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Grumbolt
2008-11-23, 09:31 PM
Ok, I know I'm old (dead for a goblin), but anyone else here miss 1st or 2nd ed.? Remember back When Gygax was the man, Orcus was a pain, and Vecna was just a hand?

LibraryOgre
2008-11-23, 09:37 PM
If you bring it up, there are a number of us who like to talk about Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.

You might also want to check out www.dragonsfoot.org, which is a TSR D&D/AD&D board.

Captain Six
2008-11-23, 09:57 PM
I play 2E AD&D online. The DM openly disliked 3.5 but ran it because that's what people played. A lot of people did that I heard. After 4E came out and a significant portion of the players reject it outright he was inspired to go back to the game he liked and the players followed. I didn't know the rules but my favorite part of that particular game was when we were at the inn after a long, hard adventure.

I played a human sorcerer and the similarity of the spells made the transition easy. Because sorcerers had become a part of his homebrew world's lore the DM decided that Cha-based wizards using the spell point channeled variant would fill the role. I can't say I know much about 1E, but I see the appeal of second. 3.5 is still my favorite, I like feeling like I crafted a character and all the complexities of 3.x is why I like it.

Matthew
2008-11-23, 10:12 PM
Mark is spot on. Anybody who misses first and second edition has access to several online communities, ongoing fan projects, and a new generation of AD&D compatible modules using the OGL via simulacrum games like OSRIC and Labyrinth Lord. No need to remember those days, for many of us they never went away. :smallwink:

Captain Six: Does your game master go by the handle of TaliesinNYC, by any chance?

Shpadoinkle
2008-11-24, 05:32 AM
I'm plaing a 2e game now, run by my sister's fiancee. I don't know why he never converted to 3e (I've never asked), but if I had to guess I'd say it's because he has at least a thousand dollars woth 2e material, including all four Encyclopedia Magica, several boxed adventures and setting books, and because he wasn't really playing D&D at the time 3e rolled out. I loaned my 3e books to him, but he has yet to take a look at them because he's pretty busy most of the time.

I started with 2e, and it's nice to be playing it again for the nostalgic feel, and for the fact that the disparity between warriors and casters seems to be less proounced (note the SEEMS TO BE). On the other hand, 2e is a hell of a lot less intuitive and balanced- for example, your chance to save against two Fireballs, one from a 5th level wizard, and one from a 40th level wizard, is identical. Your chance to save against all poisons is identical, whether it's food poisoning or the venom from the tiger snake, or even the venom from a Poisonsword (save or die instantly, if you fail you take 2d12 poison damage anyway).

Captain Six
2008-11-24, 11:22 AM
Captain Six: Does your game master go by the handle of TaliesinNYC, by any chance?

...

Yes. Rob/Rynn here for the Friday night game. Small World.

LibraryOgre
2008-11-24, 11:37 AM
I started with 2e, and it's nice to be playing it again for the nostalgic feel, and for the fact that the disparity between warriors and casters seems to be less proounced (note the SEEMS TO BE). On the other hand, 2e is a hell of a lot less intuitive and balanced- for example, your chance to save against two Fireballs, one from a 5th level wizard, and one from a 40th level wizard, is identical. Your chance to save against all poisons is identical, whether it's food poisoning or the venom from the tiger snake, or even the venom from a Poisonsword (save or die instantly, if you fail you take 2d12 poison damage anyway).

AD&D had a very different conception of what a saving throw was than 3rd edition. AD&D's saving throws are more akin to 4e's saving throws... luck and chance allowing you to get out of the way or resist. 3e's saves are more akin to 4e's defenses... your skill and attributes allowing you to resist an effect. As to why level counted in AD&D saves, it was because higher-level people were luckier... represented in larger HP and in better saves.

ken-do-nim
2008-11-24, 12:24 PM
On the other hand, 2e is a hell of a lot less intuitive and balanced- for example, your chance to save against two Fireballs, one from a 5th level wizard, and one from a 40th level wizard, is identical.

Actually the 2E supplement High Level Campaigns offered a "fix" for that.
Casting level:
1-12 no save penalty
13-15 -1
16-18 -2
19-21 -3
22-24 -4
25-27 -5
28-30 -6
31-33 -7
34-36 -8
36-38 -9
39-41 -10

So therefore the save against a 40th level wizard is made at -10, and using the 1E rules for magic resistance at (40-11= 29 x5 = 145) -145% off. I'd say that's pretty powerful!

Oh, and there's actually plenty of people playing earlier editions out there and online. I've never wished to play any edition or clone of D&D and not found a group that plays it.

Thurbane
2008-11-25, 02:56 AM
Cut my teeth on AD&D 1E and a little Basic (red box), but most of my gaming was AD&D 2E. A lot of fond memories. All great games.

As much as people will poopoo this edition or that, 90% of objections to a given edition are purely personal preference. I've had hellafun playing all of the above, and continue to do so in 3.5 :smallbiggrin:

BobVosh
2008-11-25, 05:47 AM
I don't miss 2nd. 1st I do. Sorta. I played back when 2nd was around, got heavy into 3.5 (kinda skipped 3). Finally after both I got to 1st ed, and I loved it. Silly rules, espically on the barbarian, made it fun and fairly quick.

Beyond that 3.5 I like for its awesome complexity.

ken-do-nim
2008-11-25, 08:16 AM
I've had hellafun playing all of the above, and continue to do so in 3.5 :smallbiggrin:

That's the key I think; playing 3.5 is fun. I burnt out on 3.5 when I tried to DM it (12th level party). Now I'm starting to get back into it. I have yet to decide where I would draw the line on what is legal if I did run it again though.

I'm running a 1st edition pbp right now and having a lot of fun with it (maxed out at 8 players). I'm also playing in a 2nd edition pbp that the DM has put an impressive amount of creativity into, though it only updates about once a week (PM me if you want to join; we could use 1 more player). On top of those I'm playing in a Labyrinth Lord game that is pure awesome (Matthew is in that one as well), a well-paced Holmes D&D game, and a 1st edition game that I wish would move a little quicker.

Sereg
2008-11-25, 08:59 AM
IMO every edition has made some good and some bad changes. I actually have more experiance with 2E than 3.X even though I've only been playing about 5 years. (This was due to the fact that my first DM was not familiar with 3E until long after it came out.) I still miss some of the stuff from earlier editions but I feel that it's easiest to play 3.x and houserule in anything you especially like from other editions.

Matthew
2008-11-25, 03:22 PM
On top of those I'm playing in a Labyrinth Lord game that is pure awesome (Matthew is in that one as well)...

Yeah, Kipper has obviously put a lot of effort into that game, and it shows through in play. A lot of fun.