Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 havard Aug 19, 2007 5:54:09	Okay, it may be a little early to ask this since we dont know much about 4e yet, but I'm curious about what you think at this time: Will you switch to 4e when it comes out? Will you keep playing 3E? Will you keep playing an older edition of (A)D&D? Will you switch to a completely different system having utterly tired of WotC and its rules revisions? Or something else? My 3e campaign for Freeport/Mystara is virtually dead. I doubt I will play it again ever. I just started a Savage Worlds campaign in Blackmoor this summer and I hope to keep that one going for a while. I assume Savage Worlds will be my system of choice for a few years untill I start looking for something else as I often do... Havard
#2 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2007 10:00:07	Although I'm not running a campaign right now, when I do get one going again, I'll likely be using the OD&D rules set - mainly because I've got all the books; my players will likely be my kids (at first); and I have little incentive to spend a potentially large chunk of money on a new rules system (which may end up being substantially revised). Besides, if I really like a supplement for another system, I can convert it given enough time. That said, I might use the OSRIC system - basically 1e AD&D from what I've seen, and it's free. Geoff
#3 CmdrCorsiken Aug 19, 2007 10:52:55	For the forseeable future, I will be using D&D3.5. I've made so many notes on how various classes, prestige classes, races, etc fit into Mystara that I'm not interested in doing that all over again. Before 3.0, I ran a hybrid of OD&D and 1e AD&D. When 3.0 and 3.5 came out, I really liked the ruleset, so I invested in it. I never did own a single 2e AD&D book and don't think I really missed anything by skipping that edition. Besides, during that time I ran mostly SciFi games (Star Frontiers and Star Wars d6). So, I'll probably sit out the 4e run and stick with 3.5.
#4 iramus Aug 19, 2007 10:56:23	At the moment our group alternate D.M duties. I'm running a Mystara campaign using the Cyclopaedia Rulebook, the other D.M uses 3.5 rules for his games. I won't be changing rule sets because I haven't the time to convert the campaign to a new system. The other D.M sounded begrudging about spending more money on a new rules system.
#5 phoenixmcl Aug 19, 2007 13:18:35	Hey everybody. I wouldn't worry too much about rules changing. It looks like 4th edition is more about technology and quick referance than new rules. The new books will just be easier to search through and have free PDFs that allow electronic word finds. I think D&D will move away from easy to read for beginner rule books and be more like the Magic the Gathering Rules that just state "legal" proceedings. Like 3.5's referance to minatures and battlemats 4 will focus on how to use the computer system. No real change to the system. If you have ever played TOEE or Neverwinter Nights I don't think the system will be far off. Like 3.5 itself, the computer a computer update isn't that much diffrent than Battlesystem was to the miniatures. Basically the software is a version of Fantasy Realms. The good thing is that Mystara games maybe played for the first time and get all of us reward programs. I actually think that 4th will be more damaging to Living Greyhawk than it will be to the limited info to Mystara. The turn over of Dragon and Dungeon has made more impact than 4th edition on Mystara. I hope that the online software won't cost more than some opf these crappy MMORPG that don't hold my interest. If so, I hope to see you all in a virtual Karameikos! Long live the Vaults!
#6 Cthulhudrew Aug 19, 2007 14:13:35	At this point, I'm probably just going to wait for the SRD of 4E before I decide for sure, but I doubt that I'll be buying any 4E material, except perhaps for mechanics lite stuff (like some FR or Eberron campaign setting material, etc.)
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 20, 2007 8:29:22	Stick with RC/Classic most likely; I've been playing that with loads of house rulings for years, and to be honest the game has evolved in its own direction that doesn't really need overhauling with someone elses newer rules set. I'll look at 4th ed of course, but I don't anticipate moving my Mystara campaign over to it. Didn't move over to 2nd or 3rd ed either.
