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Message: <blockquote data-quote="deganawida" data-source="post: 8937177" data-attributes="member: 67836">Yes, and no. Obviously, I went with, “It’s complicated…”My first official D&D game was right after 2nd Edition came out. 2E was kind of my junior high and high school sweetheart, in some respects. We grew apart in college, and I moved on to more gothic types, but she always had a special place in my heart.However, 2nd edition AD&D isn’t really where my heart lies. I wasn’t allowed to watch the D&D cartoon, or hang out with the older kids when they played, but what got my heart racing were the archetypes in basic D&D. I didn’t know that there was a difference at the time, but the idea that all fantasy (at the time I just thought it was swords and sorcery) heroes could be distilled down into 3-4 basic character types, structured around how they solved problems and interacted with strange worlds, was revolutionary for me.Some time in the early 90s, while riding back from a Centrifuge trip, a slightly older teen did a complete ToM adventure using what I know now to be be BECMI D&D. It was kind-blowing for me. There were neat locations, peoples, puzzles, mysteries, and the occasional fight. I was in love.Then, in 1999, I played a little CRPG called Planescape: Torment. At first I had dismissed it, as there were only four classes. Yet, I broke down, bought it, and fell in love. There may have only been four classes, but each of the fighter and multi class fighters had different strengths and played and were written differently. There was more variety there than I’ve seen in practice with any number of kits, PrCs, paragon paths, or subclasses. It rekindled that childhood wonder for basic archetypes, and demonstrated to me that they are flexible by themselves.So, what does this have to do with the topic? I would love a new D&D that used B/X and BECMI as its bones rather than AD&D. Use the AD&D settings, but let me start as basic fighter or basic thief, and let me grow into something as I level. Gate options at higher levels. Give me something to strive for. Keep it at the core 4, but as we play and reach milestones, give us more options. Don’t present me with a glut of choices as I am making a character. Instead, let me play the character, learn who it is, and then grow into the world’s foremost illusion master or a trick shot with a quiver of unending arrows, or anything else like that. Start me basic, then let me grow like I have in real life.That’s my complicated answer.</blockquote>

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