Trap finding- This is, in my opinion, the single most iconic feature of the rogue class. In first/second ed, sneak only applied to the first attack of the round, and people still played rogues, because no door was safe to open until it got the theif's nod of approval.
Sneak damage- Perhaps at age 30 I'm a jaded old man, but again going back to previous editions, getting in position for sneak damage is comically easy. Yes, you have to flank. Even in a party of all fighters and one cleric, flanking would be a good idea. Complaining about the need to use the most rudementary of tactics seems silly.
The Wizard can do blah blah magic blah- Yes magic is great. At the same time, wand charges cost money, so we'll assume a certain finite number of castings per day. If I were playing a caster, I would have no desire to burn a spell summoning monsters to constantly walk in front of the party, to stay invisible, or do all the other things that you folks are implying that magic accomplishes so effectivly. Plus after all that, as a wizard I'd still be expected to have the AOE damage and battle feild control ready when needed. Barring either an enormous wand budget or an army of first level summon casters, the rogue is just a necissary part of the party.
x,y,z does more damage- Granted. Ever play a fighter on a night with no combat? Ever need to use social skills to aviod a potential fight when the party is overmatched? If the group you play in uses the rules as a combat simulation only, then by all means play whatever number crunches out the best for you. At that point though, you may as well just give up on RPGs altogather and play a pure combat game. Everyone involved will most likly have more fun.
