For 4vengers: What is your preferred fallback edition?

[cavalier973]

This is going to be the time investment of a single evening.

Speaking of investments: Municipal bonds, I'm talking double A rating. . .
the best investment in the Nentir Vale.



The vote results, so far, are, in order: 3, 9, 1, 2, 0, 4, 12

 

[Oathstone]

I voted for 3.5 but it was hard choice. I really like 3.0 with some minor changes(Monte Cook ranger as default 3.0 ranger for example). It has only few supplements but it's just enough. 3.5 has better writen rules but class and rules bloat is sometimes overwhelming.

 

[MoutonRustique]

Had there been the Arcana Evolved (or AU) variant of 3.x in there that would be my choice, but I went with Basic - it's simple and fun.

But I would probably be one of those people going around asking : "Are you going to finish that game?" and ogling the "plate"...

 

[cavalier973]

So the results so far:

0e -- 3
Basic -- 13
1e -- 2
2e -- 2
3e -- 0
3.5 -- 5
5e -- 16

Interesting results, so far.

Over the past year, I've been buying multiple D&D products, mostly off dndclassics, but also picking up bargains for 4e stuff out of FLGS and Amazon. I've discovered, to my surprise, that I really, really like the Basic rules, especially B/X. I was curious if others were as enamored as I was with Basic.

The only information this poll conveys, however, is which edition various 4th edition fans (and I'm sure all participants were 4th edition fans) who frequent enworld prefer for a one-off game.

That 5th edition is the first choice for an alternative system suggests that the system's designers did a good job, so kudos to them.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

That 5th edition is the first choice for an alternative system suggests that the system's designers did a good job, so kudos to them.

Eh. Could just as easily be that it was the most recent job. New edition smell and such

I, too, would join the chorus of "I'd probably not play D&D at all, though some near-D&D games would appeal. If I was totally desperate for gaming and ONLY D&D were available...probably 3.5e, though honestly my interest would be mild at best.

 

[cavalier973]

Eh. Could just as easily be that it was the most recent job. New edition smell and such

I, too, would join the chorus of "I'd probably not play D&D at all, though some near-D&D games would appeal. If I was totally desperate for gaming and ONLY D&D were available...probably 3.5e, though honestly my interest would be mild at best.

But if there was an opening at one of the 4th edition games, you would play that?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

But if there was an opening at one of the 4th edition games, you would play that?

Absolutely. It's my favorite edition, bar none.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

That 5th edition is the first choice for an alternative system suggests that the system's designers did a good job, so kudos to them.

I wouldn't suggest that anyone did a 'bad job' on 5e, but its the currently supported game, its going to get a LOT more votes just for that. The fact that 'Basic' (actually a whole series of related game systems, but they're pretty similar so...) gets almost as many votes as 5e is far more telling to me. OSR never charmed me, but one must wonder if making a game largely in the vein of 3.x and 4e in terms of scale and complexity wasn't a mistake for WotC. What would a slightly polished Rules Cyclopedia be doing now? It would surely better differentiate D&D from PF and other recent non-OSR-inspired offerings.

And yes, 5e has a 'basic', but it is still far more involved than Mentzer Basic.

 

[TwoSix]

I wouldn't suggest that anyone did a 'bad job' on 5e, but its the currently supported game, its going to get a LOT more votes just for that. The fact that 'Basic' (actually a whole series of related game systems, but they're pretty similar so...) gets almost as many votes as 5e is far more telling to me. OSR never charmed me, but one must wonder if making a game largely in the vein of 3.x and 4e in terms of scale and complexity wasn't a mistake for WotC. What would a slightly polished Rules Cyclopedia be doing now? It would surely better differentiate D&D from PF and other recent non-OSR-inspired offerings.

And yes, 5e has a 'basic', but it is still far more involved than Mentzer Basic.

Yea, I mostly voted for 5e due to the fact that I still haven't played it a whole lot, so I'm still enjoying the freshness. I'd certainly jump on a Skills & Powers derived 2e game at a convention, though.

 

[pemerton]

I'd certainly jump on a Skills & Powers derived 2e game at a convention

You mean you'd jump on it like a heroic person might jump on a grenade, protecting the rest of us from the danger, or . . .?

I did play one S&P game, back in 96-97. Naturally I played a cleric! That was not an entirely balanced rules system.