Tenkar's Tavern: How Dungeons & Dragons Online Ruined Me For 3.5E

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How Dungeons & Dragons Online Ruined Me For 3.5E

I was thinking that nearly all of my experience with 3.5e was via DDO. Not good.

Spell Points, not Spell Slots - how can a game call itself D&D and not have Vancian Magic (yeah, yeah -4e. whatever)?

Bardic Superman - use all weapons, heal, color spray and fascinate. I like bards, but this was too optimized.

Rogue 1 plus any other class - were Rogues ever really needed in DDO?

Repetition - how many times can you complete the same adventure? To infinity and beyond - almost.

Yeah, I know it's gone free to play. I'm actually surprised that it survived the 4e age. I can't imagine it will still be kicking when D&D Next arrives.

2 comments:

DrBargleMarch 13, 2012 at 7:11 PM
I can't believe that I resisted the temptation to endure some badwrongfun level grinding. When you said it was free to play...
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The DaveMarch 14, 2012 at 11:44 AM
I think you underestimate DDO. I played it a for a few years and I still go back and play my characters from time to time. If anything might kill it, its the fact that Paizo licensed out their Pathfinder system to be used in an MMO..
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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How Dungeons & Dragons Online Ruined Me For 3.5E

2 comments:

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