The question I get asked as a DM (Dungeon Master), more often then any other question, is “why do they keep changing the game?”. The answer is complex if you count every variable that goes into producing any product, the truth is far less complicated. The truth is that each edition that is produced has [...]
The question I get asked as a DM (Dungeon Master), more often then any other question, is “why do they keep changing the game?”. The answer is complex if you count every variable that goes into producing any product, the truth is far less complicated. The truth is that each edition that is produced has a earning potential limit, as you develop products for your game, the innovations die because the limitations of the system itself. Plus the real sale of the core books is slim to none, this is due to the fact that once you have a set of core books you rarely need extras (save for the purpose of convenience). In order to generate fresh revenue the company makes updates and changes to the core rules by the suggestions of the players, then the core set is re-printed with the new updates and more money is made in their sale. Once this cycle has been exhausted the only recourse is to “reinvent” the game and produce the next edition which promises to be even better then the previous one and the cycle begins again.
Dungeons and Dragons has four editions officially, which of the four only two remain in production, these two are are the current 4th edition and 3.5 (which was the updated 3rd edition). Those of us who remember 1st and 2nd edition can tell you the game has moved away from role-playing as the core concept, and has focused on combat more in the recent years. This is largely that the imagination of the current players is under developed in comparison to the imaginations of older players. 2nd edition ( Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or AD&D as it was more commonly known), is often seen as the golden age of role-playing. During these years many role-playing games where produced from all aspects of the imagination. The main idea was to tell a story and make the players write their own parts in that story. The rules were more like guidelines, and the books and supplements where meant to inspire creativity, and give the players more options to create a character they felt connected to and invested their time in. The stories of the various worlds were deep and engaging, you wanted to see how they unfolded and be a part of the grand and wondrous tale.
Then the company that founded it all TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) was forced to sell the company to WOC (Wizards of the coast). This was a company that knew how to repackage and sell material to make a profit, taking their lessons learned from marketing and selling their very successful CCG (Collectable Card Game) MTG (Magic The Gathering). Wizard’s took the majority of the writers and creators of D&D and made 3rd edition, this new game did away with some of the more complex rules in AD&D and stream lined the system. This new system was dubbed the D20 system, this was because almost every action a player would take in the game required the roll of a D20 (a 20 sided die). The major change in the newer system was its focus on bigger is better, the higher a bonus you have to your rolls, AC (Armor Class), HP (Hit Points), etc… the better. This edition was produced quickly and as such had many flaws (mechanically), after a few months of testing and feed back from players, Wizard’s released 3.5 which included the fixes and changes to the system to streamline it further. As you may recall I said that 3.5 was still in production, well it is but not under the Wizard’s license anymore, as 4th edition made it’s grand entrance into D&D history, the system was again changed to focus on attracting new players and modeled after a system and style of play more akin to MMORPG’s (Massive Multi-player Online Role-playing Games). Many old school players and fans of 3rd edition did not like the paper and pen version of a MMORPG, this lead to supporters of 3.5 and 3rd edition as a whole take action.
The rights to third edition were purchased from WOC by a small company known as Paizo, this company changed the D&D name to Pathfinder and targeted the followers of 3.5 in it’s marketing campaign. They used such slogans as “3.5 survives (with survive being crossed out and thrives being written in bold letter beneath it), this newer version of 3.5 restored much of the power that AD&D games where known for in the past. The system focused on keeping the same feel as 3.5 but added more of the story and depth that AD&D was praised for having. The most current D&D game is 4th edition which is still being produced by Wizard’s. The game itself is a finely tuned combat engine with light RPG elements wrapped around it, the way the game was designed it lends itself more to inexperienced Role-players. The system literally tells you what players should fight, gain from those fights, and what difficulty to make each fight as they progress through the levels. The problem comes from the attempt to capture the diversity of the older editions by making each class essentially the same, instead of dedicated melee fighters, spell casters, healers, and skill focused classes; 4th edition makes every class a little bit of everything. This would seem like a good idea, but it often leaves players feeling like generic carbon copies of each other with only limited customization options.
Well for better or for worse D&D is still going strong and admittedly as an old school Role-player I have a stronger connection to the games of old, but 4th edition is a gem in its own right and not to be discounted simply because it is not everyone’s favorite edition of D&D. So now you know what happened to one of the worlds most famous gaming hobbies. My advice to anyone interested in trying the newer editions or D&D for the first time is to play and have fun. The strength in a game comes less form the rules and books, it comes more from the players and the love of the game.
So until next time D&D fans, grab your dice and game on!
Submitted by: Michael D. Silva
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