A Return to D&D

[Tragic_Comedian]

Hey, folks. I'll get right to it.

I used to play D&D a few years back, and I loved it a whole lot. But somehow, I just kinda... drifted out of it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find anybody to play with who I got along with, not to mention that I was a stupid freshman trying to impress the girls and a hobby like D&D wasn't exactly furthering that goal. So anyhow, whatever the reason, I stopped playing.

Then, for not partic'lar reason I started readin' through all the OOTS comics again. And then I was like, hm, I don't really remember what *gaming term* is, I'll look it up. So I dug out my books and started browsing through them. An' I realized... I wanna play again.

But now there's a fourth edition. An' I ain't sure whether I wanna try that out or get some like-minded people and get a 3.5 game goin'. What do you guys recommend?

[gurban]

It depends on the people you get to play with you and what their playstyle/preference is. This is not an issue of edition, but only one of preference.

[Jude_H]

I used to play D&D a few years back, and I loved it a whole lot. But somehow, I just kinda... drifted out of it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find anybody to play with who I got along with, not to mention that I was a stupid freshman trying to impress the girls and a hobby like D&D wasn't exactly furthering that goal. So anyhow, whatever the reason, I stopped playing.

Haha. I hear you.

But now there's a fourth edition. An' I ain't sure whether I wanna try that out or get some like-minded people and get a 3.5 game goin'. What do you guys recommend?

You should give both a look. There are people here with wild passionate feelings toward both, but it all really boils down to which strikes you as something that'd be fun to play.

I know that throughout 3e's run, if you asked me what I wanted the system to do, I'd have described 4e.

Then I saw 4e, played a session and realized just how nice AD&D was, back before Player's Options. Now I'm tempted to say OSRIC (a free, somewhat edited clone of Advanced) is the most fun, just due to its fast setup and gentle learning curve.

I recommend browsing a little bit, seeing if any games stand out, and just going with whatever looks like the best time.

[Enix18]

My immediate advice would be that, if you loved 3.5 when you originally played it, just stick with what you really know. For all the reasons people fault 3.5, I have come back to it time and again when other games failed to satisfy me: it's a genuinely great game.

However, as a previous poster said, I would advise giving the 4e rulebooks a look nonetheless. Just read through them a little and see what you think: you may find that it repulses you and reaffirms your dedication to 3.5, or you may find that it looks more fitting to your play style. I know when 4e first came out I tried to introduce it to my group, and the reaction was astounding—half of them loved it, while have them openly said that they would much rather stick with the old edition. I, for one, enjoy both for their individual merits, and so my group has reached the happy medium of switching off between the two.

So, yeah, long story short: don't abandon 3.5, but give 4e a look just for the heck of it.

[Geigan]

I like 3.5 better than 4.0 but I'd say they aren't mutually exclusive. I play both when the opportunity arises. If you want to get a feel for the 4th edition rules here's a link to the test drive if you don't want to spend money just to try it out.

[KillianHawkeye]

They are both good in different ways.

[Knaight]

Take a look at both, as well as non D&D systems. The RPG scene has changed hugely over the past few years, there are a bunch of games worth looking at that probably weren't there when you abandoned D&D (Obviously I lack hard data due to ambiguity in the term few), and these warrant evaluation. Among what really must be looked at, going for high variety while staying within the fantasy genre or generic systems that can be fantasy:
Burning Wheel
Fate
Dogs in the Vineyard
One Roll Engine (Nemesis is the free incarnation)
Savage Worlds (Save this for last, its not that great in my opinion)
GURPS 4e or Hero 6e

[J.Gellert]

Hey, folks. I'll get right to it.

I used to play D&D a few years back, and I loved it a whole lot. But somehow, I just kinda... drifted out of it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to find anybody to play with who I got along with, not to mention that I was a stupid freshman trying to impress the girls and a hobby like D&D wasn't exactly furthering that goal. So anyhow, whatever the reason, I stopped playing.

Then, for not partic'lar reason I started readin' through all the OOTS comics again. And then I was like, hm, I don't really remember what *gaming term* is, I'll look it up. So I dug out my books and started browsing through them. An' I realized... I wanna play again.

