...and The Agony of Defeat
Just a general inter-generational rant, but I am so unhappy with the direction the game systems have taken, especially the D&D ones.
When I was playing back in the late seventies early eighties, role-play was in general more popular, and mix-max power-gamers were pretty much laughed at, scoffed at, and driven out of any good game if they didn't catch on.
Each iteration of the rules becomes more and more about that style of gaming though, 3 and 3.5 was the start of the era where more effort went into designing the character than ever seemed to go into playing it. I tried fourth edition and it was disgusting, first level and I had flash and fluff and powers like a superhero! Not interested in batman versus the Orcs.
Trying fifth ed., which I have heard is an improvement, but Rangers get spells at SECOND LEVEL, which you reach after only THREE HUNDRED experience points?
It's really like the party is starting at seventh level, which in many 1st and 2nd ed games is about the time I lose interest anyway.
Sigh.
Clearly that is what sells I guess, and the game I am in, the other players are all gloating about how they have 'broken' the system with their incredible characters, and shocked whenever a monster even comes close to hitting them back.
How would you even go about designing an interesting system that was about building up role-play options though? Can't think of many.
Sigh... but the 1st ed games are getting rarer and rarer.
Rant, vent, snort...