#8 havard Aug 20, 2007 13:17:09	Thanks for the replies so far. This thread was not just about finding out what people are thinking about 4e, but also what rules people are actually using. Perhaps not surprisingly, Classic is in the lead so far. Something to think about when writing articles here? Havard
#9 kengar Aug 20, 2007 13:24:49	If I get a Mystara game going again, it will probably but classic B/X or a resurrection of my C&C "Night's Dark Terror" game. Speaking of Savage Worlds, I ran a "Savage Karameikos" game a while back. It was fun, but the cinematic nature of the rules made for a slightly "pulpier" feel to the game than Classic gives, IMO. Beyond playtesting a couple 3.X modules that one of group wrote for publication, I haven't really messed with d20 in a few years.
#10 agathokles Aug 21, 2007 10:47:46	Either AD&D 2e or OD&D, as usual. Actually, OD&D is currently more likely, unless I get to start a non-Mystaran campaign.
#11 gazza555 Aug 21, 2007 11:12:50	I'll be carrying on 3.5e for the foreseeable future. I have no intention of switching my campaigns to 4E. If my players get fed up with the 3.5E rules then it will be back to the good ol' RC. It's possible that if our club decides to go down the 4E route then I might play the game but I won't be buying any of the books this time. 4E may even suit Mystara better than 3.5E but I've spent enough on 3.5E. I obviously haven't bought all the books (or even a majority) but I feel I've spent enough that I don't want to do it again. On a brighter note - maybe we'll be able to pick up 3.5E pdf's for $4 like other obsolete systems Regards Gary
#12 david_fryer Aug 21, 2007 16:10:51	I hate to say it, but I have too much money tied up in 3.0/3.5 to switch over now. Besides my wife would not be happy if I tried.:D
#13 david_fryer Aug 21, 2007 16:12:30	On a brighter note - maybe we'll be able to pick up 3.5E pdf's for $4 like other obsolete systems I've picked up used 3.0 books on Amazon for less than 3 bucks. I can't wait to do the same with 3.5.
#14 maddog Aug 21, 2007 23:09:42	A house-ruled Basic Fanstasy RPG (http://www.basicfantasy.org/) for us. Although, I have thought of running Mystara in 3.5e. --Ray.
#15 Hugin Aug 22, 2007 9:57:56	Though question. We used to play 3.5E, until I could no longer keep myself from messing with it and implementing the ideas I had come up with. So now we play a heavily modified d20 version and have done so for over a year now. But to be very honest, a lot of the concepts I hear about 4E sound very desirable to me. I'm not likely to buy the books since I will just use the SRD they provide unless it really blows me away. If I like the system completely we will switch, but the more likely scenario is that I will integrate what I like into my own system. (It is the magic system that is the most intriguing to me at the moment, but I'd also like to see how they claimed to have sped up combat.) It is a little humorous to hear that some of their new concepts are the same as in my system. - They increased the levels to 30 (I did so to level 36, but kept relative power the same, i.e. 3.5E level 20 = my level 36). - They made the weapon matter more, i.e. abilities tied to weapons (we use the RC weapon mastery concept that gives access to specific feats based on the weapon. Those feats are now only available via weapon mastery). - They seem to be making magic somewhat skill-based whereas it is possible to fail a casting, but providing greater usability (our magic system is a combination of spell slots and checks vs. a DC to cast, with possibilities to cast more spells than slots available).
