What's your favourite version or variation of D&D?

[D'karr]

Favorite version in my mind's eye would have been Moldvay / Cook B/X - that's what I started with and I tinkered endlessly with it. The Erol Otus cover was inspired, IMO. Every time I see that cover, and his other covers for adventures in the 80's, it brings me back to those days of summer and the fun we had.

However, my favorite version for actual gameplay is 4e. I find it has a very solid core that is extremely flexible, and I can tweak it to perfection. It also delivers on the promised gameplay of Moldvay / Cook, and it actually does deliver it for us.

3.x was a favorite of mine until we reached level 10. From that point on it sucked for me as a DM.

1e is what I played the longest before that, and it still has a warm spot in my heart, but it never really delivered fully on the game play that I really wanted. I never spent much time with 2e as I had moved to other games by then. Mostly because 1e did not deliver on that gameplay I wanted.

 

[Iosue]

My favourite version of D&D is 4e.

4e is right up there for me, too.

I'm a huge admirer of Moldvay Basic (I've got nothing against X, but overall I don't think it's quite as good). But personally I find a bit of a gap between its mechanics, and its aspirations towards high fantasy - especially because of 1st level hp totals and its "dead at zero" rule. So I can't list it as a favourite version.

Well, no Basic doesn't do the high fantasy so well. The conceit is that you're just starting out in your life as an adventurer and your days of greatness lie ahead. But Expert on the other hand, does high fantasy quite well.

Also, as best I remember, you never finished your Moldvay thread - chapter 8 on GMing advice didn't get covered, did it? I think that's one of the strongest points of Moldvay Basic, and something later versions of D&D could have built on much more than they did.

Never finished the Moldvay thread, nor the "Advice of the Times" thread. I always start out strong, but work and other commitments get me before too long!

 

[pemerton]

[MENTION=6680772]Iosue[/MENTION], thanks for the reply - I'd XP if I could, but the well is still dry.

 

[Dragonblade]

13th Age is my favorite, with 4e as a close second.

 

[the Jester]

It remains 1e, with some stuff from later editions inserted (e.g. 2e's specialty priests, 3e's feats, 4e's tight math).

Why? I suppose nostalgia.

 

[DaveMage]

Pathfinder followed very closely by 3.5.

 

[innerdude]

I thought I had replied to this thread, then realized I had started to, then had to abandon the post while on my lunch break a few days ago.

Hands down, Fantasy Craft is my ideal d20 fantasy system. When I first picked up the core rulebook, I didn't quite know what to expect, only that it had gotten some very positive reviews. Turns out that Crafty Games managed to create the "houseruled" version of D&D 3.x I had been hoping to play pretty much since 3e's inception.

"Vancian" magic greatly altered or nigh-unrecognizable (in a very, very good way). Vitality and wounds. Armor as DR. Ascending defense bonus not tied to armor. Not just class and race, but race, origin, class, and specialty. And the cherry on top? The enemy template builder--pick a "threat level," set a few key stats using a quick table reference, and go. If you want to add feats, etc., you can, but for a simple "thug mook," plug in the values, and you're done in 30 seconds flat. It's basically EXACTLY how I'd been running Pathfinder; Fantasy Craft just codified it.

If I was going to run a d20 fantasy game at all, Fantasy Craft would be it, though I'm pretty well stocked up on systems to run at the moment. Even if my Savage Worlds game ended tomorrow, I'm much more interested in trying out The One Ring, some version of FATE, or one of the Gumshoe games (Night's Black Agents / Ashen Stars) before picking up d20 again in ANY fashion--including 5e.

 

[Raith5]

My favorite version of D&D is 4e by a fair margin.

I am very curious about 13th Age.

I also have a soft spot for BECMI. I especially like the EC parts although I only played them lightly back in the day. I also see quite a lot of CMI in 4th ed in lots of ways.

 

[Gorgon Zee]

13th age, followed by 4e

Nostalgia votes for AD&D, but I wouldn't go back ...

 

[juboke]

1e followed by 3.5.