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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Musing Mage" data-source="post: 8216804" data-attributes="member: 7025552">BECMI - it's where I cut my teeth on D&D. I love the simplicity and how it allowed 13 year old me easily learn how the game was played. Also memories and nostalgia.AD&D 1st Edition - my current go-to and favourite edition. I can't quite quantify it, but it seems to have a 'soul' to it that I can't find in other editions. Perhaps it's the gritty, simulation-esque minutiae, or perhaps the right balance of options and restrictions. More than any other edition your character's growth feels 'earned.'1E's chaotic presentation, with contradictions and 'Gygaxisms' make it a blessing and curse. There are so many ideas and notions, with suggestions to make it your own. I have seen so few people agree on many of the rules, but it also really forces DMs to constantly evaluate and grow their understanding. In retrospect, the countless variations I have tried (and failed at!) when interpreting the rules until finally settling on what works for me has honed my DM skills quite nicely.AD&D 2nd Edition - my main bread and butter for a very long time before going retro and making 1E my main thing. Even so, there are many wonderful things 2nd Ed offered (and still offers). Probably the most expansive of the editions, with options coming out of the wazoo, so players aren't wanting for supplements. Splatbooks offered interesting takes on character classes, and barring mechanical options specific to 2E, the roleplaying notes and tips can apply to any edition quite readily.Of all of the 2nd materials, I am a HUGE fan of the Player's Option: Combat and Tactics book and would never run another 2E game without using it. The other Player's Options books had merits too, but definitely require a DM to surgically choose what they want in order to flavour their campaign. (Do not under any circumstance just allow anything and everything from those books... you have been warned!)3rd Edition - Um... heh... nothing negative... <sweats profusely> er... okay... AH! Someone mentioned the OGL! Yes, I approve most heartily of the OGL which came out of the 3rd Edition era.4th Edition - Never played.5th Edition - I have to admit, while at first I was entirely dismissive of 5th Edition, it has indeed grown on me in a number of ways. I plan to run a 5e Campaign concurrent to my 1E game once the world normalizes a bit and we are able to have gatherings again.5E has a few strengths that I must credit. First, it's easy to learn for new players. Very easy. Second only the BASIC D&D in that regard, the system is noob friendly and that's a solid accomplishment. Also, I admire how flexible the system is, which lends to very easy house ruling and adjustments. The system as written is clear and well laid out enough that anyone can just pick up the book and learn to play as written with only a few growing pains along the way... but also allows more experienced or enterprising players and DMs to dissect it and add their own flavour in some aspects without collapsing the whole thing.I feel that D&D 5E is kind of a good halfway point between the really granular old-school Advanced editions, and the really pared down BASIC editions.</blockquote>

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