Which edition would best fit my playing style?

[delericho]

5) D&D 4E, with which I'm not very familiar; many people seemed to think that this fits me best so this is an option. The main downsides are the limited number of core classes in the PHB, the difficulty of creating new classes

While I wouldn't recommend 4e, I would like to address this:

While the 4e PHB only has eight classes in it, it does have eight solid, playable classes in it. This compares very well with 3e, where of the eleven core classes, at least four were rather poor (Ranger, Monk, Bard, Sorcerer), 2nd Edition where there were nine but tight limits on which race could play which class, and where some classes were very similar to others (specialist wizards were very close to the mage, and the fighter offered very little that the ranger or paladin did not), or Rules Compendium D&D (where races were classes, and there were only a small number of options).

Perhaps more to the point, eDragon has already added a handful of new classes to the game (Artificer, Barbarian and Bard, and I think Swordmage may also be on there somewhere, but I might well be wrong about that). Also, for the purchase of one extra book (PHB2 in January), the number of available races doubles.

So, if this is your only strike against 4e, then perhaps it is worth considering. Personally, I wouldn't (my group tried it and decided it wasn't for us), but it might suit you.

 

[delericho]

7) OSRIC, which is a clone of OD&D; I don't know if I could get it printed by LULU, otherwise it'll mean printing it myself.

Oh, a possible nitpick: OSRIC is a clone of AD&D 1st Edition, not of OD&D.

I'm not particularly familiar with either 1st Edition or OSRIC, so won't comment on how well it meets your needs.

 

[Odysseus]

Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game seems to me the best of the list. However E6 which is just a sawn off version of 3E , would be a zero cost version if you have the 3e rules.

 

[sjmiller]

My first choice in your case would be GURPS, either 3e or 4e. It fits pretty much all your criteria. My second choice, which seems to buck the norm, is AD&D 1e. Just remember that lots of stuff in there is optional and you are good to go. Actually, that applies to GURPS too. For many years I ran great fantasy games in AD&D 1e or GURPS 3e and I rarely bothered to look at books during the game. Just roll some dice, decide if it worked, and go from there. Just be consistent in your rulings and you will be fine.

 

[Grazzt]

Castles & Crusades I believe would be the best fit.

 

[tenkar]

Agreed. Castles & Crusades sounds like the best (but not a perfect) fit.

Another vote for C&C and perhaps LL... LL is a free download so it might be a good choice for experimenting.

 

[tenkar]

Thanks you all for the many helpful replies!

So far, the possible candidates seem to me (NOT[/b} in an order of preference):



6) Castles & Crusades, with which I'm not familiar; many people seemed to think that this fits me best so this is an option. This is also a bit expensive but if I could get the Boxed Set from Troll Lord Games, this will only cost me half of what 4E would.


Any additional input, insights and suggestions would be very welcome - and no, this is no limited to D20/D&D by any means!

The C&C boxed set is like the classic OD&D boxed set... 3 levels of gaming... its cute and sits on the shelf next to my classic OD&D boxed set

buy.com has the C&C PHB for $13.52... get you order to 25 bucks and the shipping is free. They don't have the Monster's and Treasures book in stock directly... an affiliated merchant has it for less then $13 but you'll need to add shipping (brings the price to about $16) EDIT (well the link for the M&T book is for a used copy, but the price is now 9 bucks plus shipping... or you could just download the OSRIC 2.0 rules for free and crib the monsters from there)

i've been playing in a C&C campaign using the Fantasy Grounds 2 online gametable and the system feels fairly tight so far. Not rules heavy in the least. You can use OSRIC / LL / BRP adventures with little to no conversion.

 

[jdrakeh]

OD&D (Original D&D) and BD&D (Basic D&D) are different things. BD&D failed to make your list, though it is what I would recommend for you first. It's essentially a more coherent OD&D with polyhedral dice added to the mix and a fairly detailed setting (via the GAZ supplements). You might want to look into Labyrinth Lord, which is a 'clone' of BD&D and its various incarnations.

Failing the ability to procure BD&D or Labyrinth Lord, I'd take a look at OD&D or its clone (Swords & Wizardry). Although both games are a bit less polished than later reiterrations of D&D, they do rely primarily on six-sided dice (which I like) and require little (if any) rule book reference during play. Also, this is the system that Greyhawk was originally designed for.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

I don't recommend OD&D or BD&D for the OP. One of the things he wants is interesting and varied character choices. OD&D and BEMCI Basic D&D do not offer that. If you include multiclassing, AD&D 1E and 2E provide that just fine.

 

[Thanee]

So far, the possible candidates seem to me (NOT in an order of preference): ...

You forgot one, which I posted kinda in jest, but it was actually meant as a serious candidate.

Savage Worlds (scroll down a bit) ($10 for the Explorer's Edition gives you a complete game, not free, but almost)

Savage Worlds Test Drive Rules (free)

Bye
Thanee