2.0... oh how I've missed you!!!

[Bleys Icefalcon]

It's been a long time since the old Tomes on the bottom shelf have been opened. The Dragonskins binding them threatening to crack as I poured over the familiar text. Soon familiar became intimate once more.

Talon had returned.

Our gaming group for the last several years has been playing 3.5 and dabbling in 4.0 and Pathfinder, and we've found that everything is blurring together. We needed to try something new, something different.

Our excursion into Marvell Super Heroes was fun, but didn't hold any of our attention for long.

Then I dusted off The Complete Rangers Handbook (literally, a thick layer of dust) - and threw it on the table. I ended up passing out Wizard, Barbarian, Fighter, Druid and Thief as well.

The first few hours were difficult for everyone, as many had trouble wrapping their head around such things as Surprise Rolls and Initiative on D10s... and (Gasp) THAC0 and MTHAC0, but once everyone got the hang of it...

... we're on our 6th weekend. Everyone's right on the verge of 4th level, and having the time of their lives. Less rules and graphs and erratas.... mroe role play.

2.0... oh how I've missed you!!!

 

[Crothian]

How did you do character generation?

 

[Bleys Icefalcon]

We threw 5D6, re-rolled the bottom 2, took the best three.

 

[Crothian]

Have you been using the optional individual XP awards that differ for each class? I always liked those and would be happy to see something similar again.

 

[the Jester]

We threw 5D6, re-rolled the bottom 2, took the best three.

Wow, you guys must have a pretty high stat range!

Are you dming? Is the group playing in a published setting? Are you guys going through modules or homemade adventures?

Although it's the least favorite of my editions, 2e has some awesome stuff going for it, especially the specialty priests (generic clerics were pretty much banned in my game). Also, the instant compatibility with 1e material is awesome, since 1e has a lot of really excellent adventures and other stuff.

 

[kingius]

I quite like second edition, too. I'm not sure why, but the internal logic of the whole game system seems to make sense to me. It's definitely not true for everyone, though.

I used to use an initiative system that took into account the weapon speed and dexterity of the characters and disallowed dual classing and multiclassing. For some reason I also can't put my finger on it made the players really focus on the class role within the party and so they took it quite seriously.

Second edition was where I first learned the art of DMing. Since then, I've gone to Red Box D&D, the D&D Cyclopedia, Labyrinth Lord and finally 3.5, which I am also enjoying. Every edition has something to offer.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I've also got fond memories of 2E.

It's when I first started DMing campaigns rather than simply running adventures. And our 1E games were always a battle between players and the DM to see who could break whom first. (There was not bad blood involved; it was just how we played.)

2E was where we started getting D&D "right" - and I'm talking in terms of DMing and playing styles. Also, the Complete Fighter Handbook revolutionised and revitalised the fighter class for us which had an enormous effect on everyone's enthusiasm levels while specialty priests, especially post-Faiths & Avatars as we preferred the Forgotten Realms, got rid of my biggest bugbear as a DM, generic clerics. I could never understand - especially in the atrocious Temple of Elemental Evil - why clerics had the same weapons, armour and spells irrespective of the deity they served.

I'm not sure we would go back to 2E but I keep the core rules CD-ROM just in case....

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

bollcosett
has no status.

Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 6
Novice (Lvl 1)

Reported

 

[Stormonu]

I revived my 2E books last year for a halloween run of Ravenloft, no less. Used the Core Rules 2.0 CD to help me through character generation (couldn't believe it ran on Windows 7). No kits, no Player's Option stuff.

I had fun and the players (who'd only played 3E & Pathfinder) were caught off-guard - especially the wizard player whose level was one lower than everyone else ("What do you mean each class has a different XP table? - that ...rocks!").

I would not mind playing it again, starting from 1st level up.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Lopez3
has no status.

Registered User



Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 5
Novice (Lvl 1)

Reported