GridStream Productions

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35776

I need a towel.

I'll get excited when I can actually look at the game. This guy gave some impressions, but I'm not so keen on giving up on 3.5. I (for what it's worth) enjoy 3.5.

This part did not fill me with glee.

with the revolutions in online gaming, Dungeons & Dragons once again finds itself evolving. From Everquest to the World of Warcraft (and the many other imitators in between and after) comes the notion of perfect balance – the idea that every class, every character, every role in the party, has something to do and never, ever, has to sit on the sidelines.

The impressions I get from his impressions are DDO on paper. But again, I'll get excited (or not) when I can see the game.

(Besides! Currently, I'm more inclined towards Serenity than anything! Cyberpunk for sheer cool points.)

pfft... AD&D died when they abandoned 2nd Ed.. sorry...

as far as I know 2nd edition is still out and about if players wish to continue in 2end ed than its up to them to continue... it is all about what the players decide after all without them there is no game...you do still need players right ???

It's interesting. I'm playing 2nd Ed right now, and I refuse to touch 3.5 after reading those (IMHO) horrendously overkilled rules. So I agree with the writer on that point. However, I'm worried over the same reason of "perfect balance".

I hate stat-crunching with a loathing passion, and I believe the best tabletop games are done in such a way that the player should VERY rarely (or never) have to look at his/her character sheet at all. Tabletop games are not about perfect statistical balance, they're about having fun. Flaws and imbalance lead to roleplay, humor, and -- as my dad used to termify -- "character". The mage might never be able to hold his own in conventional combat, but the "balance" is not, and should never be, a statistical one; that same mage becomes priceless when a cleverly-used Cantrip spell wows a potentially hostile crowd.

The fact that 4E will be "balancing" the classes to make it MMOG-esque is the biggest possible turn-off in a tabletop game for me. I have fears that I won't like it.

(to be honest, now that I've gotten back into playing 2nd Ed, I would have a much more enjoyable time if we simplified the stat-crunching even more and just went with the original red-box Basic D&D set rules, but my players would never go for that)

oooh, I kinda miss the old regular D&D, in the red box (up to a certain level, then it was a diff. color box, like green, black, and blue, and eventually brown for immortal level lol) that was back when I was in 8th grade though. haha

Tarryk wrote:(to be honest, now that I've gotten back into playing 2nd Ed, I would have a much more enjoyable time if we simplified the stat-crunching even more and just went with the original red-box Basic D&D set rules, but my players would never go for that)

The 3.0-Series is alot less rules heavy. 3.5 "balences" 3.0, and our group likes what it's done for the most part. Largely I'm with you, in that story is paramount. But hey, D&D is a franchise. They gotta make money somehow. Right now, MMOs are the big deal of today. Makes perfect sense from a business sense. Nut much more than that, however. I'm not shelfing my 3.5 books, that's for sure.

well personally I never was a very good D&D player I got into it more because my kids were big into it and all the jive about it being evil, so I sat in on some sessions found it interesting and was the one always saying if there are guys there I want to do them **grins** but hey nothing evil about that.. Tygeress was very much into it tho and only stopped playing because she no longer had anyone to play with, she is looking forward to passing on her collection of books to the one and only Tarryk for his gaming enjoyment be prepared TK we are going to bring a very very heavy carry on to D-Con this year. I can not wait!!!!