D&D General What editions of Dungeons & Dragons do you like?

[DammitVictor]

Starting with 1st, huh? My favorite is Classic: BECMI and Rules Cyclopedia and their offshoots like Old School Essentials and Dark Dungeons.

Voted also for 2nd Edition if we're including the Player's Option series, which contrary to the title are more like the 1e/3.5 Unearthed Arcana and the 3.0 Epic Level Handbook and Miniatures Handbook.

Voted also for 3.5 Revised Edition if we're including 3.5 and PF1 and we're including third-party materials and we're houseruling the hell out of it.

Otherwise, look, I consider myself an "I'm With D&D" guy. I will talk about how much I hate AD&D 1E or 5e, but I will sit down and play any of them with the right DM and the right concessions-- "PHB only" is an instant dealbreaker even for the editions I like-- and I won't bitch about it and I'll probably have fun. Me complaining that I hate something about D&D, unless it's theology, is only relative to other D&D.

 

[Ath-kethin]

In started in 2e, and the only edition I didn't play too much was 4e (I'd fallen out of gaming entirely for about 5 years and it was actually a coincidence).

My absolute favorite is the Rules Cyclopedia version of Basic. It's super close to 5e in approach (it even has death saves!), but it's actually rules-lite - and all the rules are in a single book!

The higher upper levels for character progression (characters go up to 36th level then can ascend to virtual godhood, for the unfamiliar) provides a truly epic and built-in world building tool and mythology. Plus the weapon mastery system gives non-casters some truly phenomenal abilities.

 

[el-remmen]

2E, 3E, 3.5 (though with some grandfather 3.0 things), 5E and BECMI.

I liked 1E fine when I was playing it, but not sure I'd enjoy going back to it for more than a one-off. On the other hand, I plan to run a Rules Cyclopedia game some day.

 

[commandercrud]

Why isn't BECMI listed?

 

[Charlaquin]

I haven’t played anything before 3e. Out of the editions I’ve played, I like 4e and 5e. 3e has an undeniable charm that makes me want to like it, but I can’t say I’ve ever actually enjoyed playing it.

 

[aco175]

I liked them all at the time, even 4e.

Looking back I think 3e changed things and gave a big boost to how we played. Some may be the d20 mechanic and standardizing the attributes. Some may be the internet and rise of 3pp. Heck, some may be the age I was at the time of each edition.

 

[Jack Daniel]

0th edition (white box/blue box) and its immediate descendants (pink box, red box, and black box/Rules Cyclopedia) constitute my favorite version of D&D by far.

AD&D 1st Edition is probably my second favorite.

AD&D 2nd Edition would be my third favorite—provided one uses the 1E-style rules for awarding XP (which are optional in 2E).

I don't particularly like D&D 3rd Edition, but I did write up a recent post here detailing what all I would have to do to 3E to make it tolerable.

I haven't played 4th Edition (yet), so I'm ambivalent toward it so far.

I greatly dislike 5th Edition.

…Hm. Something of a pattern, that.

 

[Oofta]

I've enjoyed all editions at the time I played them, although I did eventually burn out on 4E and older versions seemed to fall apart at higher levels (mostly because of the dominance of casters) for our groups.

While all versions have warts, I think 5E is the best so far followed by 3.x. After that it's been too long, except for 4E which is at the bottom of the totem pole for me.

 

[jmartkdr2]

I've have fun playing every edition, but with all but 4e and 5e it's been more-or-less despite the rules rather than because of them. (and I like the rulesets for very different reasons).

 

[DEFCON 1]

I've played them all and loved them all. But I've also been quite happy to move onto the next edition as it was released.

I will also say that I'd be more than happy to play 4E and 3E/3.5 again if a game was to ever come up. However, I'd be hard-pressed to ever play 2E or AD&D again because I find the negative AC system to be too much of a roadblock to any sort of enjoyment. 3E cleaned up just so much rules kludge that I just wouldn't be able to go that far back anymore.