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<blockquote data-quote="Zappo" data-source="post: 1748522" data-attributes="member: 633">It's hard to decide how much of the feeling of each edition is due to the age and experience I had at the moment, and how much is due to the game itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;For example, I recall OD&amp;D being new, exciting and full of freedom - but that's mostly because until then I had only played videogames and maybe HeroQuest. Looking back now, I'd scratch the &quot;new&quot; bit, stare in disbelief at the &quot;full of freedom&quot; bit, and remark that &quot;exciting&quot; is a skill of the DM not of the system. Great introductory game, though. I had noone to teach me the game, so I had to read all the rules and be the DM. If I had to start with a game as complex as 3E, maybe it would have taken me longer to start enjoying myself that much. The industry needs some simple games for total newbies who don't have access to other experienced players. It doesn't matter if they are very limited, they will still be wonderfully varied when compared to Scrabble and Monopoly.&nbsp;&nbsp;2E was The Game Of Cool Settings, and The Game Of Having To Maintain Balance With An Iron Fist Without Even So Much As A Velvet Glove To Soften The Blows. Sometimes I read people who complain of 3E's focus on balance, and I wonder what the hell they are thinking. When playing 2E, I had to waste so much time in preventing any of the players from dominating over the others, depending on the what new book had been bought, that the actual adventure-making suffered because of it. We still had fun, because of the awesome Planescape setting, but when 3E was published I was almost ready to dump the entire system and start writing one of my own. To sum up the feeling of 2E: wonder and frustration at the same time.&nbsp;&nbsp;3E has the feeling of &quot;thank the gods, I can finally stop wasting time on making the system work and get on with the gaming instead&quot;. That, and genuine freedom; if something is disallowed, there is a good reason. Otherwise, it is allowed - and the system doesn't break. Vanilla settings, but who cares, once I have Planescape, I have Planescape forever.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Zappo, post: 1748522, member: 633"] It's hard to decide how much of the feeling of each edition is due to the age and experience I had at the moment, and how much is due to the game itself. For example, I recall OD&D being new, exciting and full of freedom - but that's mostly because until then I had only played videogames and maybe HeroQuest. Looking back now, I'd scratch the "new" bit, stare in disbelief at the "full of freedom" bit, and remark that "exciting" is a skill of the DM not of the system. Great introductory game, though. I had noone to teach me the game, so I had to read all the rules and be the DM. If I had to start with a game as complex as 3E, maybe it would have taken me longer to start enjoying myself that much. The industry needs some simple games for total newbies who don't have access to other experienced players. It doesn't matter if they are very limited, they will still be wonderfully varied when compared to Scrabble and Monopoly. 2E was The Game Of Cool Settings, and The Game Of Having To Maintain Balance With An Iron Fist Without Even So Much As A Velvet Glove To Soften The Blows. Sometimes I read people who complain of 3E's focus on balance, and I wonder what the hell they are thinking. When playing 2E, I had to waste so much time in preventing any of the players from dominating over the others, depending on the what new book had been bought, that the actual adventure-making suffered because of it. We still had fun, because of the awesome Planescape setting, but when 3E was published I was almost ready to dump the entire system and start writing one of my own. To sum up the feeling of 2E: wonder and frustration at the same time. 3E has the feeling of "thank the gods, I can finally stop wasting time on making the system work and get on with the gaming instead". That, and genuine freedom; if something is disallowed, there is a good reason. Otherwise, it is allowed - and the system doesn't break. Vanilla settings, but who cares, once I have Planescape, I have Planescape forever. [/QUOTE]

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