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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Default Entry point to ad&d

    So I started playing in the twilight years of 2e, but mostly cut my teeth on the release of 3e. Now my longtime pal and original highschool dm is wanting to take a trip back to his original dnd experience with an ad&d game. I’m unfortunately busy with work and home so I’ve asked him for any entry point blogs or guides to help me more quickly wrap my head around the system, but I thought I’d source you fine folks as well.

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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    Griffon

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Quote Originally Posted by Seekergeek View Post
    So I started playing in the twilight years of 2e, but mostly cut my teeth on the release of 3e. Now my longtime pal and original highschool dm is wanting to take a trip back to his original dnd experience with an ad&d game. I’m unfortunately busy with work and home so I’ve asked him for any entry point blogs or guides to help me more quickly wrap my head around the system, but I thought I’d source you fine folks as well.
    Go over to the DRAGONSFOOT forum. ANY AD&D question you could ever ask is probably listed there. Alternately, IF you want to go simple, download BASIC FANTASY (free to DL) and run an old-school Basic D&D game with less rules bloat.

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    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Lord Torath's Avatar

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    I'll second olskool's suggestion. Dragonsfoot is almost entirely dedicated to pre 3.0 D&D, and has a bunch of friendly, knowledgeable members.

    For a quick summary, AD&D is mechanically very similar to 2E AD&D (assuming you weren't using the Player's Option books). The classes are fairly similar as well, but there are some fairly important differences. Wizards and Illusionists have different spell lists, and so do Druids and Clerics. The Paladin's Protection from Evil aura is more powerful than in 2E, and Rangers are more powerful than in 2E as well.

    Ask your DM how he's going to handle Initiative, as the by-the-book rules are very complex and hard to understand. So as I understand it, most DMs house rule that quite a bit.

    Most of all, have fun!
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    Archmage in the Playground Moderator
     
    truemane's Avatar

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    One of the things about 1E is that it isn't one system: it's a collection of systems published at different times by different authors and cobbled together after the fact. So somethings are percentile, others d20, some roll under, some roll over. There's no consistency. And not everyone had every book, so anyone's personal experience of it can be very different from anyone else's.

    But the best entry point is to read the PHB, I think. That's got most of what you need to know. And then skim the DMG lightly. It's got rules you can't do without, but it's also got a LOT of stuff you'll never use (like the enormous amount of space dedicated to finding, recruiting, retaining, and managing hirelings and cohorts).
    (Avatar by Cuthalion, who is great.)

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    Librarian in the Playground Moderator
     
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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Torath View Post
    I'll second olskool's suggestion. Dragonsfoot is almost entirely dedicated to pre 3.0 D&D, and has a bunch of friendly, knowledgeable members.
    And some utter jerks. ;-) I'm on there, too.

    If you're wanting to check out the rules, you can get the PH from Drivethru, or the free retro-clone, OSRIC.
    Last edited by LibraryOgre; 2022-06-28 at 01:12 PM.
    The Cranky Gamer
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  6. - Top - End - #6
    Orc in the Playground
     
    Beholder

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Thanks, all! I'll put together a dragonsfoot account sooner than later. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the fact that (at least some) of the books are still available. I figured that'd be hurdle number 1 for me ahead of actually getting to the table.

    Cheers!

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    Dwarf in the Playground
     
    DruidGuy

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Hall View Post
    ... or the free retro-clone, OSRIC.
    I want to highlight this suggestion. OSRIC is very close to the old PHB version of 1e, but it cuts out a lot of the weirdest parts and highlights the main parts very well. It is very much worth checking out.

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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    GnomePirate

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    AD&D isnt very difficult to get. Character creation is quick and easy since there are not many options. Pick a few proficiencies out of a short list, roll some money and buy some weapons and armor and call it done. Rogues and casters have a slightly more complicated creation but thats just putting percentile into rogue abilities and picking spells for the casters.

    I prefer For Gold and Glory as a rules set. Phenomenal cleaned up 2E that makes sense and has a free PDF players handbook, dms guide and monsters manual in one book. They also have hard copies you can buy.
    PCs are not exceptional. They are normal Joe Shmoes stuck in exceptional circumstances.

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    Orc in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Quote Originally Posted by daryen View Post
    I want to highlight this suggestion. OSRIC is very close to the old PHB version of 1e, but it cuts out a lot of the weirdest parts and highlights the main parts very well. It is very much worth checking out.
    Thirdeded. You can get the free PDF here: https://osricrpg.com/get.php
    Good luck and have fun!
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    Ettin in the Playground
     
    Chimera

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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Given that you stated that you cut your teeth on 2e, I'll second For Gold and Glory (pdfs are free). Or you can buy most all AD&D and AD&D 2e rulebooks (and quite a few modules) now as pdfs or POD. I'd suggest the former unless you want a completionist collection, simply because it works well as a cohesive product that you can just take or leave as a unit and not feel bad that you don't have The Complete Philatelist's Handbook for that one kit or magic item you fondly remember.

    Dragonsfoot is a great resource for questions and advice. Whether the people there are great or not has depended on the timeframe and era (relevant if doing deep dives into the archival threads). One thing just to accept going in is that the subject of discussion is TSR-era D&D, and not TSR-era D&D through the lens of WotC-era D&D, and that if you also play the later, you can keep it to yourself thankyouverymuch (this may have died down since the heyday of 3E, aka 'the editions that shall not be named').

    There are also a great number of blogs which focus on TSR-era D&D. Most, however, aren't all that specific to AD&D or AD&D 2e (which is probably helpful to your needs), as the subject of discussion tend not to be specific rules, but doing things like setting up sandbox or westmarches campaigns, dealing with players used to WotC-era D&D coming to these games and expecting XYZ, and so on.

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Librarian in the Playground Moderator
     
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    Default Re: Entry point to ad&d

    Quote Originally Posted by Willie the Duck View Post
    Dragonsfoot is a great resource for questions and advice. Whether the people there are great or not has depended on the timeframe and era (relevant if doing deep dives into the archival threads). One thing just to accept going in is that the subject of discussion is TSR-era D&D, and not TSR-era D&D through the lens of WotC-era D&D, and that if you also play the later, you can keep it to yourself thankyouverymuch (this may have died down since the heyday of 3E, aka 'the editions that shall not be named').
    It's mellowed a lot; the 1e board (of the ones I visit) tends to be the most hostile towards examples from other games, but especially post-2e stuff. And if you're familiar with 5e, be prepared for a lot of people to be Wrong. Like, factually wrong, not just opinion you don't like wrong.

    Another good resource is The Piazza... less active, but with a dedicated 2e board, and a lot less hostile to post-2e talk.

    And, as always, you're welcome here. I always suggest tagging to keep people uninterested from bothering your thread, but someone coming on to a 2e thread and saying "2e sucks and you should use X" will get a warn and scrub, at the very least.
    The Cranky Gamer
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    *Picard management tip: Debate honestly. The goal is to arrive at the truth, not at your preconception.
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