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The Bastardization of the Game: Edition Purity versus Edition Innovation
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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 4859944" data-attributes="member: 80487"><p>The basic concept of "playing an edition" did not really occur to me until the tail end of the '80s.</p><p></p><p>The first practical manifestation was some people who refused to play MegaTraveller. There were also preferences for either 3rd edition RuneQuest or 1st/2nd, but they were not such a big deal as far as I encountered them. </p><p></p><p>Those made some sense to me, especially MT versus "Classic", as I could see the significance of the differences and the practical issues involved in trying to mix some elements from one into the other. (Character generation systems would have been a pretty simple swap, albeit the results were notably different.)</p><p></p><p>What really blew my mind was the attitude among some D&Ders that it mattered much which books the DM used, that the boxed sets and the two editions of AD&D were three truly separate games.</p><p></p><p>Up until then, I was accustomed to thinking in terms not of "edition" but rather of "Bill's game" or "Susan's game". All sorts of elements -- not only from various D&D books but from more disparate sources -- had in my experience been freely combined. That was, from what I had seen, standard operating procedure.</p><p></p><p>These days, I am not much inclined to replace or radically change basic procedures. If I find myself doing much of that, I think I might be better off switching to another rules set -- partly because playing "game designer" can be such a tempting distraction from actually playing the game! It's a fascinating solitaire entertainment, but the group is better served with time and energy devoted to the setting and scenarios.</p><p></p><p>Where bits from other games come in handy is in areas they treat especially well. It depends on the interests of the group what may warrant additional rules.</p><p></p><p>I find myself less interested in exploring various game systems now than back when the hobby was not only new to me but still in a pioneering stage. Mechanical novelty does not enthuse me so much any more. That I have both more game experience and more life experience may also contribute to a confidence in using the tools at hand -- and finding a smaller toolkit adequate.</p><p></p><p>I have shifted away from OD&D, with a lot of tinkering, to 1st edition AD&D, with very little in the way of codified "house rules", as my main basis for D&D-style play. I no longer find the same enchantment in (e.g.) The Arduin Grimoire that I once did, although I may draw from such sources the occasional monster or magic item.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 4859944, member: 80487"] The basic concept of "playing an edition" did not really occur to me until the tail end of the '80s. The first practical manifestation was some people who refused to play MegaTraveller. There were also preferences for either 3rd edition RuneQuest or 1st/2nd, but they were not such a big deal as far as I encountered them. Those made some sense to me, especially MT versus "Classic", as I could see the significance of the differences and the practical issues involved in trying to mix some elements from one into the other. (Character generation systems would have been a pretty simple swap, albeit the results were notably different.) What really blew my mind was the attitude among some D&Ders that it mattered much which books the DM used, that the boxed sets and the two editions of AD&D were three truly separate games. Up until then, I was accustomed to thinking in terms not of "edition" but rather of "Bill's game" or "Susan's game". All sorts of elements -- not only from various D&D books but from more disparate sources -- had in my experience been freely combined. That was, from what I had seen, standard operating procedure. These days, I am not much inclined to replace or radically change basic procedures. If I find myself doing much of that, I think I might be better off switching to another rules set -- partly because playing "game designer" can be such a tempting distraction from actually playing the game! It's a fascinating solitaire entertainment, but the group is better served with time and energy devoted to the setting and scenarios. Where bits from other games come in handy is in areas they treat especially well. It depends on the interests of the group what may warrant additional rules. I find myself less interested in exploring various game systems now than back when the hobby was not only new to me but still in a pioneering stage. Mechanical novelty does not enthuse me so much any more. That I have both more game experience and more life experience may also contribute to a confidence in using the tools at hand -- and finding a smaller toolkit adequate. I have shifted away from OD&D, with a lot of tinkering, to 1st edition AD&D, with very little in the way of codified "house rules", as my main basis for D&D-style play. I no longer find the same enchantment in (e.g.) The Arduin Grimoire that I once did, although I may draw from such sources the occasional monster or magic item. [/QUOTE]
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