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<blockquote data-quote="Ariosto" data-source="post: 5078588" data-attributes="member: 80487"><p>The 1978 (Holmes) edition was indeed meant as an introduction -- <strong>either</strong> to the prospective (as in not yet available) Advanced set or the Original one.</p><p></p><p>The 1981 B/X edition was meant as a replacement for the Original, and I for one see no reason to consider it -- or the 1983+ successor BECMI -- a "mistake". I personally prefer the earlier Moldvay/Cook/Marsh to Mentzer's version of Basic and Expert, but the Mentzer Basic has some advantages for the novice who was naturally its intended audience. The Companion, Masters and Immortals sets are in my opinion <em>at least</em> as worthy additions to the D&D field as the later AD&D 1E books or the Second Edition. I am no fan of Weapon Mastery, but neither am I a fan of Weapon Specialization.</p><p></p><p>The characterization of it as a separate game is not entirely anachronistic, as Gygax bruited AD&D as a whole new game. Bear in mind, though, that -- behind such public pronouncements -- one reason for the division was as legal ammunition in cutting off Dave Arneson from royalties for the AD&D line.</p><p></p><p>I think Gary was also honest in proclaiming his intended difference in <em>spirit</em>: D&D for the original audience of free-wheeling hackers, AD&D as a less flexible standard both for tournaments and for casual players.</p><p></p><p>The relative lack of fundamental differences in mechanics had been, I think, well enough demonstrated by the fact that people had been playing with mixed sets during the <strong>three years</strong> in which the MM, PHB and (eventually) DMG were successively released. I recall a few "AC 9 forever" holdouts -- who evinced no sense that it was thereby incumbent on them to pass up the PHB and DMG!</p><p></p><p>Not only did D&D mix readily with AD&D, but so (as illustrated in the DMG) did Gamma World. The Arduin Grimoire and the Mechanoid Invasion were at least as easy to add as GW, but Gygax was not in the business of promoting products from competitors!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ariosto, post: 5078588, member: 80487"] The 1978 (Holmes) edition was indeed meant as an introduction -- [b]either[/b] to the prospective (as in not yet available) Advanced set or the Original one. The 1981 B/X edition was meant as a replacement for the Original, and I for one see no reason to consider it -- or the 1983+ successor BECMI -- a "mistake". I personally prefer the earlier Moldvay/Cook/Marsh to Mentzer's version of Basic and Expert, but the Mentzer Basic has some advantages for the novice who was naturally its intended audience. The Companion, Masters and Immortals sets are in my opinion [i]at least[/i] as worthy additions to the D&D field as the later AD&D 1E books or the Second Edition. I am no fan of Weapon Mastery, but neither am I a fan of Weapon Specialization. The characterization of it as a separate game is not entirely anachronistic, as Gygax bruited AD&D as a whole new game. Bear in mind, though, that -- behind such public pronouncements -- one reason for the division was as legal ammunition in cutting off Dave Arneson from royalties for the AD&D line. I think Gary was also honest in proclaiming his intended difference in [i]spirit[/i]: D&D for the original audience of free-wheeling hackers, AD&D as a less flexible standard both for tournaments and for casual players. The relative lack of fundamental differences in mechanics had been, I think, well enough demonstrated by the fact that people had been playing with mixed sets during the [b]three years[/b] in which the MM, PHB and (eventually) DMG were successively released. I recall a few "AC 9 forever" holdouts -- who evinced no sense that it was thereby incumbent on them to pass up the PHB and DMG! Not only did D&D mix readily with AD&D, but so (as illustrated in the DMG) did Gamma World. The Arduin Grimoire and the Mechanoid Invasion were at least as easy to add as GW, but Gygax was not in the business of promoting products from competitors! [/QUOTE]
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