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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 7567725" data-attributes="member: 6775031">This bit from the PHB 2E appears to be the predecessor to opportunity attacks:[SBLOCK]RetreatTo get out of a combat, characters can make a careful withdrawal or they can simply flee. Withdrawing: When making a withdrawal, a character carefully backs away from his opponent (who can choose to follow). The character moves up to 1/3 his normal movement rate. If two characters are fighting a single opponent and one of them decides to withdraw,the remaining character can block the advance of the opponent. This is a useful method for getting a seriously injured man out of a combat.Fleeing: To flee from combat, a character simply turns and runs up to his full movement rate. However, the fleeing character drops his defenses and turns his back to his opponent.The enemy is allowed a free attack (or multiple attacks if the creature has several attacks per round) at the rear of the fleeing character. This attack is made the instant the character flees: It doesn't count against the number of attacks that opponent is allowed during the round, and initiative is irrelevant.The fleeing character can be pursued, unless a companion blocks the advance of the enemy.[/sblock]The 1E equivalent appears to be this paragraph, which briefly described how melee combat works:[sblock]Participants in a melee can opt to attack, parry, fall back, or flee. Attack can be by weapon, bare hands, or grappling. Parrying disallows any return attack that round, but the strength "to hit" bonus is then subtracted from the opponent's "to hit"  dice roll(s), so the character is less likely to be hit. Falling back is a retrograde move facing the opponent(s) and can be used in conjunction with a parry, and opponent  creatures are able to follow if not otherwise engaged. Fleeing means as rapid a withdrawal from combat as possible; while it exposes the character to rear attack at the time, subsequent attacks can only be made if the opponent is able to follow the fleeing character at equal or greater speed.[/sblock]I think that's saying the same thing, but I'm not entirely fluent in Gygaxian. In either case, it relies on the interpretation that standing next to an armed enemy means you're in melee with them, and running past them means you're trying to flee from that melee. Which seems like a perfectly reasonable interpretation to me, honestly, though I do wish they'd spelled that out more clearly. I also wish that Gygax had explained what a 'rear attack' was supposed to entail.If you do use that interpretation, then running past the fighter would resolve similarly in either AD&D or 3E, except that the 3E fighter only gets one attack of opportunity in a round and the 2E fighter can potentially make 7/2 attacks at each orc running past.</blockquote>

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