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

[Citan Uzuki]

I don't think 2nd edition will ever make a "come back", but I believe that it can stay very well alive with the people who promote it and enjoy it.

I feel that people like myself who enjoy it and can add their own touches to it can indeed keep it alive by bringing new players into it and showing them the old school way of playing, where skills and maneuvers aren't always dictated by the book, where player ingenuity help form the tactics and abilities of what a player is capable of doing.

Granted, this is my quick personal opinion on the matter. :3

 

[The Human Target]

Necrotic!

History has proven me correct so far.

It seems like 2e is by far the least played edition.

 

[Grandvizier]

I had a similar sentiment back in the day. If we hadn't, home-brewed the game I was running, restricting classes, kits and weapons, and instead allowed all the kits that was coming out I think our group would have given it away earlier than we did. As it is, I had one more run of 2e with new people playing online on a IRC server with my home-brewed game about 10 yes ago, which lasted about 12 months of weekly gaming, before life again got in the way.

Now I'm looking at starting up again with either BECMI or Dragon Warrior, for no other reason to simplify the process, and enjoy roleplay. I find the feats and over emphasis on "hero" building of characters a little too much to get involved with, with what little time I have available.

Sent from my HNT10-1615 using Tapatalk

 

[William Bonney]

Necrotic!

History has proven me correct so far.

It seems like 2e is by far the least played edition.

Wat

http://www.enworld.org/forum/hotgames.php

It's #5 in the top 9 D&D and variants played (second column)

In order:

5th Ed
Pathfinder/3.75
3.5
OSR (Misc)
2nd Ed AD&D
4th Ed
OD&D
Dungeon Crawl Classics
1st Ed AD&D

So it's played more than 4th Edition.
Roughly 1 in 20 D&D games are 2nd Edition (rounding).
Certainly looks like it's sticking around for a while to me.

 

[pemerton]

http://www.enworld.org/forum/hotgames.php

It's #5 in the top 9 D&D and variants played (second column)

Those are measures of discussion, not of play.

For play data, there's stuff like this.

 

[The Human Target]

I have nothing against 2e, but I frequent a lot of d&d/gaming forums and in my experience by far the least talked about version of the game.

That page would also make you think people are still playing a ton of World of Darkness.

I don't believe that for a second.

 

[billd91]

I have nothing against 2e, but I frequent a lot of d&d/gaming forums and in my experience by far the least talked about version of the game.

That page would also make you think people are still playing a ton of World of Darkness.

I don't believe that for a second.

There are still active Vampire LARPs in my neck of the woods. I don't know why it would be unbelievable that substantial numbers of people are still playing WoD games or that 2% of the games on a popular gaming portal might be WoD.

 

[Xyxox]

Those are measures of discussion, not of play.

For play data, there's stuff like this.

That's only people who use Roll 20. I have never used any virtual tabletop. Ever. I still occasionally play 2E, though play Pathfinder more often. Yu're not going to capture me and my players in those statistics.

So it's a self choosing sample which means it has little statistical significance outside of Roll 20.

All of that said, I don't believe AD&D 2E is number five, but I further do not believe it's in last place.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

All of that said, I don't believe AD&D 2E is number five, but I further do not believe it's in last place.

In the words of Ricky Bobby (and Reese Bobby, before him) "If you ain't first, you're last."

 

[pemerton]

That's only people who use Roll 20. I have never used any virtual tabletop. Ever. I still occasionally play 2E, though play Pathfinder more often. Yu're not going to capture me and my players in those statistics.

Nor me or mine.

But what reason do we have to think that 2nd ed AD&D players are especially averse to Roll20, compared to players of other RPGs?