Rating: 
Summary: Come on!!!!
Review: All I have too say is D&D has always been about imagination. How many of us have bent the rules to fit our gamimg world needs? I look at this book and I take the good to make gaming esier and clear. I take the bad and re-tool it to fit our gaming world as we see fit. This book is full of new ideas that we have all probably thougt of before why don't they do it this way or why can't I have an Elven Palidan he just as religeous as your Palidan. Overall I give it a 4 star rating because nothing is perfect. Don't forget to use your imagination and these 3rd Edition gaming rules can be just as fun. For you die hard fans give it a try before you knock it. Chris
Rating: 
Summary: Why is this game so popular!?
Review: Everyone keeps raving about how this book sooooo much better than the first and second editions. Considering how remarkably horrible the third edition is, I'd hate to see the earlier ones. Why do I have this controversial opinion? Let's start from the beginning and go from there...1) RANDOM CHARACTER CREATION SYSTEM: I realize that it's become more flexible than in the last edition, but it still takes away from the fun, versatility, and balance of the game, especially in the case of Wealth and Age determination. The only game I've seen that's been able to pull this off successfully is Deadlands, and it uses a completely different kind of system. 2) CLASSES: What if you want to make character who only works if she's Druid who was born with Sorcerous powers, has taken up a Clerical position in her coven, and is skilled in Fighting? In most games, that wouldn't be a problem, but in the d20 system, characters can't even start out multiclass, and no one in their right mind would take the expeirience penalties of a quadrupal class character! 3) LEVELS: Systems where you add to stats from a general pool of experience points that can be spent on anything are fairly unrealistic, but tolerable. Systems where you add to all your character's stats at once in abrupt leaps and bounds AREN'T. Also, a woman who shall remain anonymous created roleplaying game called Abantey which is so ridiculously complicated that only six or seven people in the world know how to GM it, all for the sake of realism. She was inspired when she got fed up with a D&D player whose character was so high level that he fell from the atmosphere and survived (thankfully, Abantey's setting is so good that it makes up for the complexity with in spades). 4) SYSTEM: Usually when a system is this complicated, it's made up for with realism (As in Abantey). Although apparently the d20 system is better than the "ThacO" system of the previous editions in this respect, it's still infinitely more convoluted than, say, the Storyteller system. 5) MAGIC: "Sorry, you've passed your spells/day limit." "I don't remember you preparing that." "That's a Cleric spell!" There are alot of much better ways to make a magic system balanced. Also, they could have come up with some more creative spell names ("Siren's Song" instead of "Charm Person", "Thor's Wrath" instead of "Call Lightning"). 6) THE SETTING: D&D has no plot other than killing monster to get at loads of gold. Where are the monsters coming from? What great evil is pulling the strings that all the demons are attached to? What causes the dead to arise? What motivates a Cleric to worship an evil god if he can get just as much power, if not more, from a good one? Who trains all the Paladins, and if there are multiple Paladin trainers, why don't their traditions vary? All these questions, and many, many more go completely unanswered in Dungeons and Dragons. 7) MONOPOLY: Wizards of the Coast has monopolized the game industry like TSR before it, and that's the only reason D&D is still popular. If it had come out now it would die within a week.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but it came in a hurry
Review: Well this new edition of D&D is excellent. Race limits on abilities are over, plus the classes descriptions are very good. The artwork definetely is better than the one in 2nd ed. The combat rules are more precise and reallistic, giving a greater sense of "being there" during gameplay. I only have one thing to object from this book, i bought the first print of it and it seems like they didn't take enough time to make corrections. However, the errata is online and if you buy it now, it surely is of the second printing which has the corrections made.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Book with Great Rules
Review: Hats off to Wizards of the Coast for taking D&D's wild compendium of rules and tables and turning it into a consistent easy to use system! The third edition is a winner! AD&D players should be able to adjust easily, and new people will find this system much easier to understand. The book is also beautiful with nice illustrations of the characters who are used as examples throughout the books. They really fire the imagination. A must for anyone who wants to play D&D.
Rating: 
Summary: Basic D&D is back!
Review: Well, they made it much easier in ways that would take forever to describe (and it appears that many people have beat me to that). So I'll put it this way: When you first open it, the immediate impression is Magic: The Role-Playing Game. The look, feel, and occasional terminology pull away from the original contents of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. But that doesn't make it bad. Simply described, the system allows for fast and easy play. However, if you are a fan of Advanced D&D (1st or 2nd Editions), then don't seal-wrap your old books yet. The system has been streamlined enough to allow easy conversion of previous rules (including the Option editions) assuming you have the time and are willing to stick to the D20 system used (I tried not to at first, but problems occured. Once I swollowed my pride, it worked fine). Where WotC makes their mistake is in marketing. First, word is that Psionics are history, and the Player's Handbook makes no mention of it what-so-ever. Then, the DMG is released, describing Psionics as quasi-magical abilities that defy explaination. Then, the Monster Manual comes out using psionics in just that manner. Now, a Psionics Handbook is set for release. Simply put, the Dungeons & Dragons game without the "Advanced" is basic, and thus the 3rd Edition (Basic) rules are a fair platform for building a good campaign if your Dungeon Master is up to spending hours merging old rules to the new (easy but time consuming-trust me, I know). The job would certainly be simpler if WotC would not say something has been eliminated completely (like psionics) and then publish rules on it later anyway. It would have saved a lot of time for me and my players if I knew I could have made a simple conversion and waited for the supplimental rules instead of converting rules that go back to Dragon 76. The final problem is that the role-playing has been taken out. This is mostly because WotC is targeting 8th graders and up (so it would seem, anyway) who would rather declare an action listed as "official" then to stretch their imaginations (another Magic comparison: If you don't have card, you can't do it). Looking over the rules, I can see that years of defining "role-playing" needs to start all over again as those things introduced for the sake of reality (such as weapon speeds) have been eliminated for combat sequences that play out like the old Ultima computer games. This facilitates introducing new players to the game, but old time fans immediately start considering how to adapt old rules. Wrap Up: A 3-Star achievement from WotC. I suggest obtaining all of the 2nd Edition material still available (except adventures, which neither TSR nor WotC have made more than a few of good quality), and hitting conventions for 1st Edition stuff. Meanwhile, me and my gaming group will be busy playing (and creating) the 3rd Edition Advanced D&D rules.