#16 firebee Aug 24, 2007 15:38:07	Right now I am DMing six different groups of characters in Mystara with some combination of my son (10 yrs), daughter (9 yrs), and brother. I am still trying to get my wife to play (she was turned off after having played some LARP game in college) and am waiting to include my nephews when they are a bit older (currently 5 yrs and 4 yrs). My campaigns all use the Rules Cyclopedia rules with a few home-brew rules/expansions (e.g. spell points, intermediate movement rates, and shield rules from Dawn of the Empires) thrown in. My campaign locations are as follows: Thunder Rift/Kleine Area - Son & Daughter Thunder Rift/Melenir Area - Son & Daughter Thunder Rift/Torlynn Area - Son Karamiekos/Castellan Keep Area - Son, Daughter & Brother Alfheim (pre-invasion) - Son & Daughter Thyatis/Ylaruam - Son & Daughter My son is also learning to DM and is running my daughter and I through a Minrothad Guilds campaign using the same rules. Finally, my brother is planning on taking the three of us through a Glantri campaign somewhat like the Harry Potter series and centered on Glantri City. I believe he is using the Rules Cyclopedia rules as well, but not sure if he is using the house rules we came up with. I used to play AD&D 1E as well as classic, but abadonned it when they went to AD&D 2E. I can proudly say that I've never played 2E or above, but I've converted a number of these modules to classic to use form my various campaigns.
#17 falcon_andy_dup Aug 25, 2007 14:32:03	I'm running a non-canon Mystara Campaign (Northern Karameikos area) with 3.5 rules at the moment and as that campaign will be getting up to around 15th level by next May I'm intending to end the campaign there and restart with 4th edition rules.
#18 arakor Aug 27, 2007 9:07:56	I'm currently using GURPS although if I were to transfer to a d20-based system, I'd probably wind up using True20.
#19 havard Aug 27, 2007 14:24:36	I'm currently using GURPS although if I were to transfer to a d20-based system, I'd probably wind up using True20. When are you going to post more about your GURPS campaign on these boards? Havard
#20 the_stalker Aug 28, 2007 11:48:44	Okay, it may be a little early to ask this since we dont know much about 4e yet, but I'm curious about what you think at this time: Will you switch to 4e when it comes out? Will you keep playing 3E? Will you keep playing an older edition of (A)D&D? Will you switch to a completely different system having utterly tired of WotC and its rules revisions? 2e player option + homebrewed rules or GURPS. Most of us go with the published stuff as a basis, which means that we're playing OD&D or 2e anyway. That said, I might stop playing any version of D&D and even Mystara once my current campaign ends with the adventure, we're currently on. But there is no possibility of me playing 3.Xe, and while I know less than nothing about 4e, the fact that it's coming out so soon leads me to believe that the publishers just want an excuse to print rulebooks because they know they sell... To me 4e equals GURPS and nothing else.
#21 fanchergw Aug 29, 2007 10:30:29	I'll still be using the same system then that I use now for everything: Savage Worlds. I have yet to find a rules system that suits me anywhere near as well as Savage Worlds does. Plus, I have yet to find a genre that it doesn't handle well. Gordon
#22 sbwilson Aug 29, 2007 13:37:08	Actually, I plan on making a complete break with what I have done before and go in a completely different direction. Over the past decade, I've been fiddling with a somewhat obscure RPG named "En Garde!" It's about social climbing in 18th century France, but I've been doing little conversions here to make it Mystara based. Now with the announcement of 4E, I've ramped up my efforts and am almost done. Soon (hopefully soon), I'll make an announcement of my own and open up a PBeM of "Thyatis En Garde!" for all you Thyatian-lovin', treachery-dealin' fans out there for a playtest. If you aren't familiar with En Garde, it really is a different beast from most other RPGs and lends itself well to online play. The official website is: www.engarde.co.uk/index.html -- but I couldn't get it to come up here at work. I'm sure you could do a google search and come up with a few examples of how others have adapted the game.
#23 arakor Aug 29, 2007 15:25:38	When are you going to post more about your GURPS campaign on these boards? Havard As soon as I get some spare time. I'm just about to change jobs so between exit interviews and other stuff, I haven't the time right now. Having said that, I've a One-Note book with all the blogs in it. Hopefully I can get my website done as well.
#24 zombiegleemax Sep 10, 2007 19:37:05	I might switch to 4th...or I might keep running Hackmaster. Since my players seem to enjoy it (as do I), unless D&D 4 really knocks my socks off, I probably won't be buying in.
