Dungeons & Dragons Lures Back Old Players
- Thread starter Logan Westbrook
- Start date
My take is that this is a good idea - obviously the point of the exercise is that an 'old' player will stop by their hobby shop to try encounters, remember why they like role-playing, and then organize a real group (with all the character rolling and whatnot). It's a hook, not an end in itself.
Ancillary note: I think all the continued griping about 4e is laughable. First, it's possible to play any edition of DnD that makes your heart content (you're telling me you can't find a full set of rulebooks from any edition - 4e included - on your average torrent site? Come on). Second, DnD is what you make of it - in other words, if your experience with a particular edition sucked, the fault probably wasn't with the rule-set but a failure to customize it to accommodate your preferred play style. True, some editions probably lend themselves better to certain styles, but I don't accept the argument that rule sets predetermine what type of game you play. Are there really DnD groups out there who treat the rulebooks as gospel truth? If I played that way I would have hated every edition since the first one.
Ancillary note: I think all the continued griping about 4e is laughable. First, it's possible to play any edition of DnD that makes your heart content (you're telling me you can't find a full set of rulebooks from any edition - 4e included - on your average torrent site? Come on). Second, DnD is what you make of it - in other words, if your experience with a particular edition sucked, the fault probably wasn't with the rule-set but a failure to customize it to accommodate your preferred play style. True, some editions probably lend themselves better to certain styles, but I don't accept the argument that rule sets predetermine what type of game you play. Are there really DnD groups out there who treat the rulebooks as gospel truth? If I played that way I would have hated every edition since the first one.
I DM a 3.5 game every second week at my university and I have been looking for things like this, side missions with new characters and settings that i can choose to play when there is a lull in my campaign. After playing for many hours (30+) sometimes it is fun to just throw a new game at my players with predrawn characters. They are at the moment trying to play through S1: Tomb of Horrors (3.5ed). It is a pity that they know the general gist of it before playing it so something new should be good.
we have a 4E player in our group so i might just have to get her to help me out
we have a 4E player in our group so i might just have to get her to help me out
I've a friend who does this and it sounds pretty cool. It's not really for me but I definitely like that such a thing exists. When I saw the headline I assumed Wizards of the Coast had merely reprinted classic D&D adventures with 4.0 rulesets or some crap, so finding more out about Encounters was a nice surprise. I might even try one of these encounters if I get too tired of running D&D without ever getting to play it.
4.0 is actually a very good way to learn the basics of D&D if you are a beginner. Everything is greatly simplified from 3.5, but you can get a feel for what it's like to play the game and roleplay.Strategia said:
3.5 can be a bit intimidating if you've never played D&D before, so I'd suggest trying a 4.0 campaign to see if you like the concept.
It's an interesting idea, and one that people with busy schedules could embrace to let them get some gaming in. Shame they never did anything like this with 3.5. I don't care how good the idea is, I can't stand the 4.0 rules enough to sit down to another game using them. Ever.
Given that the OGL is still active for 3.5 rules, maybe we'll see something like this from a 3rd party publisher sometime. Paizo might be a good candidate for that, given their Pathfinder rules.
Given that the OGL is still active for 3.5 rules, maybe we'll see something like this from a 3rd party publisher sometime. Paizo might be a good candidate for that, given their Pathfinder rules.
They want to bring me back to D&D? Stop releasing erratas every five fucking minutes and get your handbooks straight the first time.
Seriously, me and my friends were completely turned off by the massive amount of erratas.
And the lame-ass saving throw system.
Seriously, me and my friends were completely turned off by the massive amount of erratas.
And the lame-ass saving throw system.
Wow, such negativity towards 4.0. I registered just to comment.
History - D&D player through all editions since 1983 (yep, getting old), wargamer, hardcore WoWer, etc...
I was really skeptical when the new version released, and had a 6+ year 3.0/3.5 game winding down at the time. I loved the detail of the old systems, although that same detail was really starting to crush 3.5 under its own weight. Version 4 is definitely a different animal, but after 2 years playing with most of my same group, we're really enjoying it. There are many things that people claim 4 has killed off or harmed that just don't make sense. It's a very similar experience, with the exception that the combat portions are more cinematic. Perfect no, fun yes.
Not trying to ignite a debate over versions here, but for those who haven't tried it and liked 3.5, you should at least give it a couple hours. You might be surprised - I was.
History - D&D player through all editions since 1983 (yep, getting old), wargamer, hardcore WoWer, etc...
I was really skeptical when the new version released, and had a 6+ year 3.0/3.5 game winding down at the time. I loved the detail of the old systems, although that same detail was really starting to crush 3.5 under its own weight. Version 4 is definitely a different animal, but after 2 years playing with most of my same group, we're really enjoying it. There are many things that people claim 4 has killed off or harmed that just don't make sense. It's a very similar experience, with the exception that the combat portions are more cinematic. Perfect no, fun yes.
