Monday, June 9, 2008

The Rebirth of Dungeons and Dragons


With my gaming group becoming more and more prone to play MMORPGs I was starting to lament that I might never get to play a good D&D game again. Well, that will not be a problem any more. I played the new 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons this weekend and fell in love with the game all over again. For the first time in a long time I was able to sit down with a pencil, a set of dice and a character sheet and simply play. Ever since the 3rd edition was released I have felt behind the learning curve. The rules had become so complicated and specialized for each situation (especially combat) that I was spending more time flipping through rule books than roleplaying.
A little background on me, I have been playing D&D since 1979 (1st edition) and have always considered myself a pretty damn fine player. I have won more than my share of tables at cons and was often the spice that stirred the pot at our gaming sessions.

While playing 1st and 2nd edition I was a fearless roleplayer. 3rd edition changed all that. I was often filled with anxiety because the rules were so complex that I was never sure if I was going to look stupid if I tried something that couldn't work because I had missed a bit of the rules. 3rd edition made me timid...and I hated that.

With the new 4th edition I feel like 1st edition has been reborn along with my child-like love of Dungeons and Dragons. My brother in law and his family were very kind and have ordered me the core books as a birthday present and for that I am very grateful.

If you want a more in-depth review of what the actual changes are check out out Massawyrm's review on AICN.

Gird your loins and sharpen your broadsword. The adventure is back!

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