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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quasqueton" data-source="post: 3263976" data-attributes="member: 3854">I recently saw a calendar at a mall kiosk with an image of three warplanes – a Sopwith Camel, a P-51 Mustang, and a F14 Tomcat – flying in formation with each other. I’ve often compared the history of D&D with the history of fighter planes in my mind, so I thought I’d see how it would work out with some actual thought.Dungeons & Dragons rules editions compared to Airplane history[Original] Dungeons & Dragons (OD&D)Compare to the Wright brothers’ first airplane – It flew, and was an exciting new breakthrough, but needed improvement and expansion to become a full-fledge useful machine.<img src="http://www.cardmine.co.uk/list26/a260784.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Basic Dungeons & Dragons (BD&D)Compare this to World War I era planes – built on the original design, but a step improved; basic, relatively simple, yet effective in their role and time.<img src="http://www.aviationartsa.com/art/Aircraft/Sopwith_Camel.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D1)Compare this to World War II era planes – more building on the original design, but expanding; advanced, complicated, but more effective.<img src="http://airframes.50megs.com/images/morningthunder_p-47.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Unearthed Arcana and other supplements:<img src="http://www.pilotenbunker.de/Plakate/JLM-Nicolas%20Trudgian-Return%20of%20the%20hunters.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition (AD&D2)Compare this to Korean War era planes – expanding on the technology to the point of regularly using jets, missiles, and radar; advancing, and even more effective.<img src="http://www.stushepherd.homestead.com/files/F9FPanther.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> All the supplements take the plane analogy to the Vietnam era planes.<img src="http://www.histoiredumonde.net/images/20_eme_siecle/avions/f4/intro.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> Dungeons & Dragons (D&D3)Compare this to post-Cold War plane designs – expansions and refinements not only to the technology (like “fly by wire”), but to the whole deployment theory; no longer do bombers bomb and fighters fight as separate missions, but operations include an entire “package” of diverse but interworking units, including radar/control, bombers, air attack, ground attack, and even ground and sea forces.<img src="http://pogoblog.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/f22.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> <img src="http://drinkingliberally.org/blogs/oakland/archives/b2%20bomber.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> <img src="http://ve.ida.org/rtoc/images/awacs.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> What more will come?<img src="http://www.einsteins-emporium.com/technology/aviation/xperimental/images/ax000-x36.gif" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> _______________________I can find all kinds of parallels/comparisons in this concept, including how airplane aficionados all have their preferred era.Quasqueton</blockquote>

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