Well, it would appear that Old School just got a little more old . . . http://www.enworld.org/index.php?page=dnd5e
The more I played 3e/3.5e the less I liked them. I read the summary of 4e and thought - how lame. Hopefully I can avoid learning much about 5e - although morbid curiosity will likely take over as the compulsion grows to confirm or refute the D&D meets WOW and/or Magic TCG rumors about 5e. Long live <= 2e!!!
QFT! :mrgreen: AD&D 2E is the edition for me. I cut my teeth on AD&D in 1983, and then eased into 2E when it was released. The subsequent years were the best in gaming for me with genuinely interesting and believable characters playing through epic storylines ('epic' as in the storytelling, not the levels). When 3E was released I tried... I really, honestly tried. But it just wasn't the same any more. The 'magic' wasn't there. It's as if the roleplaying - dare I say the very imagination - had been siphioned from the ruleset. The focus had been taken off of the DM to make a great story and instead put on the player to make an unreal comic book character come to life. *sigh* And don't even get me started on 4E. So in the interest of being a great storyteller, I'll stick to 2E thank you very much.
2E fans? Add me to the list! 1E gets big points for nostalgia, character, and advancing the hobby, but as ruleset, 2E is the apex, IMO. As for the new ed, I'm getting the sense they're going retro. My guess is that the base ruleset will be similar to 1E/2E, with lots of supplements to bolt on various optional rules (2.5 Players Option and 3.5 Skills and Feats kind of stuff).
I agree! 2e is the dragon's roar. Enough robustness to go crazy on some things, but enough rules to make the rules worth having. What is the point of thousands of rules and exceptions to those rules to allow you to be and do whatever the heck you want to with these newer editions. If you don't want to be constrained by rules then don't have any. There was plenty of flexibility for the imaginative in 2e and earlier. I feel like the heart and soul is gone from newer versions - definitely a different (and bad) vibe that I don't think stems very (much) from nostalgia or comfort.
Started on Holmes, moved to 1e when it came out. Played the crap outta that. Never played 2e. Played 3.X & got sick of it. Skipped 4e entirely. What little I've heard or noticed about "5e" does not impress. Perfectly happy mucking about with B/X-Labyrinth Lord.
Pathfinder is decent, now they have a dozen+ books so they sold out too. Too many damn splat books people!! D&D 1st edition, solid. Best D&D ever, Rules Cyclopedia. Every rule you will ever need in 1 book.
While 2nd Edition AD&D hold some fond memories, I cut my teeth on 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. I still remember seeing the Dungeon Master's Guide not long after it came into print (it was my first rulebook) and I still think it has one of the best illustrations on it's cover (An efreet in the City of Brass :shock: ). The open-ended manner in which the rules are given along with both the nostalgia flooding illustrations and that bit of quirkiness make 1st Edition AD&D the one I always come back to.
