As for the comment…2e is more rules that you can shake a stick at so is easy to turn it in to a “home Brow” game. Don’t get me wrong…I have nothing against home brew game…I my self rather play established games/words. I like to know want my character can and can not do. I’m not a rules lawyer by far(I actually dislike rules lawyers) but like to know the rules and world info(fluff) or at list be able to open a book and research it with out having to pick the GMs brain for 30Min.=P

P.s.
By reading my story being told from the eyes of a Drow…What category duos my champaign story fall in to?

P.s.s.
OMG…”I grok, you grok…lets grok together.”
Thats my favorite quote(and book) of all time.=)

I think that A.D&D 2e was all about attitude and flavour. It’s adventure designer Wolfgang Baur’s favorite system too.

I think it’s because it developed so much personality in a restricted timeframe.

(I’d argue it was evolutionary, in order to stay ahead of the World of Darkness Wave)

I find no fault with anyone preferring it to later versions of D&D, I really don’t. However, so far, preference for 2e has been an accurate indicator of people who don’t share my personal tastes with RPGs.

But I really would love to see the fluff love that 2e got into a game whose mechanics I grok.

I believe this to be leveled at me, & I think that you are correct. Lots of people think that this is a bad thing . . . I really don’t know why. I had never thought of my games as being home brewed, but now that you bring the subject to my attention, you are definitely correct. I think that the game should be your own, and unique in lots of ways, while keeping true to core rules. Maybe this is why I have never tired of Second Edition?

-RIP

The Adv. D&D DMG: This book, while a bad reference book for a game by today’s standards, is a gold mine of Gary’s thoughts on the game and the hobby. Many of the tables are still worth it.

Adv. D&D Dungeonneer’s Survival Guide, THE Underdark reference.

The 3.0 Core books, for nostalgia’s sake and because Monte Cook’s DMG is up there with uncle Gary’s

The DMG II for Robin Laws’ essays and the good ideas sprikled all over the place.

Ptolus (It cost 120$ man!)

Dungeonscape (Because deep down, I’m a Dungeon whore)

Return to the temple of Elemental Evil (The maps are worth it!)

That’s about it…

Okay, not completely. Two of my players are into mutants and masterminds and that may lead to a true20 game, but the liklihood of anything else is right out.

That said, I actually like 3.5, I just get tired of only running 3.5 games and want to change things up on occasion.

4e sounds promising enough that, like Chatty, my 3.5 material may find its way to the “sell me!” pile after 4e comes out.

Paranoia is the perfect Stupid game…. it’s good fun for a few hours but I wouldn’t play a campaign of it.

Then…D20 D&D 3.0 came out…I fell in love with D&D all over again. The wide open skills set ( one of my first characters was a paladin with a maxed out Bluff), the new twist on proficiencies( a Wizzard could use a battle Axe but took a negative on every swing, but he could still use it), its explanation for almost every maneuver you might think of(almost) so I did not have to feel like I am playing a “Home Brew” game and make up some rule. It still had things I did not like(Grapple is a big one) but all in all it was a wonderful system. Easy enough for me to teach my Girlfriend how to play but hard enough to keep my interest and not feel like I’m playing a idiot game. The thought of buy more book for 3.5 turned me off WotC, then came Mutants & Masterminds, Star Wars D20, new Shadowrun edition, ext. Eberron brot me back to my D&D roots, I caved and got my the bare minimum of 3.5 books and tons of Eberron material.

1) To say D&D is about killing and looting monsters leads me to believe that you have ever had a good DM.
2) To compare table top RPGs to Diablo or other MMORPGs makes me think that you have never truly rollplayed and only played hack/slash games.
3) To say you prefer 2e to 3.5 leads me to believe that you prefer “Home Brew” games/worlds.(2e is definably NOT stupid but is definably VERY RETRO)

I have my 4e book on pre-order, I am going to like and dislike some things about the system (I already like a dislike some things) but the main thing to remember is that is not the system that makes a fun, is the group of players you are with that makes it fun.

Major Kudos on this thread…good job.

My main hope for 4e is that the mechanics start to support non-combat activities (not the direction they’re going from what I’ve heard) or the mechanics just get lighter overall, allowing for an easier to run and mod game.

Well, D&D in all its versions has always been a pretty crunchy game, so I could never say it’s going to be mechanically light. But it should end up lighter than 3e, at least. Beyond that, we don’t really know.

But for the mechanics to start supporting non-combat activities, I don’t know where you’ve been reading, but that is most definitely the direction they’re going. There will be extensive non-combat challenge systems, for both skill-based challenges and social encounters.

You won’t have heard about the specific mechanics because they haven’t shown them off yet (except for a small amount of the skill challenge system), but they definitely exist.

jeffx -

I am currently running a 2nd Edition game and don’t see it has retro-stupid or retro.

Well, remember that while the titles may seem degrading, the things they imply are not meant as such. While the “stupididity” of a 2e game usually depends on the DM, I don’t think there’s really any question about 2e’s design sensibilities being somewhat retro.

Heck, just from THAC0 and different XP charts for every class, I can’t even imagine how 2e could not be considered retro (as defined above) by these standards.

I don’t think systems are to blame. I like to story games that have plot and an environment that doesn’t revolve just around the characters. It makes for interesting games. I have done that with the basic set, 1st edition, and 2nd edition. I am guessing I could do it with any rule system. Granted this normally meant writing up lots of house rules to cover non-combat things.

All that said, since I have come back to gaming I have looked into a lot of different rules and have found tons of other rules that match my DMing style more. I just haven’t found one that is a medieval, fantasy and it would be difficult for me to find players. It is hard enough getting a D&D group together consistently.

Good job on the site and the blog postings. Thank you.