LordGodefroi wrote:And one member of the original 3.0 core rules team also said 3.5 was also released to generate cash for WOTC during a slump. (I believe it was Monte Cook who said so on his web site. But, don't quote me on that as I couldn't produce the source.)
Yeah, that was Monte Cook. But you're misquoting him. He said that 3.5 was always planned, but more as a way for them to work bugs out of the system. What wasn't planned was the amount of revisions needed.
Think of 3rd Ed being a Beta test for 3.5. At least, that's the way I see it.
AD&D 1.5 and AD&D 2.5 ? Perhaps. But one thing sets those apart from true new editions: Both original Unearthed Arcana and Player's Option books were optional. No one was expected to adopt the changes presented by those books and material published after those books didn't require those books. Nothing was made obsolete with the publication of Unearthed Arcana and Player's Option books and support of the original 1.0 and 2.0 core rules sets continued.
The problem with not using the UA and PO books was, I think a lot of people found, that if you just used the PHB you (mechanically) made the EXACT same human fighter, the EXACT same elven wizard or the EXACT same halfling thief every time. The rules where very restricitive. Come 3.5, and you hear complaints of the there's too much choice...
One core rules set, without x.5 revisions, every eight to ten years is enough for me. I'm not going to shell out $125 for new core rule books every three to five years just because its "the latest thing" or a corporation needs to improve its shareholder equity. (The Microsoft business model is the worst thing to ever happen to the American public.)
A brief history of D&D's publication:
1974 Original Dungeons & Dragons
1977 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition, Dungeons & Dragons 2nd version, Basic Set (Blue Box) [Two years since original release, now 3 seperate games)
1978 Players Handbook (June)
1979 Dungeon Master Guide (August) - Core books complete
1981 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd version, Basic Set (Purple Box), Expert Set (Light Blue Box) (levels 4 - 14) [Four years since last revision]
1985 Unearthed Arcana (Rules Expansion) Immortals Set (levels 36+)
1989 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, Monstrous Compendium (replaces Monster Manual) [12 years since last revision of AD&D]
1991 Dungeons & Dragons 5th version [Six years since last revision, 5th revision in 17 years]
1993 Monstrous Manual replaces Monstrous Compendium
1996 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition revised, Player's Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide [Seven years since last revision]
2000 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (Four years since last revision)
2003 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition revised (3.5),
Errata available to allow continued use of older 3rd edition books [Three years since last edition. Emphasis mine on the free release of Errata]
2008 Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (announced) [Five years since last revision]
Look at the years, a revision every 3-5 years is expected with D&D, it's there, in its history.
Like I said before, I'm not against a new edition when the time is right for it. I am against a new edition when a company's doing it primarily to improve their bottom line.
I don't think they are. Also, they're running out of stuff to print for an older edition, so they have to think for the future.
