Mercurius
Legend
The purpose of this thread should be obvious from reading below; there have been a few threads closed lately because they degraded into Edition Warring, including one started by myself that was started as an attempt to invite everyone to the game table by showing how all versions of D&D are part of and welcome within the D&D family. Please refrain from making War in this thread: Positive comments only! What do you like about each edition? Just give us a smattering of things and try to find something positive to say about every edition.
OD&D: I love the simplicity and novelty of OD&D; it has a kind of purity and authenticity, as if it were made simply and only for the joy of it, the joy of the game. It was truly a grassroots movement, at the beginning.
AD&D 1E: I love the arcana of AD&D 1st edition, with that Greatest RPG Tome, the original Dungeon Master's Guide, filled passed the brim with strange, idiosyncratic, and joyous Gygaxian flavor. Mostly irrelevant? So what--that's the point! This theme spreads throughout the other hardcovers, from Deities and Demigods (complete with Cthulhu and Melnibonean Mythos, of course!) to the somewhat awkward but fun Survival Guides. And the adventures...if you haven't read and/or run through the classics, from Tomb of Horrors to the Giant/Drow series to the various other Greyhawk-based adventures (the best onces were the higher levels). And I simply loved the Random Dungeon Generator and the artifacts.
BECMI: This is the version of D&D--after OD&D--that I have the least experience with, so my words will be brief. I love the simple, stable rules and presentation of BECMI, with the Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal tiers forming a preliminary framework for 4E's tier structure. The Rules Cyclopedia remains probably the most complete single D&D book every produced.
AD&D 2E: Ahh...settings: from the Forgotten Realmsas the transition from 1E to 2E, to Birthright, Dark Sun, Planescape, Al-Qadim, Jakandor, and I'm probably missing something. I still remember making class after class with the class creation rules in the DMG; I know, they didn't really work, but they were fun.
3.xE: I love how 3E brought legitimacy back to D&D as an RPG in terms of game mechanics, integrating many of the innovations of the last couple decades. I love the core mechanic, the countless options, and the OGL, even if it created a flood of sub-par products; there was a lot of great stuff, too. 3E took the D&D franchise and brought it to a whole new level, a flowering of creativity and publication previously unseen. Among other things, Pathfinder brought in a new level of aesthetics.
4E: I love 4E for its fun new approach to D&D, with a further streamlined game system, balanced and interesting character classes, and pure game-ability. I love how 4E brought DM Fiat back to the front and reminded us that the fun of the game comes first.
OD&D: I love the simplicity and novelty of OD&D; it has a kind of purity and authenticity, as if it were made simply and only for the joy of it, the joy of the game. It was truly a grassroots movement, at the beginning.
AD&D 1E: I love the arcana of AD&D 1st edition, with that Greatest RPG Tome, the original Dungeon Master's Guide, filled passed the brim with strange, idiosyncratic, and joyous Gygaxian flavor. Mostly irrelevant? So what--that's the point! This theme spreads throughout the other hardcovers, from Deities and Demigods (complete with Cthulhu and Melnibonean Mythos, of course!) to the somewhat awkward but fun Survival Guides. And the adventures...if you haven't read and/or run through the classics, from Tomb of Horrors to the Giant/Drow series to the various other Greyhawk-based adventures (the best onces were the higher levels). And I simply loved the Random Dungeon Generator and the artifacts.
BECMI: This is the version of D&D--after OD&D--that I have the least experience with, so my words will be brief. I love the simple, stable rules and presentation of BECMI, with the Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal tiers forming a preliminary framework for 4E's tier structure. The Rules Cyclopedia remains probably the most complete single D&D book every produced.
AD&D 2E: Ahh...settings: from the Forgotten Realmsas the transition from 1E to 2E, to Birthright, Dark Sun, Planescape, Al-Qadim, Jakandor, and I'm probably missing something. I still remember making class after class with the class creation rules in the DMG; I know, they didn't really work, but they were fun.
3.xE: I love how 3E brought legitimacy back to D&D as an RPG in terms of game mechanics, integrating many of the innovations of the last couple decades. I love the core mechanic, the countless options, and the OGL, even if it created a flood of sub-par products; there was a lot of great stuff, too. 3E took the D&D franchise and brought it to a whole new level, a flowering of creativity and publication previously unseen. Among other things, Pathfinder brought in a new level of aesthetics.
4E: I love 4E for its fun new approach to D&D, with a further streamlined game system, balanced and interesting character classes, and pure game-ability. I love how 4E brought DM Fiat back to the front and reminded us that the fun of the game comes first.
