D&D 5E (2014) So 5E is the Successor to AD&D 2nd Edition? How and How Not?

Zardnaar · 2026-04-07T21:57:37+0100

Remathilis said:
My OSR game of choice was Basic Fantasy for exactly that: it feels like Basic (and is very similar) but has race/class separate and upwards AC. It feels like what I would have really wanted when I moved from BECMI to 2e...

Yeah I read the advanced options for Basic fantasy. Bought a hardcopy $5 one of the last free postage Amazon deals.

It was almost weird playing 2E and Basic clones in 2012 after 4E.

Games fast, flows well fun again.

tetrasodium · 2026-04-07T23:39:58+0100

DEFCON 1 said:
Correction... I think getting into an argument about WHICH edition is most like 5E is silly... especially when it continues after each of you have already given your opinion the first time. Because after that, it becomes about "who is right"... which is unanswerable when it comes down to personal opinion. If you give (general) your opinion once in the thread... fine! But to then go pages and pages in bickering "I'm right!" "No, I'M right!" "No, you're WRONG!" is something I feel is perfectly acceptable to point out as silly after a while.

But guess what? You're probably all going to ignore me and continue on with this pseudo he-said-she-said argument anyway... so what difference does it make? You can just continue trying to convince the other person that their personal opinion is wrong, while knowing someone else out there is rolling their eyes at it. It is what it is.

You should go back and read more closely with less skimming. There is a huge difference between that bold bit you think it was about and "no it's not x because [reasons]" -> "[discussion on those reasons]". Obviously those reasons are spot on and entirely valid because you've taken to criticizing the idea of that discussion itself rather than any of those reasons.

Jahydin · 2026-04-08T00:46:34+0100

mamba said:
I am in the same boat, depending on where you fall on that, maybe Vagabond or Bugbears & Borderlands works for you, on the other end of the 'simpler than 5e but more complex than BX' are probably Nimble and Shadow of the Weird Wizard.

Beat me to it!

Second checking out Nimble and Shadow of Demon Lord/Weird Wizard.

Jahydin · 2026-04-08T01:08:55+0100

Retreater said:
Something like a Castles and Crusades with better editing and no confusing SIEGE engine. A DCC without weird dice and pages of spell mishaps and strange charts (and Judges Guild affiliations).

I think I finally found my sweet spot with ACKS II. Cleaned and polished old-school rules with just the right amount of crunch. For instance, I like that Thieves get "Shadowy-Senses" which lets them see in darkness.; a rule that seems obvious in hind sight.

The addition of Proficiencies is just the cherry on top. For instance, back to the Thief, they could take:

Acrobatics, Alertness, Arcane Dabbling, Bribery, Cat Burglary, Combat Reflexes, Combat Trickery (disarm, incapacitate), Contortionism, Fighting Style Specialization, Gambling, Intimidation, Lip Reading, Lockpicking Expertise, Mapping, Poisoning, Precise Shooting, Riding, Running, Seafaring, Skirmishing, Skulking, Sniping, Swashbuckling, Trapfinding, Unarmed Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus

Easy way to add depth and variety to an already solid foundation (AD&D + B/X).