Although this is mostly a post to get back into the Dungeons and Dragons mood, it is also a post to express my thoughts on a subject that has been (once again) been causing controversy among the Dungeons and Dragons players.
Well…controversy. I was a bit too new to roleplay to remember the transition between 3.0 and 3.5, but as far as I remember, a lot of DnD player were shouting fire and brimstone as they saw all their hard-earned books become useless by a rules update. And now there are the DnD essentials.
Yesterday I purchased the first two DnD essentials books. I already knew that I wanted to get the rules compendium; WotC has just been releasing way too many errata on my existing books for me to keep up with them all. So a book which has all these little rules updates together under one cover and on top of that explains some of the mechanics a little clearer. I also purchased the other book, Heroes of the Fallen Lands out of a morbid kind of curiosity. This book includes five “subclasses” for the cleric, fighter, rogue and wizard. These classes are basically easier to create and play than the normal versions of these classes. Further, it also contains some of the information from the PhB but, just like the rules compendium, this information has been condensed and rewritten to be more comprehensible.
Anyway, the controversy that is once again going all over the internet is that this is DnD 4.5. They fear that these products will oversimplify the game, and ruin the game forEVAR. I have to disagree. In the dark years of the transition between DnD 3.0 and 3.5 Wizards promised to keep the rules of the game compatible, but they didn’t. This time, they once again made this promise. And they actually kept it. The essential classes can exchange abilities and paragon paths with their normal counterparts. Further, these classes can play perfectly along with the normal and more complicated classes. “So why would I want to play a dumbed down class?” Well, you probably don’t want to. But maybe your friend who isn’t really familiar with DnD might. These classes are easier to understand and easier to play. They don’t pose any challenge to experienced players (personally, playing the Knight, one of the fighter paths, would bore me to tears) , but that is not why they are there. And this is not, as a certain Knight would put it “DnD for n00bs”. I mean, it is for new players, but these players are not necessarily idiots, something that the word n00b does imply. What the essential classes DO present is an opportunity for the new players to join the table with the big boys. The Knight is easier to play, but because he is compatible with the other classes, it gives people the opportunity to join the big boys (or girls) table. Basically, what it does, is decrease the learning curve.
But what the essential line does indicate, and this is my main gripe with the whole essential line, is that the medium is getting too old and cannot keep up with the technology. Wizards’ advanced into the 21st century with the introduction of a serious online component to the experience. The problem is that they got stuck halfway. They are trying to stick to their books, despite them releasing an update every month. Heck, the July update updated almost EVERY single number in the Monster Manual 1 and 2. Because of these regular updates, it has become harder and harder for everyone to remember what has been changed. What I don’t get is that they don’t switch to a completely digital medium. Most people that are into roleplay at least have some kind of internet access. Especially with new gadgets like the Kindle, allowing people to bring their game to table without it being out of date.
I got into D&D just as 3.0 was transitioning into 3.5, so it all just seemed naturally to me.
ReplyDeleteDo not get me wrong, I have my share of 3.0 and 3.5 books, both of which have their perks. But 3.5 is vastly superior to its predecessor. (give or take a couple of spell durations, of course)
It added monsters as playabel races from the get-go, instead of having to take them from some obscure splat book. (i.e. Savage Species)
You also had to be content with FAQ updates to books that came around once every three months, if you were lucky.
With the advent of 4th, that changed a bit.
You have D&D Insider for your up-to-date changes, with regular scrutinizing of the entire line, instead of book by book analysis.
But this also means that anyone who only has the hard copy, has to get an update every fortnight, just to make sure their character isn't over- or underpowered.
Now if only WotC would incorporate these books into, for example, a 4th Edition Player's Handbook (2nd Edition), for they always seemed a bit rushed to me.
Yes, these books do seem rushed. I kind of think it is a mistake to rush roleplaying stuff. Errors in the rules can end up breaking games after all.
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