NOTE: THIS POST IS WILDLY OFF-TOPIC! If you are interested in actual brewlog information for my Pumpkin Mead, skip this post entirely. The next post is the post you seek.
Oskaar: I know not about this "hosing in 3rd edition" of which you speak... :icon_king: (I really do understand what you mean but it's all in the play style)
Before we go too far "out there", I will say that yes, I really, really have played since 1st edition. Heavily. I will admit to an enormous amount of geekdom. That said, the only thing that let 3rd edition get out of hand with some of the more broken things was a DM that forgot about (or let loose his control of) the famous Rule 0. IMHO 3rd edition provided many awesome possibilities and really opened up the game in a lot of ways. However, with lots of possibilities comes lots of broken things when applied in proper combination. When these combinations are allowed to be abused, well, that is where fun goes to die.
My gaming group has a blast, and the ruleset really has very little to do with it. I would stipulate that we would have nearly the same experience using whatever ruleset we chose to play in.
It's all about beer-induced hilarity.
I will now recount the highlight of *my* evening as a DM. This is merely a typical example:
First, some background:
I almost never use modules, but this one module fit into my campaign world so very well that I just had to steal 85% of it for my own uses. In this adventure there is an old Abbey taken over by a demon-cult. Bad people (and outsiders) doing bad things, etc. Naturally that was plenty of motivation for the Paladin-led party to just HAVE to go in there.
Level 10 party vs level 11-ish challenge. The entrance to the Abbey grounds was a big wall with a destroyed archway. All sorts of clues about the general state of "nasty" within were told to the players.
There is this scout in the adventuring party. He is admittably the "plucky comic relief"**. He has the classic combination of very high intelligence, but low wisdom. The player makes sure to roleplay this very well, even if it is to the detriment of his character. He was doing that "scout thing" that he does so well and at the arch he said, "I would check for traps but I know the result." Standing up with arms wide, indicating the sum total of everything within the archway, he proclaims: "ALL OF THIS... IS A GIGANTIC TRAP!"
Oh, how right he was.
The party went in despite the warning.
After a number of battles, the party approached the large steps leading to the Abbey proper. On either side of the steps hidden in the orchard wait two dracolisks, which naturally have the power to turn their victims to stone with a mere gaze. The first one up the steps? Naturally the scout. He finds the monsters, they see him, and one unfortunate saving throw later he is turned to stone.
A while later the party finds a scroll of stone to flesh in the Abbey. How convenient! They use it on the scout-turned-staue. Unfortunately again he fails his system shock roll and dies in the process of turning back to flesh. Fortunately the cleric had a spell ready that keeps you from dying (puts you to -1 HP, which in 3rd edition is merely unconscious, not dead) IF he can cast it on you the very same round you die. HANDY! He is SAVED by a really wise cleric. The cleric no longer has that spell ready, since he just used it - his most powerful spell.
This is where it got funny. The scout now understands that even if he dies, the cleric can bring him back to life with no penalty whatsoever.
They bring the scout inside the Abbey where they continue adventuring. There was a locked door that the party could not open - they needed that scout's skills.
The scout unlocked the door. Good scout. He then proclaims to the cleric, "I am so glad you are around. With you here, I live life without consequences!!" (yes, he literally said this) "I will open the door. BUT WAIT! I have learned from my past experience! I will open it ... like THIS!" (player stands up, makes a door-opening motion with his other hand COVERING HIS EYES!"
As a DM, these are the beautiful moments that make life worth living.
The scorpion-demon that had been drinking potions (haste, spider climb, and greater magic fang), climbing above the door, and generally waiting for the first victim to open the door then lays down the arse-whooping one would expect.
The scout survives the assault, closes the door and gets a quick heal from the cleric. Meanwhile the demon takes a new position within the room and casts darkness in the room. (at this point every player was already laughing nearly too hard to play the game)
The scout then tries again, this time with eyes open. He opens the door to find... utter darkness! He is human, so he can see nothing. He stands there IN THE DOORWAY and lights a torch...
From somewhere within the room a battleaxe flies. Direct hit to the scout! The scout then removes said battleaxe from his person, throws it to the ground, and boldly shouts into the room, "Ha HAAA! I got your axe! NOW what have you got, B---H?!!" (all of us are laughing hard, several of the players are in tears from laughing, and none are in any condition to state their character's actions...)
Well, to wit, he had another one. Another battle axe flies, direct hit to the scout.
It is precicely the following moment that a good DM just has to thank all that is holy for the good fortune to have such a funny moment handed to him:
The scout turns around IN THE DOORWAY, looks at the party and shouts, "WHY IS NOBODY HELPING ME?!!!"
Yes, yes my friends. Another battle axe flies, direct hit to the scout - right in the back.
At this point we had to take a 5 minute break. Even I was laughing to hard to finish him off.
After we stopped with the riotous laughing the party did charge into the room and take care of that pesky (minor) opponent.
I don't think it really matters what ruleset is used. It's all about the fun that results from the collective imaginations of a group of good friends.
**blatant Galaxy Quest reference