D&D 4E Going/Not Going to 4E which edition did you start with?

[Ebon Shar]

I started with 1st edition in '82 when I was about 14. I recall that all through middle school I was far too "cool" to play and I participated in mocking those who did play. Secretly, deep inside, I longed to play, but was too afraid to step out of my circle of "cool" friends. Luckily, I moved to a new school and was able to let my geek flag fly. A Mormon buddy of mine loaned me the 1st edition books to read with all the naughty bits conveniently taped over.

I've moved up through the editions as they have been released and, as I was editing RPGA modules for WOTC at the time, was lucky to have been able to playtest 3.0. I've already pre-ordered my copy of 4.0 and plan on moving to that edition asap.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I started in 1984 when a friend introduced me using the old red box basic set. I actually owned the rules before that but didn't really get what the game was supposed to be about. After my introduction, it took off like an avalanche. I quickly moved to AD&D and played pretty solidly for the next twelve years. I moved to 2E when it came out, and then quickly regretted pawning all of my old books to buy the new edition (I was, of course, able to repurchase them later). I took a brief break from 1996 to about 1998, and then it's been pretty steady playing and designing ever since.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Started with Basic, not going to bother with 4e. No need to, no reason to, no pressure to (locally.)

Never seen OD&D (that '74 stuff.) Enjoyed Basic/Expert, but found it very limiting. Also enjoyed AD&D 1e for a while, but found the same problem with that. Avoided AD&D 2e, abandoned D&D of all kinds for some time (though not RPGs). . . then came 3.5 (I missed 3.0.) Was impressed and intrigued enough to get back into D&D. Have enjoyed it, and a number of its offspring, 'legitimate' or otherwise, for some years. Still there. Moving to Mutants & Masterminds currently, by the looks of things. I'm really happy to have finally found a game that seems to suit *all* my RPG needs, and so neatly. Quite an accomplishment, Mr. Kenson & co. Thank you!

Anyway, as I've said before, there is quite literally no need (or reason, or desire) whatsoever for me to buy (let alone DM) 4e. If someone runs a game, I'll try it out as a player, sure.

 

[Raith5]

Started with Basic D and D in 1982 and have played all editions since. I like what I have seen so far of 4th ed so I think I will be on board. I wish WOTC's previews would be more consistent though.

R5

 

[Holy Bovine]

I started with the red book Basic set (with the Sorceress and Fighter battleing a green dragon), got the Expert rules then the Advanced rules (I thought they were the next step in the rule chain!). That was in about 1980. I have switched to each new edition ever since and will probably switch to 4E after a while.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Short form - started with basic in '77 and will buy the 4th PH, and likely play it.

Long form-

Odd situation for me - I haven't played D&D in a group setting since 1st edition, to be honest, almost all of my D&D has been 2 or 3 person groups. When I do play D&D these days, it is solo play between me and the wife; just thought I 'd mention that as it might skew the results.

In group play, I play a different system.

I started "basic" D&D in '77 with the softcover books. Played AD&D 1st when it came out, didn't play using 2nd edition rules (kept playing a heavily houseruled first ed) but used some campaign material (notably Spelljammer). Dived into 3rd with great delight, and played 3.x until about a year and a half ago. Primary reason for stopping - the wife didn't have time to come up with encounters and adventures, and published adventures don't do so well for solo play. I also realized that the specific play elements that I like about D&D I could translate and convert over to my primary game system (Hero).

I plan on buying the 4th ed PH, and seeing how it works. If we like the chargen/advancement system (the most important thing in an RPG to us), and the claim about making opposition in a really short time is true, I'll probably play some 4th. If not, I'll still buy some of the books to convert nifty bits (Spells, class abilities, feats whathaveyou) into Hero.

 

[Amphimir Míriel]

Started playing a 1st/2nd edition AD&D weird mix (my first DM apparently never noticed the differences between the rulesets), and I am going to purchase the 4th edition core books.

Don't know yet how much of the 4th edition rules will be part of our game yet... We might end up playing a hybrid (again!)... However I feel confident that the new edition will have more than enough good stuff to justify the purchase.

 

[diaglo]

i started with OD&D(1974).

i'm still playing OD&D(1974)

and plan to continue playing OD&D(1974) long after 4e is dead and buried.

 

[wingsandsword]

When I started playing, it was with AD&D 2e (with some holdover rules from 1e) with the Player's Option/Skills & Powers add-on (what at the time we called Edition 2.5).

I'm not going to 4e, and part of it is that I learned D&D with lots of crunchy bits and detail and simplifying the game (like simplified skills) goes away from how I learned and how I like to play D&D. That for many years all the campaigns I was in involved the Great Wheel to some degree, and many were Forgotten Realms campaigns that revelled in loads of realmslore, and part of 4e is about how the Great Wheel is now considered bad and not fun, and how the Forgotten Realms apparently wasn't good either and had to be smashed and remade as a completely new setting isn't helping at all either.

4e might be a fine game, but it's way too far from what I think of when I think of D&D for me to replace the 3.5 I currently play with it.

 

[Mallus]

I started playing AD&D 1e in 1985.

I spent most of my D&D time running a 2e campaign.

(I think 3.0/3.5 is effectively a different game with the same brand name).

I'm looking forward to starting a 4e campaign using a adapted version of my current homebrew.

I not switching per se, as I'm going to continue running my hybrid 3.5/AE game for the foreseeable future... up into the epic range, if we can keep that delirious wreck going that long (it's amazing how playable a system is when you have complete player/DM cooperation).