1E Resurgence?

[Goblinoid Games]

That last part mirrors my own experience when I returned to the older editions. One of the things that I picked up while running 3e was an appreciation for the "behind the curtain" stuff; basics of game design and understanding *why* specific rules exist or are written the way they are. When I started playing older editions, again, I took that attitude and applied it to the older editions, too, asking "why is this set up this way?" If you do that and you approach the game on its own terms, it often makes sense of rules and approaches that may not have made sense, before. (I touch on this in my "Considering OD&D?" musing.) I have a better understanding and appreciation of the game than I did when I was younger, and I think I do it a lot more justice, these days.

Which, IMHO, is another argument against the idea of some Darwinian evolution of PnP RPGs. Rules are just rules, and there is certainly logic behind them no matter what edition you're talking about. Rules can only be qualitatively better compared to other rules, all in the eye of the beholder, not quantitatively better.

 

[joethelawyer]

if the rest of my group would do it, i would just play AD&D. unfortunately they like 3.x. alas....

 

[Darrin Drader]

In my case, it's the fact that I have a limited amount of time to prepare, coupled with the fact that I'm looking for something so simple that I can get my eight year old daughter to understand it and get excited about it. While she's a bright kid, 3.5 is a little on the advanced side for her to understand. Also, a lot of it is simply retro-appreciation. 1E is what hooked me, so it only makes sense to revisit it from time to time.

I still love 3.5/Pathfinder, and I'm doing a lengthy project for said system right now, which might be another reason why 1E has my attention: I can think about it without my compartmentalized brain losing focus on the piece I'm working on.

 

[CleverNickName]

Well, I can't speak for everyone, but the thing that got me most interested in the earlier editions of D&D was Castles & Crusades.

I picked up the starter rules for C&C back on Free RPG Day. That little yellow booklet reminded me that the game doesn't have to be as complicated as it is now (yes, even under the 4E rules.) I remembered that once upon a time, all we needed to play were two books, some dice, and a few sheets of graph paper.

The funny thing is, I never really got into C&C. I played the demo game at my FLGS once, and I showed it to my group, but it never really took off. As it turned out, we didn't want to learn a new game system; we wanted to play the old BECMI ones instead. We already had the books, we were already familiar with the rules, all that.

 

[Aus_Snow]

A bit, yeah. But it seems to come and go, though not totally go, during any given year (since its existence in the first place, natch.) Nothing to do with 4e whatsoever, not surprisingly - except by way of extreme contrast, perhaps. Anyway, the forums seem to be at somewhat a (slightly) high(er) point on the wave, sure.

And it's not a bad thing, I might add. I loves me some 1e goodness, every now and then. And I'd be willing to go back to some Basic/Expert or the like, if it were an option. Finally, some day, I'll have to give OD&D (yeah, 1974.. that one) a go, as I've never had the opportunity, and well, that's where it all began. In the very first campaign setting as well, because, I dunno, it seems appropriate, and it looks like fun.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

once upon a time, all we needed to play were two books, some dice, and a few sheets of graph paper.

Two cheap books, some dice and a few sheets of graph paper.

Nowadays you've got it even better--there's Labyrinth Lord. So that's one free book, some dice and a few sheets of graph paper.

LL would work brilliantly for introducing children and young people to the game.

 

[S'mon]

My not liking 4e mechanically certainly caused me to look elsewhere. OTOH I found the Points of Light concept inspiring, it crystallised something I hadn't realised before: That pre World of Greyhawk (1981-3) the D&D-verse was a much more chaotic and fun place. That PoL settings like the old Titan: The Fighting Fantasy world or Judges' Guild Wilderlands are a lot easier to run exciting adventures in than are settings dominated by powerful kingdoms. I think PoL inspired me to 'rest' my long-term campaign world Ea, which is a Greyhawk-style 'Points of Darkness' setting, and begin play in a new PoL-homebrew based vaguely on Europe ca 730 AD.

 

[Ant]

My not liking 4e mechanically certainly caused me to look elsewhere.

You and me both, S'mon. I'd like to thank 4e for helping me find OD&D and not because 4e had these supposed "back to it's roots" qualities.

 

[Hairfoot]

I'm a full-circler. Playing 4e has reminded me what it's like to play fast, on the fly and sometimes even with the books closed.

But I now wonder why I would do that with a system which is a de facto superhero tabletop wargame and thematically pitched at an audience half my age, when I can use an old D&D edition to play, well, D&D.

 

[Remathilis]

I think it's the rabid 2e/3e/4e fanboys' realization that ONE EE CONQUERS ALL ...!

I missed all the rabid 2e fans that are running this place. Care to point to which forum they're hiding in?