But now there's a fourth edition. An' I ain't sure whether I wanna try that out or get some like-minded people and get a 3.5 game goin'. What do you guys recommend?

Well it sounds like nostalgia, so just go with the one you really missed...?

[Jay R]

Well it sounds like nostalgia, so just go with the one you really missed...?

Oh, well done. If he wants to play again, he should play something he played before.

[Knaight]

Oh, well done. If he wants to play again, he should play something he played before.

On the other hand, there is something to be said about going back through the process of discovery, from which some of the nostalgia may well have been gleaned. Moreover, odds are good that a great deal of it had little to do with the actual game.

[1nfinite zer0]

Take a look at both, as well as non D&D systems. The RPG scene has changed hugely over the past few years, there are a bunch of games worth looking at that probably weren't there when you abandoned D&D (Obviously I lack hard data due to ambiguity in the term few), and these warrant evaluation. Among what really must be looked at, going for high variety while staying within the fantasy genre or generic systems that can be fantasy:
Burning Wheel
Fate
Dogs in the Vineyard
One Roll Engine (Nemesis is the free incarnation)
Savage Worlds (Save this for last, its not that great in my opinion)
GURPS 4e or Hero 6e

yeah!! big up the indie games! these games changed the way I looked at gaming and I would heartily recommend them, at least to read them for ideas.

To the OP (Tragic Comedian), some good advice of sticking to what you know, but also consider what it was about the game that you are feeling nostalgic about. Was it rules based, setting-based or the experience with others at the table?

After many years I realized that what I really enjoyed was the tactical planning of Shadowrun style covert missions, the epic scope and setting of D&D/tolkien fantasy, and light rules to create memorable experiences. From having not played for a bit, the things I remember liking most are those stories you tell to other gamers or reminisce: "Remember that time when we did something absolutely nuts, and then it managed to work, but not before it caused some unforeseen consequences? That was rad". So for me, the value was in the actions, not the system. But, on the other hand, I do like crunch, but for that I play tactical wargames and not a puzzle-free dungeon crawl. (although, there is the clever indie apocalypse world dungeon hack for making that fun)

Anyways, the summary of my rambling is that gaming is awesome, and there is more awesome now than ever and you should totally get back into it because even hipsters play it now. ~: D

[Grongore]

If you really liked 3.5, i'd also advise pathfinder. it's 3.5 re-released by tsr instead of wizards, and some revamped features

[Lord.Sorasen]

If you really liked 3.5, i'd also advise pathfinder. it's 3.5 re-released by tsr instead of wizards, and some revamped features

I'm going to second this. Being someone who started about last year, 3.5 has a ton of rules and wacky things to get used to. From what I've seen, many people prefer 3.5 to Pathfinder because of the many available options, but I feel like pathfinder would probably be a lot nicer for a group of new players. It has a lot of customization, but it's a little bit easier for someone to work with it who hasn't really had time to look into everything, if that makes any sense.

Also that's all just sort of a guess.

[Kylarra]

Pathfinder's definitely a better starting point than 3.X in terms of customization options in less books.

[Lateral]

If you really liked 3.5, i'd also advise pathfinder. it's 3.5 re-released by tsr instead of wizards, and some revamped features

It's published by Paizo, the guys who did Dungeon & Dragon magazines. TSR was bought out by WotC and doesn't exist any more.

[Hawriel]

Pathfinder's definitely a better starting point than 3.X in terms of customization options in less books.

Yes take this advice.

The Pathfinder core book is both the player and DM's guide. It's 50 bones and worth it. The only other thing you may need is the beastiary. Paizo has been putting out full campain arcs and one shot adventures for the past two years or so. They are well written and have room for 'off script' fun. They rather incurage it.

[Remmirath]

4th edition is pretty different from 3rd, so if you were very fond of the mechanics of 3rd you probably won't like 4th much.

However, it is worth looking into - if you do like it, you'll likely have an easier time finding a group, and then you get something you like. People do definitely still play 3rd, so I wouldn't worry about the 'finding a group' part too much.

What I'd really recommend, I suppose, is that you play what you already know you like - 3rd- and if you begin to feel dissatisfied with it, or curious as to what 4th edition (or 2nd, or 1st, or any other system really) is like, then give it a try.