I've been reading this thread with a bit of interest, and it's good to see everyone discussing things civilly. For my part, I left DnD behind when 3e came out. I had a great time playing in Basic, 1e and 2e, but as 2e started pushing out more and more "Complete Handbooks," I started to get a bit disgusted with the whole thing and made the shift to Hero Systems (Champions, Fantasy Hero, Horror Hero etc.) and never really looked back.

While the "rules" of Hero Systems were a bit more complicated, they were more "generic" in the sense that they could be applied to any genre of play, and the character builds were completely open ended with archetype suggestions rather than set classes. I was fortunate enough, as well, to play with a group that really went after the story with combat taking a second place role in overall play.

Still, for those that like the latest DnD publications, I suppose it can't be an all bad thing. I don't personally know anyone playing in that system as it stands right now and I, for that matter, haven't actually played in years other than chat-based freeform which is a whole 'nother beast.

As a side comment, I never found that Wizards were terribly lame, particularly in 2e. In my game I made the shift from the Spells/Level system to a Spell Points system that allowed the wizards to contribute a bit more freely. By the same token, I always recommended to my players that they take secondary skills that could be useful on a regular basis. It didn't always work, but it did give everyone a chance to contribute in some way.

GW