The Past is the Present Again

Lots of people complain about d20 books packed with new feats, new spells, new prestige classes, etc. (I'm not too fond of overly-crunchy books myself). In light of that, I found the following from an article in Dragon #6 (April '77) ironic:

"The great appeal of Dungeons and Dragons role-playing lies in the
uncertainty of any action taken. It is the anticipation of standing before
a sturdy oaken door in a corridor dimly lit by flickering torches, preparing
to force it open. It is the uneasiness of finding an artifact of unknown
purpose and attempting to discover its powers. It is leaping into
combat with a foeman of unknown skill and ability. And yet the allure
of the game can tarnish in time through the dullness that can come
from too much familiarity. Thus, in nearly every publication devoted
to D&D, one can find new monsters, new classes of characters, or new
magical items, all intended to add to the uncertainty of play.

Guess the "problem" has been with us for quite awhile...