AD&D Collection

[Krieg]

BTW, I also thought the 2nd ed revised (black cover) was pretty much the same as the original 2nd ed. Is that not correct?

They are essentially the same. Different artwork and layout, but the same text (although the black covers have been errated).

And there seems to be some division on the Player's Option books. Good or not?

Mixed bag. Some great ideas and neat additions, but you need to be very careful about monitoring what you include. Taken wholesale they can be quite unbalancing.

 

[BOZ]

BTW, I also thought the 2nd ed revised (black cover) was pretty much the same as the original 2nd ed. Is that not correct?

mostly the same - there's some errata included.

 

[Orius]

I started around the time the switch was made so I got the horse PHB, the white MM and the black DMG. They're the same in terms of actual game material, except that the black books correct errors in the earlier books. The black books have a higher page count as well, my PHB has triple columns, while my DMG has double columns, and a larger font. Interior art is different, the 1989 originals were black white and blue inside, while the 1995 were full-color. Layout of the 1995 edition is the same as was used in the PO books. Also note the MM is from around 1992 or 1993 originally, before that 2e used the Monstrous Compendium binder.

Also on the subject of 2e books: the Tome of Magic was later printed as a black cover with the original art on the book. The MM had a black cover version too, I don't remember if the black MM came later than the PHB and DMG (I think it did). I think one reason for this was that the old MM and ToM had the old 2e AD&D logo, while all black books used the updated red AD&D logo.

Around 1998 or so some of the books like the ToM and PO books were printed in softcover, but I don't think the three core books were ever printed in softcover.

 

[BOZ]

you reminded me of something that PO'd me about 2E hardcovers. when it started with the PHB and DMG, the font was small (but definitely readable), there were 3 columns, many pages, and the margins were not overly large. by the time they got to the Tome of Magic, the type was huge, there were only 2 columns, there weren't nearly as many pages, and the margins got huge. the books got smaller but just as expensive as the older bigger books.

so, essentially, in the PHB and DMG you got a whole lot for the same price, and paid the same to get a whole lot less in the ToM and Book of Artifacts. i've always felt that the ToM and BoA should have been one book, and they easily could have been.
[/mini rant]

 

[ecliptic]

There is six books in all:

--PHB (Player's Handbook) / 2159
--DMG (Dungeon Master's Guide) / 2160
--PO:S&P (Player's Option: Skills & Power) / 2154
--PO:S&M (Player's Option: Spells & Magic) / 2163
--DMO: HLC (DM's Option: High Level Campaigns) / 2156
--PO:C&T (Player's Option: Combat & Tactics) / 2149

You also need a monster book:
--MM (Monstrous Manual) / 2140

Theres a black Tome of Magic.

 

[Quessoranna]

Much as it hurts me to say it, it might be a good idea to steer clear of the Player's Option books. Once you introduce those, the game has a frightening tendency to mutate into some strange, hissing thing that looks like 2e AD&D, but isn't .

At least, that was our experience. The four or five dictionary-thick folders of semi-houserules derived from every Dragon magazine ever printed didn't help, I'm sure.

Sorry. I'm still trying to get over the emotional trauma.

 

[Akrasia]

You will probably just end up thinking you wasted your money. Once you realize just how horribly bad the rules were.

Rubbish -- you just needed to introduce a few minor houserules, that's all.

And you might find having combat proceed at a brisk pace, without the need for figures and a battlemant, a big plus for the earlier editions.

Anyway, as Turanil pointed out, the upcoming *Castles and Crusades* might satisfy those players pining for pre-3.x simplicity and speed of play, but reluctant to give up on certain features of d20.

 

[ecliptic]

Much as it hurts me to say it, it might be a good idea to steer clear of the Player's Option books. Once you introduce those, the game has a frightening tendency to mutate into some strange, hissing thing that looks like 2e AD&D, but isn't .

We ripped the rules we wanted out of them. We used point buy for races and new thief abilities for examples.

you just needed to introduce a few minor houserules, that's all.

You mean rewrite all of the rules?

 

[Sado]

Anyway, as Turanil pointed out, the upcoming *Castles and Crusades* might satisfy those players pining for pre-3.x simplicity and speed of play, but reluctant to give up on certain features of d20.

What exactly is Castles and Crusades? I cruised over to TLG website but I'm still not sure what it is.

 

[Akrasia]

...
You mean rewrite all of the rules?

Um, no. I meant just what I said: "introduce a few houserules." The bad things were EASILY fixed. Sorry if your experience was different.