Eilistraee.com

So I am kind of curios what is everyone's preferred edition of D&D to play, keep in mind that you prefer to play one edition over another and it still not be your favorite, heck if you like you can tell me that too. But, I'm mostly just trying to what kind of edition you guys use more than others, see my game system currently leans to a mixer of 1st & 2nd with bits of 3rd/3.5 sprinkled in and a good way to find out appealing someone might find it is to see how closely it resembles something they like. So this poll is in interest of science, delicious... magical.. SCIENCE!

I moved this to General Discussion, did not believe it fit under Joy.

I've only really played 2nd ed. as a table experience (and I think one session of 1st edition or something even older). But I've been most involved with 3E (from the Neverwinter Nights days). And I find those rules cleaner to understand than 2nd ed so I answered that. Perhaps not entirely fair since I don't know any of the other editions at all.

In the end though, for me the rules are the least interesting part of any roleplaying game.

Recently I found myself trying to read the 5E rules (in preparation for Baldur's Gate 3), but had a hard time just getting all the rules they throw up right away. Maybe I'm just getting old.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Shir'le E. Illios wrote: ↑Tue May 05, 2020 7:38 am I've only really played 2nd ed. as a table experience (and I think one session of 1st edition or something even older). But I've been most involved with 3E (from the Neverwinter Nights days). And I find those rules cleaner to understand than 2nd ed so I answered that. Perhaps not entirely fair since I don't know any of the other editions at all.

Well probable better that you played 2nd edition a little compared to what Joe did for us (a wierd hybrid of 1st and 2nd edititon), even if most of your experience is in 3rd edition at least by experiencing some of the older editions it gave you probable a better understand of the game than someone who only started with 3rd and then tried the older edition (i've heard a lot stories of player who started in 3rd and 4th go back to 2nd or 1st AD&D and just did not like the experience, probable had a lest a little to do with their Dm. Most 1st and 2nd edition horror story usually do.). But, you shouldn't really have how to know all the editions, I'm just trying to get a feel for what you ladies and gents like in turns of edition and I agree whole heartily with you on 3rd/3.5 compared to 2nd.

Shir'le E. Illios wrote: ↑Tue May 05, 2020 7:38 am In the end though, for me the rules are the least interesting part of any roleplaying game.

Which isn't a bad thing, some people like to drive their game through narrative element, while others like to make and use mechanic to form a loose narritve. Neither is really worse than the other, some people like mechanic driven narrative (metroid), other like the story to be the only cause of the narrative (Final Fantasy).

Shir'le E. Illios wrote: ↑Tue May 05, 2020 7:38 am Recently I found myself trying to read the 5E rules (in preparation for Baldur's Gate 3), but had a hard time just getting all the rules they throw up right away. Maybe I'm just getting old.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

Ooooh, yeah.... I really didn't really care much for the 5th Edition rule much, there is some neat ideas in their..... Butttt, everything from older editions they tried to pull into it was done way better in the editions the mechanics came from.... then you get the rule for cantrips and then take a look at the descriptions of the spells and then your like... ouch, pathfinder did it better. Did anyone ever tell you that monster Hp is kind of in the middle between Old school (1st and 2nd) and 3rd in 5th edition, so you got this weird bit where monster have slightly better hit points then 2nd edition, but the cantrip are dealing damage like it is still 4th edition... it kind of strange. While they do through a lot at you in the first two chapters they actual spend 70% of the time telling you this rule and rule are optional. Seriously, its like 80% of the games core mechanic are like optional according to them, also they really want you to know they made a "modular game"... *sigh* I think that line from the Princess Bride is best use to describe this , "I don't think that word means, what you think it means!?" Honestly, I feel every single one of the Next Playtest packs are a better edition of D&D then 5th, hell they even had some really great mechanic ideas that apparently two-thirds of playtesters didn't like, that has say something. Maybe about the mind set of most active D&D players, maybe about social, maybe two-thirds of Playtester need to get a degree in game design.... Probable I'm just a bit salty about it, seriously though getting to +1 bonus to an ability score that you class uses when you begin the game with the assumption that you character actually gained something from his training in his class, because of course you'd have to be improved a little from all that hard work was an awesome mechanic, that also worked narratively... yet... Poof.

I have a big, big 3.5e D&D group. Upwards of 50 players and 8 DMs with an average of 6 games a week. 3.5e is the only one I can bring myself to enjoy. I tried 2e but some things were just backwards when they didn't need to be. 5e just isn't a mature system and at the rate they are going in 10 years it still won't be. Plus it lacks some pretty significant things that I enjoy on a lot of characters. Sure, homebrewing can fix that but I don't feel I should have to fix huge swaths of a system and add things that should have been included from the start like previous editions did. Like... the ability to actually craft.

That being said, Shir'le. If you are willing I would be quite eager to try to be your guide into 3.5e.

3.5 no contest.

Played d&d, one of friends in junior high had his older brother's set. Then we moved up to 2nd E for a short bit. Funny side story got a job once because I told the interviewer that I could calculate THAC0. He was impressed when I did it. But 3rd/3.5 is my jam. It gives the most options for player develop. And it we have the most books for it. 4th was just bad, and 5th is just hasn't blown our collective hair back.