What was the first Dungeons and Dragons rule system you used?

[darjr]

Yes indeed, that was it. I haven't seen that image in close to 25 years, but I recognize it without a doubt, it made that much impression on me (I don't know why).

Did that image appear in any other version of the printed rules up to 1987?

(I tried to XP you for producing that, but have done so too recently, apparently).

I wonder how many other people are in this boat. The first rule set I saw in play was the Holmes edition. But I didn't know that till just a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon one for sale. The first page I flipped to had the piece of art I recognized. It was like finding a long lost friend.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

While these results tell us more about the demographic of ENWorld than anything else, they also hint that Mearls is probably right about the importance of a basic version of the game.

I got my start with the Dragonstrike board game, then was introduced to AD&D Second Edition. I didn't get my own books until Third Edition, though.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I wonder how many other people are in this boat. The first rule set I saw in play was the Holmes edition. But I didn't know that till just a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon one for sale. The first page I flipped to had the piece of art I recognized. It was like finding a long lost friend.

Yeah, this is a revelation for me. I always assumed that it was 1e, but when I started learning that there were all kinds of other D&Ds out there, I began to doubt. I knew about basic, but didn't know that there were so many versions of it!

 

[jonesy]

I wonder how many other people are in this boat. The first rule set I saw in play was the Holmes edition. But I didn't know that till just a couple of years ago when I stumbled upon one for sale. The first page I flipped to had the piece of art I recognized. It was like finding a long lost friend.

It might just be the stark contrast of black and white art, but I have a hard time remembering any of the full colour page art from rule books.

 

[fjw70]

While these results tell us more about the demographic of ENWorld than anything else, they also hint that Mearls is probably right about the importance of a basic version of the game.

I got my start with the Dragonstrike board game, then was introduced to AD&D Second Edition. I didn't get my own books until Third Edition, though.

I wonder how the Pathfinder Basic Box has been on attracting new to RPG players? It is the best basic version of D&D in probably 15-20 year but it doesn't have the name recognition of official D&D.

 

[jonesy]

I wonder how the Pathfinder Basic Box has been on attracting new to RPG players? It is the best basic version of D&D in probably 15-20 year but it doesn't have the name recognition of official D&D.

I think a lot of the people buying it who were already into RPG's have been getting it as a gift for new players (I know I have), and on the Paizo forums there are players asking for advice on roleplaying and the running of games who are totally new to the hobby, so I think it's a not insignificant portion. The thing is, if the full Pathfinder rules were doing badly I'd say the Beginner Box was a smashing success, but right now the core rulebook are outselling the beginner set by a rather large margin (for example, on Amazon the beginner set is #19 in Gaming Books while the Core Rulebook is #2). Looking at it like that their core rules seem to be doing a better job of attracting players. But really, I'm just guessing. You could try posing the question on the Paizo forums?

Edit: also, and again just a guess, many of the players beginning now are very young, so the question might be premature by several years. Or at least very hard to gauge.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

It might just be the stark contrast of black and white art, but I have a hard time remembering any of the full colour page art from rule books.

For me it depends entirely on the piece in question. Some images resonate more strongly with me than others, and often for reasons I don't understand. Take the image I asked about - it's not what I would consider aesthetically pleasing, and it shows a rather unpleasant narrative, but I think it stuck in my mind because when I first saw it, I was keenly interested in the game and it was the first time I got to look at a rulebook.

Since then, other images have ingrained themselves on my mind, both colour and 2-tone (many of the blue & white inklings from the 2e books come to mind), some because I like them, some because I spent a lot of my early days with the game just reading through some sections of the books, and others because they seemed to be illustrating an interesting story (pictures being worth 1,000 words and all).

It's an interesting topic...

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

The thing is, if the full Pathfinder rules were doing badly I'd say the Beginner Box was a smashing success, but right now the core rulebook are outselling the beginner set by a rather large margin (for example, on Amazon the beginner set is #19 in Gaming Books while the Core Rulebook is #2). Looking at it like that their core rules seem to be doing a better job of attracting players. But really, I'm just guessing. You could try posing the question on the Paizo forums?

Keep in mind that a gaming group is likely to only purchase a single Beginner's Box, but eventually each player will want a core rulebook.

 

[jonesy]

Keep in mind that a gaming group is likely to only purchase a single Beginner's Box, but eventually each player will want a core rulebook.

Right. I didn't think of that at all.

 

[darjr]

If I can make it work, one or a couple of the beginner boxes are going to toys for tots or other similar charities.