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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jester47" data-source="post: 379600" data-attributes="member: 2238">Second edition seems to have three phases.  The first was the no demons or devils sanitised version.  At this point the materials were horrible.  Every 2e item I have read from this era pales in comparison to 1e and 3e materials.  There was a general lack of creativity at TSR after the release of 2e.  I do not think this was because the witers were not creative, I just think a lot of what they wanted to do was getting vetoed.  We do not see the really cool stuff of second edition appear until about 1993.  This is where TSR realised thier mistake and created several campaign settings to cover thier asses.  Planescape brought back the demons and devils, Darksun was aimed at the post apocalyptic crowd, and Ravenloft was brought out to bring the lost spider farmers back into the fold.  (I fit into all three demographics at the time).  I remember Origins 93 and that Gurps had released a version of Vampire, GDW was going well, cards had not hit yet and everyone was either a netrunner or a vampire.  Looking at the selection of products from 89 to 92 we some gems but over all it is a collection of really boring things.  Before these, there was a watered down Greyhawk, A sterelised forgotten realms (including all the Karatur and Alquadim stuff), and what else? Nothing (ok I forgot dragonlance, but even that got boreing).  1e compared to pre 92 2e (I say 92 just to give the benefit of the doubt as I do not have access to ravenloft stuff) is far more gritty and mature.  Just page through the Monster Manuals and the Monsterous Compendium.  The art is pretty weak.  It does not get good agian until the Monsterous Manual which was published in (ta da!) 1993.  But my 1993 it was too late.  Aaron.</blockquote>

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