> So, I'm curious of the opinions of those of you who have looked over the
new
> D&D 3rd edition rules.
I picked up the books out of curiosity, with no real desire to play D&D
again. That was about a month ago. Now I'm gearing up to run a D&D
campaign.
Did bits of Mir fall from space and hit me in the head? Well, yes, but that
has nothing to do with my excitement about 3e. Here's my read on the
system:
Strengths:
Vastly improved, unified game mechanic. The core d20 mechanic is not my
favorite in the whole world of gaming, but it works well, and it's nice &
simple. It includes concepts like "taking 10" and "taking 20", which allow
characters to take an automatic result of 10 or 20 on a skill check by
taking their time to make sure they get it right. Given world enough and
time, characters do not need to roll to try to use their skills successfully
in most circumstances.
Much more open & adaptable classes, with a feat and skill system which
allows for a great deal of flexibility within the classes. A new vision for
multiclass characters that allows for even more variety and customization in
characters.
Characters start weak and build -- the evolution of character is something
many game systems that seem to be reactions to D&D don't seem to do very
well.
Additions to the system, like the Sorcerer, that answer many of the gripes
that players had in the past (the sorcerer is a version of magic user who
casts his spells by sheer force of personality and will, not study and
learning. He doesn't need to memorize his spells ahead of time, choosing
spells to cast at will from a limited repertoire. He doesn't get higher
level spells as quickly, but gets more spells to cast per day).
Variant suggestions in the rulebooks that will help GMs adapt the system to
their own preferences, like a point system for buying attributes, rather
than rolling them in traditional D&D style.
It's still D&D. For me, anyway, AD&D was the first game I played, I played
it for years, and many of my fondest gaming memories are from those games.
The game takes a lot less effort to set up for other players, who have also
played D&D in the past, and who have a nearly instinctive understanding of
the setting.
It's a WotC product -- there will be TONS of support for it -- multiple
campaign worlds, settings, published adventures all over the map, newsgroups
that have enough people on them to maintain lively discussion on a wide
variety of topics without lapsing into silence for weeks and months at a
time. And, as the most seminal WotC product, there's no risk that it will
be discontinued, the way Alternity was (another game system I like a great
deal).
Weaknesses:
It's still D&D. And even the other d20 games, like Star Wars, will still
taste a little like D&D. The hit points concept, which is explained and
used a bit better, is still in the system. You'll still have upper level
characters with tons of hit points. But at least now it's thought through a
little better. Once you accept the premise that the hit point system is
going to be a part of the game the rest of the damage rules fits into place
pretty well, and is pretty well thought out.
The movie was awful. I know that's not really a weakness of the game
system, but so what. It was REALLY bad. Pretty dragons, though.
It's a WotC product, which means there will always be new things to buy.
There are plans in the works for four class books, each offering a lot more
detail and complexity for two of the eight major classes. You don't need to
keep buying them, but they'll be on the shelves calling to you. It's a good
thing we're mostly grownups now and can better afford to support our habits.
That's my take on the game. Despite myself, I'm excited. Check it out.
-jpj
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