D&D 4E In terms of theme, tone, and spirit, I hope 4e . . .

[Vicar In A Tutu]

I agree with the original poster. I never played AD&D back in the day, I just recently ordered a set of 1st edition core books (PHB, DMG, MM). The difference in tone, atmosphere, "vibe" (etc.) from 3rd edition blew me out of the water. Sure, many of the illustrations in the AD&D books were horrible, but even though some missed the mark, there were other illustrations that filled me with a sense of wonder and strangeness. The magic mouth picture is one. I think the quality of art in the 3rd edition books are higher than those of AD&D, but I still prefer the style of the old books. They take me to another place. The 3rd edition art, although very pleasent, fail to give me a sense of strangeness, possibly because 3rd edition art is so grounded in conventional and mainstream fantasy.

 

[Doug McCrae]

I think the magic mouth in Trampier's classic image represents the DM.

It's the centre of the image, the dwarves and hobbits arranged like players sat round a table. They are silent, the mouth is open, speaking. D&D, and all roleplaying, is almost exclusively aural - it's all about speech, sound. The DM's voice, as represented by the mouth, is by far and away his most important attribute, almost his only attribute. What he describes may vary, he may play goblins, gods, serving wenches, but the voice alone remains.

1e D&D put a lot of emphasis on the power of the DM. It's a zero sum. If the DM is powerful then, necessarily, the players must be weak. That is why there are no tall races in the image. Their short stature represents the lowly status of the player in 1e.

 

[Nifft]

They should include art that makes me feel like cool stuff used to make me feel when I was twelve.

Slightly older now, -- N

 

[Awakened]

Why all the buckly hatred?
It's so hip.
So edgy.
By the way, let's have both! Like we currently do! Never look back, just hold hands with buckled-up Hennet down the stairs to the magic mouth.

Okay, that sounded questionable.

 

[The_Gneech]

I'm a big fan of the "let's go explore a dark, mysterious, and dangerous place" atmosphere compared to the "YAAA WE'RE POWERFUL BUTT-KICKERS!!!" feel of a lot of the more contemporary stuff myself, actually. I don't think that's strictly an "edition" thing so much as a gradual shift in the philosophy of the game.

Although now that I think about it, you know how we've got "Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil," "Return to the Tomb of Horrors," etc. ... how would you do that for "In Search of the Unknown"?

"Return to the Unknown" is just contradictory, after all...

-The Gneech

 

[der_kluge]

I've said it before, I'll say it again - "crunch-heavy anime".

 

[theredrobedwizard]

I've said it before, I'll say it again - "crunch-heavy anime".

Some of us like that, ya know? [edit: If I can't say anything nice, I won't say anything at all. No use starting up edition wars again.]

-TRRW

 

[Shortman McLeod]

I think the magic mouth in Trampier's classic image represents the DM.

It's the centre of the image, the dwarves and hobbits arranged like players sat round a table. They are silent, the mouth is open, speaking. D&D, and all roleplaying, is almost exclusively aural - it's all about speech, sound. The DM's voice, as represented by the mouth, is by far and away his most important attribute, almost his only attribute. What he describes may vary, he may play goblins, gods, serving wenches, but the voice alone remains.

1e D&D put a lot of emphasis on the power of the DM. It's a zero sum. If the DM is powerful then, necessarily, the players must be weak. That is why there are no tall races in the image. Their short stature represents the lowly status of the player in 1e.

Hee hee! Good one!

Uh, you *were* just trying to be funny, right?

 

[TerraDave]

I might give another example:

But mostly agree. Though I would say that the real problem is that 3rd ed lacks style and vibe. In fact, the sorcerer picture is not so bad, cause at least it has a style of a kind.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Who could forget the majesty, the excitement, the drama of the awe inspiring masterpiece "Diaperman in Peril".

I thought 1st edition art was dorky and frequently juvenile when I was 10. Har har, look the mage summoned a banana peel. Look, the magic mouth is a magic mouth.