Like map-based tactical combat and balanced rules that work as advertised to level 20? The fatal flaw of D&D 3.5E is Pathfinder 2E, which delivers all that. Wizards of the Coast does not write games that work great past level ten, and they have been trying and failing since D&D 3.0.
I like D&D 3.5E for other reasons, one being nostalgia, a few others relating to the last, best versions of the world books that the 3.5E team made, and the legendary designers behind the game.
You can be serious about D&D 3.5E and make it work, but the game that is supported and much less hassle is Pathfinder 2E. It works. It works on the tabletop. It works all the way to a high level. The game is balanced, and all the choices are valid.
Due to the messy divorce Wizards of the Coast forced on the gaming industry, the OGL and SRD content has been removed or renamed from the PF2E remaster version. I have the original game and I am not in the market for the remaster, and I want to wait an edition to see fixes and patches. Then again, I am asking to put myself back into a pricy book and electronic character sheet market, and it didn't feel (back then and now) that I would get enjoyment out of that investment.
I am not a fan of the Pathfinder 2E world. With the removal of OSR elements, the guns (I know they are optional), the steampunk aesthetic, and the modern feeling don't speak to me. If someone made a traditional-art version of Pathfinder 2E's main rules with old-school nods and support, I would look into that.
Part of me is eternally happy with OSRIC. There are fewer books, fewer rules, and fewer modern-day distractions, and the classic and original AD&D sourcebooks are legendary documents. I always ask, why do I need a new game?
The incremental minor upgrades are what draw me to modern games, and they are primarily worthless. They are tiny increments you could just "write in" to a game like OSRIC, have it all, and not be drained of money from the publisher or character design software. Today's games are designed to have thousands of trivial options that are meant to lock you in and force you to buy books. They "gamify" things that should be left to the story and the natural progression of character, and doing it yourself is always better than relying on someone else's half-baked design.
This is always my battle with newer games. The original works just fine and, in many cases, better. The best part of PF2E is the tactical combat, which is the selling point. D&D 5.5E leans heavily into social and roleplay, and the game fails at tactical combat. They want to sell the game as a "social platform," which falls flat for me since I am not in those circles.
Why should I play if I don't buy into D&D 5.5E's identity gaming social platform? A few unsupported campaign settings and nostalgia aren't enough.
They still need to answer this question.
PF2E delivers a tested, working, one-to-twenty tabletop game. D&D 3.5E tried to do this but failed because of the broken nature of high-level play. You will get a fun run to level seven, and then you will fight the rules and broken builds for the rest of the campaign. This has always stayed the same in 25 years of D&D.
Pathfinder 2E is supported, works, and has an active community. D&D 3.5E is all but dead, except for a few die-hard fans (like myself). You will be happy if you want tabletop, map-based, tight tactical play? Go Pathfinder 2E. I still like D&D 3.5E, but this needs to be said to temper my coverage and enthusiasm.
OSRIC and AD&D will be here forever and will always be my default choices.
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