Opinions on 3.5's aging rules

[NerdHut]

I've been thinking about the aging rules in D&D 3.5 recently. They're interesting, but I have mixed feelings about them. For those not super familiar with them, it boils down to this:
Middle Age: -1 STR, DEX, CON/+1 INT, WIS, CHA
Old Age: Total of -3 STR, DEX, CON/+2 INT, WIS, CHA
Venerable: Total of -6 STR, DEX, CON/+3 INT, WIS, CHA

On the one hand, it seems like a fair trade-off for full casters. By the time they're high level, they've got magic items to help them stand up and it doesn't ridiculously boost their casting stats. On the other hand, martial characters become unplayable as they age. I get that it's realistic, but D&D isn't about being realistic. I should be able to have a 40-year-old human fighter without taking a penalty to every stat that matters to him.

When I run games, I always make the aging rules optional. If you want that incredibly wise old cleric you can do that, but you'd probably better hang back during a big fight. If you want to play a veteran of the war that ended 20 years back, you can do that without the penalties, but you don't get the mental bonuses either.

What are your opinions on aging in D&D?

[Mike Miller]

I don't use aging rules. It just gives the more powerful classes more power for no reason.

[RedWarlock]

I disallow aging rules entirely. Had a few too many geriatric 1st-level wizards for no good reason.

[TheIronGolem]

No aging rules here, either. Sometimes a player wants to be the Grizzled Old Veteran, and I'm not about to penalize them for that. Neither will I effectively penalize them for being the Spunky Young Mage by withholding bonuses I give to some other player for being the Wise Old Wizard.

[Waker]

Multi-classing penalties, aging and alignments are just a few of the rules from the PHB that I never bother with.

[FocusWolf413]

I don't like the modifiers and I don't use them, but they make sense. Fighting is a young man's activity. As you get older, you slow down, get weaker, and heal more slowly.

[Mike Miller]

I don't like the modifiers and I don't use them, but they make sense. Fighting is a young man's activity. As you get older, you slow down, get weaker, and heal more slowly.

But you don't keep getting smarter or more charismatic. Wiser, maybe...

[Godskook]

I don't use aging rules. It just gives the more powerful classes more power for no reason.

Same, and partially the same reason.

However, I have an additional reason: I detest 3.5's "dysfunctional weakness" balance paradigm. Not-optimizing something means you're **** at it. A Wizard is already squishy, defenseless and weak. Why have a rule that amplifies their strengths, further sinks their weaknesses, and adds little to the game that's interesting, imho.