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Games and Frustrations

© Frank Ross

Hail and merry met, fellow adventures. Change has come to the realms and I would be remiss in my duties if I did not address them in detail for you. In this article I will take a look at the 3rd edition rules for the game we all know and love, Dungeons and Dragons

For the last several months I have been doing the research for this article. I began my research with the Players Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. After much reading and scratching of my head I feel ready to tackle a campaign but before I do that I thought I would tell you all how I came to finally understand the changes. I believe new players will have an easier time understanding 3rd edition than long time players such as myself.

If I had to name one thing that bothered me most about the changes, it would be feats. To my way of thinking a feat was an action not the ability to perform an action. However I have since learned that my way of thinking had some flaws. If you long time players can get past the feats and then understand multi-classing as well, you are ready to enjoy a great game. As promised I will tell you how I finally understood the changes in the rules.

Over the years I have learned that there is no better way to teach someone how to play Dungeons & Dragons than simply sitting them down and letting them play. My problem was that there was no one around to teach this old dog a new trick. Being the Dungeon Master for my group the task of learning the new rules to pass on was mine. First I looked for a group I could join and learn from. I checked the local comic and game shops but had no luck there. After many failed attempts to play 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons, I started playing Pool of Radiance Ruins of Myth Drannor. This is an electronic game for those of you who have not heard the latest in gaming news.

At first I was not pleased with the game. Not only was I displeased but I went so far as to hate it. The character generator gives players very little choice when creating their character. All stats are set at 8 and then racial adjustments are made. The player then has 25 points to allot to his or her