PSA: "Dead" games are still playable

[Bedrockgames]

My table went back to 2E. 3 of the 5 players only ever played 5th. 2 of those 3 love it due to the increased grit. The lone hold out just feels her character is underpowered (she always plays Druids). I've been loving it as the DM.

I've been very impressed by how well 2E holds up whenever I go back to it.

 

[Celebrim]

I've been very impressed by how well 2E holds up whenever I go back to it.

As long as no one wants to play a thief, you'll probably be OK.

 

[Cruentus]

If you're not enjoying 5th Edition, but still want to play D&D, here are some personal favorites of mine that I can recommend.

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DriveThruRPG can hook you up.

Agree. And I’d add OSE and OSE Advanced as well. We went “back” to Basic and then onto OSE, and are sticking there.

Strangely enough, engaging with and interacting with the ‘worldwide community’ has soured a lot at our table to 5e, so there can be good and bad. The latest rounds of doom and gloom don’t really help overall. Granted, there is a lot of great info out there, and it might take some time to find it, but I also don‘t think that changes to the OGL will prevent the sharing of ideas around TTRPGs and DnD in particular. YMMV.

Our table left 5e and the WOTC bandwagon (after really getting rolling back when Ad&d was introduced, so 40+ years of playing) and aren’t looking back.

 

[soviet]

I run 'dead' games all the time - WFRP 1e, AD&D 2e, MERP/RM2. I find quite often new editions are worse designs.

 

[dagger]

I've been very impressed by how well 2E holds up whenever I go back to it.

Best thing about 1e and 2e is every spell, class, monster, item, adventure, campaign setting, race, skill system, and everything else is compatible for either. Its basically the same system. For example, I run 1e but use 2e Monster Manuals and campaign settings.

 

[soviet]

That said my D&D group (that I've run the above games for) do seem to be unduly influenced by what's current. Our main campaign (in which I am a player) has run from 2e in 1990 through 3e, 3.5, 4e, and now 5e - whatever's current. Each time we seem to adopt the new version without reflection and despite my best efforts to switch to 2e it seems we can never go back. This is always the best edition until it's replaced and then it was terrible, let's use the new one. We have always been at war with Eurasia. I'm sure we'll switch to D&D!one!eleven! or whatever when it comes out too.

 

[MGibster]

The whole 'dead game' thing is an interesting phenomenon. If you only play with your own group of friends, then yes, its never 'dead'. There is something to be said however for a global, or large, living community to engage with, interact with, 'talk shop' and essentially share with.

When a game is 'dead' that is harder to get.

The definition of a dead game has always been clear to me. When a game is no longer supported by the publisher, it's dead. The definition never had anything to do with whether people still played the game.

 

[overgeeked]

2e and still have things like THAC0 and no feats and the d20 system for stats would be a big step back

THAC0 is simple to convert. For AD&D and 2E it’s: 20 - DAC = AAC.

DAC is descending AC.

AAC is ascending AC.

Feats you can homebrew or port over. Check out Skills & Powers. The seeds are there.

d20 system for stats? You mean ability checks? AD&D and 2E had those. Roll 1d20 and compare it to your stat. Roll equal to or under, you succeed. For over, you fail. Late AD&D and 2E had a skill system.

 

[DarkCrisis]

As long as no one wants to play a thief, you'll probably be OK.

In my 2E game, the Thief is loving it. Sneak master! and loves disabling traps. Not so great at combat though.... but thats what multiclassing is for

 

[John Dallman]

That said my D&D group (that I've run the above games for) do seem to be unduly influenced by what's current. Our main campaign (in which I am a player) has run from 2e in 1990 through 3e, 3.5, 4e, and now 5e - whatever's current. Each time we seem to adopt the new version without reflection and despite my best efforts to switch to 2e it seems we can never go back. This is always the best edition until it's replaced and then it was terrible, let's use the new one. We have always been at war with Eurasia. I'm sure we'll switch to D&D!one!eleven! or whatever when it comes out too.

The D&D groups I play with use 1e as a lingua franca, but have substantial amounts of OD&D, some 2e and very little BECMI in the mix. I played a bit of 3e and was not very impressed: converting characters and settings would have been a load of work, to little obvious gain. I gave up on 4e about 20 pages in. I've played two sessions of 5e, but there didn't seem to be any radical gains.

Nobody has wanted to move up editions for existing campaigns; some people have started new campaigns under new editions, but the campaigns with the long backstories remain under their original rule systems.

At least to me, using web-based character managers and other software tools provided by WotC puts you in an obviously vulnerable situation if the company wants to force an edition change. Which is plenty of reason not to use them. I've got plenty of experience doing D&D on paper, or in spreadsheets, and I'm happy to carry on that way.