D&D 5E 5th edition driving people back to 1st/2nd edition.

[AaronOfBarbaria]

I've noticed on the Dungeon Master's Guild site that the top 7 most popular books are the 1st and 2nd editions of the game.

I don't think that means much of anything since the site has separate lists such as "Most Popular DMs Guild Products" and "Most Popular Classic Core Rulebooks" that are extremely selective in terms of what can be on each one - they aren't comparing the AD&D player's handbook to any 5th edition rules stuff, which makes sense, but they are also not comparing the AD&D player's handbook to any campaign setting materials or adventures, not even those for AD&D.

Is this becoming a trend? It's like playing 5th edition is sparking an interest to go back and playing those older editions.

If 5th edition is making people want to play D&D, I don't think it really matters which edition(s) it is they end up playing.

I expect there will be people that have never tried the older versions that find 5th edition interesting, see that it is claimed as being "more like the old stuff", and want to check out said old stuff to see if there is even more of what they like about 5th edition present there.

I also expect there will be people that have never tried older versions that kind of like 5th edition but want to get some perspective on exactly what it does that other versions don't, so they are checking out those older versions.

And, of course, I expect there to be other folks like me: I'm playing 5th edition for the rest of my life... but I'll gladly host and DM an AD&D 2nd edition or BECMI campaign if you can find me a table full of interested players (assuming I find time in my busy schedule of also being happy to run a dozen more D&D-esque and non-D&D RPGs).

Lastly, the die-hards that never really switched away from the older versions are still here too - even if they tried out 5th edition a while before going back to their "old reliable" versions rather than shunning the new system entirely.

 

[ExploderWizard]

There also those of us who like and play 5E and also still enjoy playing older editions at times. I have two separate 5E campaigns in full swing right now but when they wrap up I might want to run B/X or OD&D after that for a while then maybe do another 5E campaign.

The point is that 5E isn't forcing any kind of mutually exclusive decision.

 

[Awesome Adam]

I've been reading 1E & 2E stuff for ideas to convert for 5E use, just like I did when I played 3E.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Something I've noticed in my area is that people are dropping their 5th edition games and going back to playing 1st/2nd edition games. I've noticed on the Dungeon Master's Guild site that the top 7 most popular books are the 1st and 2nd editions of the game. People in my own game are wanting to drop 5th and go back to 2nd edition.

Is this becoming a trend? It's like playing 5th edition is sparking an interest to go back and playing those older editions.

Absolutely! This has happened to me and my group. I never read OSR until about 12 months ago.

I think the OSR/1e/2e games are better than 5e. I feel 5e is better than 3e and 4e, but it just isnt deadly enough, has too much magic, too much hit point/damage inflation.

It's easy to take adv/disad from 5e and add it to your fav OSR game, and off you go.

edit: just to be clear, I like 5e, 3e and 4e (played 3e for years, and 4e, and 5e for about 18 months now). I just think the fundamentals of OSR are better than these later editions. Also, as another poster noted - the APs of 5E suck. The older adventures are the best!

 

[S'mon]

I'm seeing lots and lots of 5e being played (playing in two 5e campaigns and GMing two more) while 1e/OSR bubbles along ok (been running a Classic D&D campaign for a year). 5e hasn't hurt the OSR the way it hurt Pathfinder and almost entirely replaced 4e, but it seems to be very healthy.

 

[Azzy]

There also those of us who like and play 5E and also still enjoy playing older editions at times. I have two separate 5E campaigns in full swing right now but when they wrap up I might want to run B/X or OD&D after that for a while then maybe do another 5E campaign.

The point is that 5E isn't forcing any kind of mutually exclusive decision.

Indeed. I'm running a 5e campaign with a group of players that haven't played D&D since 2e (one of whom started in OD&D). I continually mine the older editions for ideas, inspiration, and stuff to convert—because no edition is perfect without adding your own touch.

After this campaign, I may run the classic Dragonlance modules (either converting them to 5e, or being lazy and sticking with 1e) because nostalgia, or I may go with a sci-fi game. Not because I'm dropping 5e, but because I like to switch things up.

Now, I do wish that someone else in my group would DM 5e so that I can finally get to play it.

 

[TheOutsyder83]

Well, I buy 1e and BX adventures on DND Classics to use with 5e.

This.

Although I like the mechanics of newer editions, there is just something about 1e/2e modules that keeps my attention. I have barely touched 5E, but I have been running old modules with 3.5, 4E, and Pathfinder for years.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

There also those of us who like and play 5E and also still enjoy playing older editions at times.

In case that I wasn't clear in my post above, that's what I meant when I said what I said about folks like myself.

The point is that 5E isn't forcing any kind of mutually exclusive decision.

The only thing that can force a mutually exclusive decision is the people you have at your table, and in my experience I find that when a player or DM says "either it's X or nothing," the superior choice for the collective enjoyment of everyone involve is "Okay, bye." and finding players/DMs more open in what they are willing to play.

 

[fjw70]

This.

Although I like the mechanics of newer editions, there is just something about 1e/2e modules that keeps my attention. I have barely touched 5E, but I have been running old modules with 3.5, 4E, and Pathfinder for years.

I ran several for 4e as well.

 

[Lanefan]

The only thing that can force a mutually exclusive decision is the people you have at your table, and in my experience I find that when a player or DM says "either it's X or nothing," the superior choice for the collective enjoyment of everyone involve is "Okay, bye." and finding players/DMs more open in what they are willing to play.

Well, in fairness one other thing (and I'd hazard a guess the most common thing) that can force a mutually exclusive decision is sheer availability of time.

If a DM only has time to run one campaign she (and her group) have to choose what system it'll be using; with the choice of one by extension thus excluding all others. She might be quite happy to run 5e, or 1e, or 3e; but she only has time for one of them and once one is chosen that's it for that campaign.

Lanefan