This is a very good point: my main problem with 3.5 is that the more consistent and clear the rules are, the easier it is for everyone to know them and to treat it as a board game instead of as an adventure story. Of course, the consistency also means that it’s much easier to figure out what you need to roll (THACO, declining armor class, arbitrary saving throws, etc. really complicated older editions of the game); there’s always a tradeoff.
