of the market. I don’t see a need to buy more books, except adventures, because I’m confident that I can sit down with friends and any set of rules I have a fair understanding of and make sure everyone has fun for a few hours.
Most of the players I game with have stuck with 3rd edition or Pathfinder and for that reason I tend to convert rules from other games and systems into something at least vaguely compatible with those rules. To that end, I redesigned the sorcerer powers from 4th edition as Pathfinder spells some time ago. I also intended to make a sorcerer specific spell list for Pathfinder’s sorcerer so that they would be more sharply distinct from wizards and to freshen the play experience: you can find plenty of articles telling you exactly how to build your sorcerer and which spells are useless and which are must haves… how boring is that?
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