#25 zombiegleemax Sep 10, 2007 20:41:13	Unless 4e really impresses me i will be sticking with 3.5 and reverse engineering any new setting material back to 3.5 from 4e. If 4e impresses me then i will be Converting all my 3.5 material to 4e. my Mystara is 100% fandom because of my lack of canon material so it doesnt matter what edition i use with it.:evillaugh
#26 rhialto Sep 11, 2007 2:00:30	I have a house rule system which is in a mix of slow progress and hiatus. I'll probably finish developing that before I ever buy a new rules set.
#27 rendclaw Sep 12, 2007 3:31:05	Once I found out how cost-prohibitive the change from 2e to 3e was going to be, I simply ignored it from the start (not to even to mention the time investment changing everything in my Mystara campaign). After a few years of studying and playing it, there were some rules that made more sense to me in 3e/3.5, and so I adapted them. Now after about what, nine or ten years, another edition is coming out? Thanks, I'll pass. I'll be an anachronism (though not as much as others) and stick with 2e.
#28 havard Sep 13, 2007 12:05:12	Once I found out how cost-prohibitive the change from 2e to 3e was going to be, I simply ignored it from the start. I guess I'm weird, but I actually like spending money on RPGs. Even new editions Havard
#29 jaz000 Sep 15, 2007 10:48:56	I've just started running a mystara campaign in the last few weeks! I'm using a copy of the rules cyclopedia from the pdf that was OCRed - I just copied and pasted it into word and started tidying it up, adding all my own house rules / classes / even stealing a few bits from the d20 srd etc - I've just printed and bound my first hardback cover of it - but there's still some more work to be done, especially with weapon mastery Shame there'd be a slight copyright problem in sharing it! Anyone know if the creature catalog PDF is OCRed? A few yeas ago I tried running X1 in 3E converting things on the fly but it was too much hard work. In fact that's my biggest problem with 3E, designing adventures on the fly is too much work and their ploy to get you to buy pre-made material all the time doesn't work very well on mystara fans! I'll be looking at 4E with an open positive mind, but using it just sounds so unlikely ...
#30 firebee Sep 24, 2007 17:28:03	Same one I used for years - Rules Cyclopedia & Gazetteers with a few house rules thrown in!
#31 zombiegleemax Sep 24, 2007 19:50:33	Okay, it may be a little early to ask this since we dont know much about 4e yet, but I'm curious about what you think at this time: Will you switch to 4e when it comes out? Will you keep playing 3E? Will you keep playing an older edition of (A)D&D? Will you switch to a completely different system having utterly tired of WotC and its rules revisions? Or something else? Havard No. I am staying with my 3.5 collection for atleast the next 10 years, if I do buy any 4e books i will be converting them into 3.5 rules. I have spent to much to do anything else. got too many 3.5 books. Yup! 3.5 is my game. Kinda sorta, when i get the older mystara stuff i will run everything in 2e until i can convert it 10 yrs from now. i am a fan of D&D, so i will stick by it. but i will only buy what i want to use and ignore the rest. (my purchase priority is to complete my 2e and 3.5 collections)
#32 merrikcale Oct 01, 2007 21:17:49	At this point, I will wait and see. I will probably at least get the PHB to see what it looks like before I make a decision to convert. I will not start fresh
#33 alcamtar Oct 03, 2007 18:43:06	Savage Worlds, baby! :D Well, that's what we're playing right now anyway. We just finished a Mystara campaign using Fudge (actually "Dungeon Fudge" which is my own variant.) Plus I'll probably do some Mystara gaming with my 3rd grade son using B/X D&D. That has been his favorite system, though he's been warming up to Savage Worlds lately so we'll see. He has just gotten permission for the first time to invite a friend from school to play. hehe.. I have no particular plans with respect to 4E, and expect not to form any opinions until I see it. Glad to see Mystara ain't dead. I was worried when I saw the old mailing list has no activity.