[redrab]

I just received Castles & Crusades. I have been heavily involved in playing and mostly dming D&D for 27 years. I am not an expert, but I have played all versions of D&D and have loved the game since starting at a young age. I currently am running 3.5 D&D with a group of gamers who also started when they were young. Overall, most of the players that I'm dming have 20+ years of experience. As a group, they discarded D&D at 2nd edition and instead played rolemaster. I brought them back to D&D with 3.0 & 3.5. We have loved it. I have to say however, that as a DM, I have noticed that even these seasoned roll players started to use the system of D&D (skills and feats) to make the ultimate characters. Combats were exactly as some have described in previous posts...they had turned into long, drawn out combats, filled with looking up rules! This is partly my fault for sure, I'm the DM! However, it kind of snuck up on all of us. I spoke of my concerns with the system to the group. And I started to change how thngs played out. Instead, I started to make players 'just roll' in certain situations based soley on their stat. In many ways, I told my players to not be confined by the rules and that I was more interested in the story. Well, it worked...and overall we have had an incredible time in this campaign. Except, we still have found that the feat based system is 'restrictive'. So, I started looking for a change.

Castles & Crusades, from what i've read so far does this. Things are no longer based on what a player can or cannot do becasue he/she doesnt have the feat necessary. Instead, it is based on common sense of what a character and player could do! I LOVE THIS! Players can make whatever player they want and not be too constrained by a rules set. Not only that, the game becomes more roll playing based, where the story and quick combat are the action. Not the characters feats or skills.

It is also way easier to prepare a session for a DM! For anyone thats spent long hours with the 3.5 system adjusting for feats of NPC's and everything else...it is simply ridiculous! I dont have to with this system. At all! I can focus more on the story and the roll playing aspect of the game. Further to this, since Castles & Crusades is fairly light on the rules...I can add any house rules that we want as a group with little or no hassle whatsoever.

I fully agree with the reviewer of this product. It is an aweosme game that should be looked at if anyone is serious about an updated vs. of AD&D without having to buy a ton of books (especially now with the announcement of 4th edition D&D). I loved D&D...I still do, and that is why I am DMing Castles & Crusades.

Just my opinion...