General

[usagi_tetsu]

I can't make this up - Wizards of the Coast Announces 5th Edition D&D: Should We Care?

Now, admittedly, I haven't thrown dice in a serious way since the days of 3e, not even playing recently enough to get a group switched over to 3.5, but was 4th so bad that they need to replace it already? The only experience I have with 4th was listening to the guys who do Penny Arcade play it on podcasts, and while it sounded admittedly different from what I'd experienced previously, it never sounded so awful bad that I'm not willing to give it a try if the opportunity presents itself. I know some of you out there are tabletop RPG'ers, what do you guys think?

[ceverhart]

I stopped playing when they released 3rd edition. It was too gurpish for me.

[Lohman446]

This is why I never get "back into" D&D. First edition lasted forever + 1 day. Second edition lasted forever. Then in the last 10 years? they have gone through like 4 editions some with so complete rule changes that the books from previous editions.

Frankly they change editions to sell books. They can rewrite essentially the same material with slight technical rules changes and sell them without any great consideration.

[acesn8s]

Never played 4th. But I believe they need to re-invent the rules ever few years to keep the product alive. You know, get the fans to re-invest in the core rule books again.

[elraido]

Reading threw the 4th edition books, it didn't seem all that fun. Stats didn't mean much, characters were very cookie cutter, and it was basically dumbed down for the WoW crowd.

Personally, I like 3.5 the most. While the game moves a little slower because of the miniatures you have to move, it also adds a lot to stategy vs the older editions.

[Mstrtal]

Ok I bought some of the 3 and 3.5 books and no offense but how does it add strategy over 2nd edition? I always found that strategy depended on the players, DM , and campaign. That said I always preferred 2nd edition. I have a crap-ton of 2nd edition books and part of the fun and challenge was working within the rules and finding that one odd spell, ability, class or kit combination that gave you that little bump.

Hell part of the fun was going through your books and material and hashing out what you could be and customizing your character and building your world.

5th edition is just a money grab if its anything like the trainwreck that 4E was.

[comovartia]

3.5 and 4th were not needed. 3rd is descent. Some things I don't like but others I do. Feats pump up PC's to much. I like the fact that every 4 levels you can raise an attribute like growth in the real world.

[punkncat]

Totally off, but still on subject...I have always wondered if my crate of first editions was actually worth something?
I would imagine that any basement bound D&D playing geek out there likely already has them, there were only a few million copies printed....

[ceverhart]

well said Tal!

My played our own 3rd edition. We combined what made sense to us from 2nd edition to 1st edition rules to create our own 3rd edition.

[ScrapIron]

I've never played 4th edition, never even flipped through the PHB or any other source material but I have been listening to the Critical Hit podkast and it doesn't sound all that bad. It does sound extremely cookie cutter but a good GM can often shoot from the hip and get a campaign to stay entertaining and creative.

agreed, 5th edition so soon is a money grab

edit- to elaborate I have never DM'd or GM'd a gaming system that I didn't tweek to some extent with my own house rules. On the same note, I've had some good sessions as a player and some bad sessions as a player when the DM or GM was a rigid written rule nazi and of those sessions they typically trended to the bad side.