Is it possible that 2nd edition could make a very popular come back?

[DaveMage]

I have very conflicted feelings with regard to 2E.

The 2E setting material is by far my favorite, but the rules wackiness (kits, etc.) killed my campaign back in the day. I had players that refused to play D&D anymore due to 2E's issues. They came back to D&D for 3E, though.

 

[WayneLigon]

Just from what I've seen from local gamers, they'd never go back to it. Too restrictive, and requires the same heavy house-ruling as 1e/OD&D to make it playable.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

One attraction is does have is Core Rules, the oddly-named but surprisingly functional piece of software for character generation etc.... And one of the things that drew me to Core Rules at the time was having the PHB et al in RTF format which meant I could incorporate house rules directly into the text.

But the problem I find with either version of AD&D is that my house rules end up being a fairly significant rewrite... and for that I am better off starting with Swords & Wizardry as a basic skeleton.

Anyway, I can imagine someone with the Core Rules CD-ROM deciding to have another go with 2E.

 

[Mercurius]

All editions of D&D were, are, and forever will be "playable." The problem, though, is that up until 3E, D&D was a kind of Frankenstein's monster - many disparate pieces sewn together. 3E tore the whole thing down and built it back up from the ground with a stronger core foundation, one akin to other third wave* RPGs which were designed with core mechanics and tidier rules.

This is why I don't think any OSR game will ever become a big force again - they're all just too anachronistic, too cobbled together. Game design has moved on. The closest thing to an OSR game that, I think, has the design integrity to be successful long-term is Castles & Crusades, which is sort of like "3E Lite" but going for an OSR vibe. But I don't think it has the publishing pizazz or marketing chutzpah to do it. Plus the name implies medieval simulation, not fantasy heroism. They would have been better off with something more fantastical.

*By "third wave" I mean the RPGs like Talislanta and Ars Magica, and then Vampire and Mage, that started coming out in the late 80s and early 90s that had tighter mechanics. First wave with be pretty much any version of D&D before 3E; second wave would be games like Runequest and Rolemaster that were doing something similar to D&D, but in a different way. In this sense, 3E was a third wave game, even though it came out around the time of the "Indie Revolution" and would could be called fourth wave games. But I'm just making this up as I go along...

 

[Descartes]

I started in 1st edition and a few years later 2nd edition came out. At the time it was cool because it streamlined a lot of things but what eventually turned me away from the game was the fact I couldn't play a character from the D&D related novels. There was too many nos in the rules, then 3E came out and I loved D&D once again.

My biggest problem with 3E was the character creation rules. Following the rules in the book and looking at the stats of npcs in the modules you had to wonder why you were playing mooks and the dm was following a very different set of rules. That is one of the things I love about Pathfinder, the NPCs use the same point buy system as the PCs for the most part in the printed modules, I just hate the Frankenstein feel of the Pathfinder world.

I do think that WOTC is going to alienate more customers than they bring in with each new edition that totally changes the previous edition (like 3rd to 4th ed.). Look at the Forgotten Realms, they had to jump over 100 yrs on the timeline and create the Spellplague. Never mind that the novels and continuity was one of the most popular features of that campaign world. We're just going to kill off all the characters you liked to read about and you'll just have to suck it up.

 

[interfactor]

Myth and Magic

Myth and Magic is an outstanding 2e retroclone. It really does sand down some of 2e's rough edges. But that being said, 2e is a solid game and provided our group with many years of enjoyment. If you don't like kits, then don't use them. If you don't like the splatbooks, don't use them. The rules contained in the PHB, DMG, and MM are all you need.

interfactor

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I will play any edition of D&D, but I don't see 2Ed ever being a major presence in the market again.

 

[billd91]

I would also happily play 2e, but as with DannyAlcatraz, I don't see it factoring heavily in the market again.

 

[Zardnaar]

Myth and Magic is an outstanding 2e retroclone. It really does sand down some of 2e's rough edges. But that being said, 2e is a solid game and provided our group with many years of enjoyment. If you don't like kits, then don't use them. If you don't like the splatbooks, don't use them. The rules contained in the PHB, DMG, and MM are all you need.

interfactor

Myth and Magic is incomplete. It is not a bad idea to use it for house rules in 2nd ed as you can port.

1. M&M skill system
2. Fort/Ref/Will saves
3. Revised multiclass rules

And some other bits and pieces. Myth and Magic also had a few oops moments with stuff. They took a few to many ideas form 3rd ed as some of the talent and stacking rules are a bit different from pure 2nd ed.

 

[Turanil]

The closest thing to an OSR game that, I think, has the design integrity to be successful long-term is Castles & Crusades, which is sort of like "3E Lite" but going for an OSR vibe. But I don't think it has the publishing pizazz or marketing chutzpah to do it. Plus the name implies medieval simulation, not fantasy heroism. They would have been better off with something more fantastical.

Hohum... may I then suggest Fantastic Heroes & Witchery. The PDF is for free!