To ALL ENWorlders: Did you play 1E AD&D?

[Goblinoid Games]

If you've never played 1e (or haven't in a long while), you really owe it to yourself to play a session or two. Especially now that everything is in limbo with a new version of D&D on the horizon. I actually had a long experience with 2e before 1e (I sort of went from basic to 2e, skipping 1e), and thought that 2e must be way superior....until I played 1e with a kick ass DM. I played a 2 year campaign that kept me chomping at the bit with this DM at the reins, and man I was sold on 1e despite the hype about how much better 2e was supposed to be.

There is definitely something special about 1e. If you don't believe me, why do you think popular publishers advertise 1e or old-school "feel" of their products?

I'm not saying you should convert to only 1e, I'm just saying give it a play or two. Pick out a cool old-school module and run a group through it so that you can have the experience. You won't regret it.

Although, after you do play, you might ask yourself just for fun why one edition might be "sold" as better than another. Is it because "game evolution" is real in a Darwinian sense, or is it more real in a corporate profit sense? Just asking, is all.

 

[Aeolius]

I started with Basic D&D back around 1979, then moved on to Expert, then Advanced D&D. When 2e came out, I took a look at the PH and decided to stick with 1e, which I did until 3e came along and inspired me to convert.

I switched my current campaign, an undersea play-by-post, from pre-Wars 1e AD&D to post-Wars 3e D&D literally overnight. That was fun. I don't see that happening with 4e. A leap-grognard, says I.

The other day, I was looking over my list of PCs... all 1e characters, as that was the last time I was actually a player, instead of DM.

When I first played 4 PCs at one time:
Cornalan, half-elf, male
Mistanda, half-elf, female
Solon, half-elf, male
Twilyte, dryad, female

A winged gray elf and her young barbarian ward:
Heather, female
Usala, female

My highest level PC and his Lady:
Serrus, human, male
Mirada, elf, female

A psionic F/M-U/T and his Lady:
Wulf, elf, male
Corinna, elf, female

Albino drow mage/assassin (thank you UA):
Jesaryth, drow, female - my first evil PC

More UA madness, plus a half-ogre!:
Eclipse, drow, male
Krok, half-ogre, male

Never played a gnome, let's make him a widower. Plus my first Paladin:
Daerland, gnome, male
Talsanan, half-elf, male

A minotaur Ranger/M-U and a companion made just for her name:
Rhebus, minotaur, male
Medea, elf, female

A wild elf:
Daylyth, wild elf, male

A sea elf with a suitably corny name:
Aqualus, aquatic elf, male

Enjoying a bit of oddness:
Aura, atomie, female

PCs from college:
Thistle, halfling, female
Wendover, halfling, male

And of course:
Gykon, juju zombie, male - - my second evil PC

 

[Steve Jung]

Yep, I cut my teeth on it. My cousin introduced it to me and I got my brothers playing for a while.

 

[Napftor]

Sure did, and loved every minute of it.

 

[Greylock]

I say aye. Aye. Started playing around 1981. The only edition I never played was 2nd. That list will likely grow, though.

 

[Korgoth]

Definitely yes. Lots! An excellent game.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yep.

(. . .) -> B/X -> (. . .) -> 1e -> (. . .) -> 3.5. And there I stay, with some other things on the side. Oh, plus house rules, in each case.

 

[Mark Hope]

Yes indeed. Good stuff. Great edition. Love to play it again sometime.

 

[Robert Ranting]

No.

A 2nd Edition one-shot, a couple of short 3.0 campaigns, 8 Arcana Unearthed/Evolved campaigns and numeros one-shots, and currently one 3.5 game.

Robert "I'm Still Too Old To Be WotC's Target Audience" Ranting

 

[ivocaliban]

Nope. Rules Cyclopedia was my doorway to D&D.