What do you dislike about 1E?

[francisca]

Not really. People diodn't know better it was one of a few games on the block. Now with all these great games out there the compitition has created better games.

I'm not really going to disagree. But I am going to say that D&D, and 1e AD&D were the right games at the right time to give RPGs the kick to make them what they are today. I don't believe that just any old RPG would have done it. If D&D and AD&D were utter crap, RPGs would have been DOA, and a large segment of the gaming would either be vastly different, or non-existent.

Perhaps Traveller could have been a catalyst, with Star Wars and Close Encounters being in the public mind at the time, but somehow, I doubt it.

 

[Crothian]

I'm not really going to disagree. But I am going to say that D&D, and 1e AD&D were the right games at the right time to give RPGs the kick to make them what they are today. I don't believe that just any old RPG would have done it. If D&D and AD&D were utter crap, RPGs would have been DOA, and a large segment of the gaming would either be vastly different, or non-existent.

Perhaps Traveller could have been a catalyst, with Star Wars and Close Encounters being in the public mind at the time, but somehow, I doubt it.

Well, it is really impossiuble to know what would have done the job or not. D&D was the first and what it did is in evidence, but speculating if another game could have done that is tough.

 

[MerricB]

What D&D got right: Combat and Advancement.

At its heart, D&D is a game where you go into a dungeon, kill monsters and take their stuff.

The basics of the D&D combat system: roll d20, compare attack modifiers & level with AC, and deal damage in hit points, are inspired. They work really, really well - and are the biggest change from Chainmail (where one hit would kill).

Advancement is also simple: gain XP for killing things and taking their stuff, and it translates into better ability to hit things, or to better spells to kill things with.

Most of the advancements in D&D since them have boiled down to, "how do you want to kill things?" and "what things do you want to kill?" and "what great stuff do they have?"

The other change is in the other sort of challenges: those that skills would deal with. However, they're rather peripheral to the entire bit of killing things and taking their stuff that is at the heart of why D&D is a fun game.

Cheers!

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Not really. People diodn't know better it was one of a few games on the block. Now with all these great games out there the compitition has created better games.

I'm with Rogueattorney. The so-called "better games" - aren't.

 

[diaglo]

But that doesn't mean that the mechanics of the thing were solid at the time, and it took alot of work to keep it going.

it still does. otherwise WotC and other companies wouldn't still be churning out d02 crap.

 

[Storm Raven]

Because of all the options availible in the later games.

How does the fact that there are other options available make it more difficult to play with just the three basic books?

 

[Crothian]

How does the fact that there are other options available make it more difficult to play with just the three basic books?

Temptation and need to get them. All of the rules are not in the core books. Complete arcane has the rules for sneak attack and spells for instance something that is not covered in the core books but can come up ijn a normal game.

 

[francisca]

Temptation and need to get them.

You shouldn't project your own flaws on the community at large.

 

[Crothian]

I'm with Rogueattorney. The so-called "better games" - aren't.

Better is of course an opinion and mine are that games have improved. The writing is better, the layout and orgnization are better, the production values are better. Game desingers themselves have learned a lot and that knowledge has constructed better games.

edit: well, I started a thread elsewhere and so far it is a resounding yes that games have improved over the past 20+ years.

 

[Crothian]

You shouldn't project your own flaws on the community at large.

You are right. I am the only person the buys the new books. I'm suprised I didn't see it before. :\