Not trying to ignite a debate over versions here, but for those who haven't tried it and liked 3.5, you should at least give it a couple hours. You might be surprised - I was.
Pretty much this... I didn't sink the money into 3.5 just to do it again for a system that feels like WoW on paper. Let alone that I got into the game to roll my own.Ganthrinor said:
So yea, This ^
Ya, I don't see the appeal of dumbing it down. It just makes a statement about their feelings towards their base.JensenBlayloc said:
Wow... I so want to participate. I can think of no better way to spend my nights but to role-play with a pack of Non-Deodorant-Wearing, Game-Shop-Squatting Goombas using the craptastic 4th Edition rules... although spontaneous cranial bleeding does seem like a plausible alternative.
Luring Old Players? How about tossing 4th Edition and featuring a /real/ RPG? You know, one that doesn't require tons of useless miniatures or feature some of the silliest 'skills' imaginable? (Seriously, what mental midget thought 'magical springboards' were appropriate for the Artificer in Eberron?)
Luring Old Players? How about tossing 4th Edition and featuring a /real/ RPG? You know, one that doesn't require tons of useless miniatures or feature some of the silliest 'skills' imaginable? (Seriously, what mental midget thought 'magical springboards' were appropriate for the Artificer in Eberron?)
Sadly, it seems that WOTC is the only game publisher with enough PR dollars to get their weight behind this. That coupled with the marching around of the elderly D&D license as some sort of hope that the neckbeards of olde will wax nostalgic and jump in again. There are MUCH better games lurking about in that are developed by indie houses. Pathfinder, True20, Savage Worlds are much better systems who would benefit greatly from such public exposition.
If you 3.0 or 3.5 players want something new, try Paizo's Pathfinder, its a mix of 3.5 and 4.0, a 3.75 if you will.
Its also more ballanced (I.M.O) and have more personality (again I.M.O).
The support for Hombrew content isnt as great as 3.5 but it much better than 4th.
http://paizo.com/store/downloads/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy88yj&source=top look here for some info.
Its also more ballanced (I.M.O) and have more personality (again I.M.O).
The support for Hombrew content isnt as great as 3.5 but it much better than 4th.
http://paizo.com/store/downloads/pathfinder/pathfinderRPG/v5748btpy88yj&source=top look here for some info.
Well it certainly has little appeal to me, been playing since the close of AD&D but still 3E is the only D&D I'll play. However, I have switched to D20 Modern which has been a ton of fun lately with an entirely home brewed world, culture, races, etc etc. Which should say about how much I use and like encounters sorts of 'time savers'. Though I'm not above and don't mind adding in a few one shot campaigns into my stories. Then again I guess I'm not part of the primary demographic they're aiming for.
It's still all about what you and your group likes and thus no one can say definitively if that's truly good or bad. I think 4E, with the looser emphasis on role playing and non combat encounters, holds no appeal to me. And yes I've tried it and I've tried it maybe a dozen times over at that and I still don't like it. The idea that the DM is the only one who matters is a fallacy as it depends what the game is geared towards mechanically as well. The degree to which I'd house rule things completely goes against what I like and I have no point or purpose in switching from 3.5 to 4E.
However, I will say, I play online a ton. It's all with D20 rules, it's mostly dialogue, character, lengthy plot and development, and it turns into something not unlike a novel which I found was exactly the pace and speed I liked. I'm not a fighting oriented person and from every instance of 4E I've played, while smoother in an action way it's not what I'm looking for and this won't help me get back into D&D. Then again, after hearing how great Pathfinder was I was willing to try it all out and I was likewise disappointed. I do hope this succeeds because it's always fun to have people come into the realm of role playing. Nevertheless, this didn't make me want to come back to D&D one bit, so to Hasbro I'll say thanks but no thanks.
It's still all about what you and your group likes and thus no one can say definitively if that's truly good or bad. I think 4E, with the looser emphasis on role playing and non combat encounters, holds no appeal to me. And yes I've tried it and I've tried it maybe a dozen times over at that and I still don't like it. The idea that the DM is the only one who matters is a fallacy as it depends what the game is geared towards mechanically as well. The degree to which I'd house rule things completely goes against what I like and I have no point or purpose in switching from 3.5 to 4E.
However, I will say, I play online a ton. It's all with D20 rules, it's mostly dialogue, character, lengthy plot and development, and it turns into something not unlike a novel which I found was exactly the pace and speed I liked. I'm not a fighting oriented person and from every instance of 4E I've played, while smoother in an action way it's not what I'm looking for and this won't help me get back into D&D. Then again, after hearing how great Pathfinder was I was willing to try it all out and I was likewise disappointed. I do hope this succeeds because it's always fun to have people come into the realm of role playing. Nevertheless, this didn't make me want to come back to D&D one bit, so to Hasbro I'll say thanks but no thanks.