Rating: 
Summary: D&D on life support
Review: D&D is dead, and WOTC's 3rd edition of D&D is on life support. Granted the venerable game has become synonamous with role-playing, but the hobby has advanced tremendously since the 70's, and even this edition of D&D fails to reflect this. The new edition has a good system of character skills, and the new method of handling die rolls, particularly combat, is relatively streamlined and free of charts, which is always welcome. However, the major flaws of D&D are still there. It still relies on character classes (resulting in ho-hum generic characters), it still uses hit points (so after a few adventrues your characters will be wading through armies of orcs without a scratch looking for gods to kill), and it retains the numbers-heavy interest-light 3-18 scale for attributes. There are many good fantasy games on the market now, so if you are looking to make an investment for reasons beyond nostalgia, I recommend looking elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Nice on the outside, Not so good on the inside
Review: This, very good marketed book, gives us the illusion of a better edition with simpler rules. The thing is the rules were simplified way too much. The new rule system has some good ideas in it, but the main concept of it was made for kids. Wizards of the coast have managed to make "Magic" out of D&D. With crazy combination possibilities and too generic system, the game just doesn't make sense at times (wizards and thieves require the same amount of experience! how can one expect to compare a 16th level wizard to 16th level thief??) I will not prolong here too much, since most of the things had been already said. all in all the book is nice, but we didn't find it too useful and we are back to the old system with some of the new ideas in mind.
Rating:
Summary: TRUE Old School - Compare to 1st Edition
Review: I have to admit, I'm a TRUE old school player. We stuck with 1st edition when those horrible 2nd edition books came out. Those kiddies who started with the 2nd edition don't know about what D&D started as, but I digress. I was EXTREMELY hesitant, I mean, come on, I stuck with 1st edition though easier to get 2nd edition books were everywhere. However, someone told me about these 3rd edition books... and RAVED about it. I looked at the books, I thought, oh, this is very pretty.... but I wonder where the substance is. Needless to say, a little looking through the book, and I found it. Simplified rules so I can break in new players easier, clear cut explanations of everything, and the rules make more SENSE (Which is better than using our modifiers to change the rules that were unwieldy!). I know you old school gamers are doubtful, but i've been playing since I was 8 years old with the first edition books back in the early days, so if I can convert, I think you can, too. Happy Hacking and Slashing!
Rating:
Summary: Going from Good to better
Review: I played the 2nd edition Dungeons & Dragons, and it was never this easy! It would take us Three hours to do any thing with the 2nd edition. Now, its so quick,and easy. There are pictures of all the weapons, Armor, and equipment. This edition of Dungeons & Dragons is far less confusing than the 2nd edition. I recomend this book to every one that's interested in playing D&D and every one that plays D&D.
Rating:
Summary: Same game different book?
Review: Or is it "Same book; different game?" The game presented in this players' handbook looks fairly simple and playable. [Is it really Advanced Dungeons and Dragons? I don't know. I've only been playing the game for about 14 years (though I've been aware of it since the late 70's). The people who taught me learned on the original D&D modules. (These are people who claimed the first books were not a legitimate version of the game, so I don't think I can ask their opinions.)] It looks fun. If I were new to the game, I think I'd find it as entertaining as the earlier versions, but the format seems to have changed enough to make it a different game. There in no apparent Gary Gygax or Dave Arneson involvement, so we can't say that it's an update by the original creators. Mostly it seems to be an attempt renew interest in the franchise in order to generate revenue. If it was called "Wizards of the Coast's Role Playing Adventure" most D&D fans would not buy the series because it would lack name recognition. Anyway, if someone is new, or you lost your old books you're stuck with this version. These are some advantages to the new system. 1.) No character that one roles (creates) is beyond redemption - Stats can improve with experience. 2.) The combat math seems easier. 3.) Seemingly simple tasks that required lots of role play and inherent trust between players and DM have been reduced to empirical numbers through skill checks, etc. - that means fewer arguments. (The sleeping dragon did sense your invisible character because the had a listen check of 18 to your move silent check of 5.) 4.) The skills and feats help develop characters who are unique even when compared to a character of the same race and class. 5.) Spells can actually be modified (according to set rules) through Skills and Feats. (How many times did you wonder why your 12th level magic user always incinerated everything in the room with his fireball after having cast it hundreds of times?) 6.) Item creation is a neat thing These are some disadvantages. 1.) There are so many differences that an experienced player can't just sit down and start playing a character. 2.) Much of the role-play has been reduced to numbers, so you might not have as good a time trying to convince the DM of your supernatural talents. 3.) They could have just printed a pamphlet that reads. "IT"S OKAY TO HAVE HOUSE RULES AND CHANGE THE WAY YOU PLAY D&D." It may have been hard to charge 19.95 for it, but it would have communicated the same thing. Overall; it's a fun game no matter what version. The book looks cool, and since it's probably been 6 or more years since you spent any money on the franchise, you might as well buy it.
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