Gaming and Me

So, we had our latest session on Saturday.  Our party is currently at 13th level, and we are in the process of rescuing a Norwegian princess from the clutches of storm giants.  It should be noted that our DM has created an alternate version of our own world, with D&D races and monsters, and a pantheon of mythological-esque deities.  I think the year is somewhere in the early 1300's, but I keep forgetting.

Anyways, what we were hoping would be a quick snatch and grab turned into an assault on a rather crowded frost giant hall, including their thane, his magic-wielding wife, a "bard" of sorts, several polar bears, and two captive white dragons.  I dare say, if we didn't have a veritable army of NPC followers, we probably would have turned around and gone back to the King and told him his daughter was dead.

As it is, we have managed to whittle down the giant forces to a manageable level with the clever use of fireballs and many fire-based magic attacks (not to mention an illusionary army of Valkyries).  My character, a half-orc barbarian/favored soul/fighter, has managed to take down a few giants in melee combat, and as the session ended, he was enraged and surrounded by three of them.  Most of our party is in good shape, though two have been blinded, one permanently, and the NPCs have only just started taking some serious hits.  The next session should see the end of the siege...one way or the other.

I didn't get a chance to work on any writing this weekend.  Ok, "didn't get a chance..." translates to "I was too lazy..."  But, I did some thinking and came to a conclusion about my gaming preferences.

It started with a discussion about play-styles and various editions of D&D.  I am a huge proponent of using whichever system you are most comfortable with, as long as you are having fun.  I don't partake in "edition wars" actively, though I will defend any given system when someone says something derogatory about it, if I feel differently.  This came when comparing B/X to 3e at the OSR forums.

I won't go over the specifics, but basically this, combined with comments by a friend who is gearing up to start a new campaign (completely separate issue) got me to thinking.  And I have realized that, while the old grognard in me loves the older editions, it is mainly for the nostalgia, and the various memories associated with the various editions (like playing 2e on the front of an M-1 Abrams tank in Saudi Arabia).  On the other hand, my active gamer, the one who plays today, prefers 3.5, with some flavor from other editions and games (though I'd be perfectly happy playing a 3.5 game that used nothing but the PHB for chargen).

And when I try writing or planning stuff using the old editions, my two inner gamers are at odds, and I find myself wanting to combine the two, with a heavy lean towards the 3e side of the house.  So, in the end, I will probably not be playing any older editions, unless it's a one-off (like when my friend ran an all-day marathon session of 1e for his birthday last year).

And I'm cool with that.  The old games create an atmosphere and style of play that I think can fit in with the newer editions.  So, that is where I will probably go with my gaming from here on out.