What is your favorite edition of D&D and why?

[Greg K]

While there are some elements of 4e that I find superior to 3e and, in my opinion, 4e is slowly improving in some areas as more supplements are released, my preference is 3e as a player and DM.

1. Core
- the rules are viewed as a toolbox
- design by exception is not the default
- some acknowledgment of world sim and verisimiilitude. This is important for the game to be fun for myself and my friends.
- Skill points allow me to develop/improve skills organically based on my characters adventures rather than automatic bonuses via level increase
- unconsolidated skills (I don't mind a few skills being consolidated, but for my tastes 4e went to far)
- craft, profession, and perform
- PrCs are considered optional rules

2. Unearthed Arcana (WOTC)

3. OGL Third party support allows me to customize the game as I see fit and has many products that I find just more inspirational than the WOTC format and playstyle. Some of the books that I really like include:

- Artificer's Handbook (Mystic Eye Games)
- Advanced Bestiary (Green Ronin)
- Alchemy and Herbalists (Bastion Press)
- Behind the Spells (Tricky Owlbear)
- Book of Iron Might (Malhavoc)
- Book of Fiends (Green Ronin)
- Book of the Righteous (Green Ronin)
- Book of Roguish Luck (Malhavoc)
- Book of Templates (Silverthorne/Goodman Games)
- Cavalier's Handbook (Green Ronin)
- Crime and Punishment (Atlas Games)
- Dynasties and Demogogues (Atlas Games)
- Element's of Magic: Revised (EN Publishing)
- Elements of Magic: Lyceian Arcana (EN Publishing)
- Experts 3.5 (Skirmisher)
- From Stone to Steel (Monkey God Enterprises/ Highmoon Media)
- Hot Pursuit (Adamant)
- Hot Pursuit: On Foot (Adamant)
- Ink and Quill (Bastion Press/Dragonwing)
- Love and War (Atlas Games)
- Magic Medieval Society: Western Europe (Expeditious Retreat)
- Noble Steeds (Avalanche Press)
- Poisoncraft (Blue Devil)
- Psychic's Handbook (Green Ronin)
- Redhurst Academy (Human Head)
- Shaman's Handbook (Green Ronin)
- Torn Asunder (Bastion Press)
- Trailblazer (Bad Axe Games)
- Witch's Handbook (Green Ronin)

 

[Lanefan]

1e all the way, mostly because by the time all the other editions had been released we'd long since taken 1e and built the game we wanted out of it. In fact, when 2e came out our standing joke at the time was that TSR had made a valiant attempt to catch up to us... Now, each new edition merely gives us a few more ideas to pillage. 3e gave us the Sorcerer, generating a complete redesign in how my magic-using types function. 4e gave us...well, we're not sure what it's given us yet; give it time...

I own the core books for all 4 editions. I've never played 2e as written, nor 4e, but I did manage a 7-year tour of duty in a 3e campaign (became 3.5 right at the end) and I can't see myself doing that again...too mechanical for my liking.

I've only DMed our 1e variant, ignoring a 3-session aberration where via the actions of my character I took the helm of the 3e game I was in (she had just died, but a wild magic surge on her death put the party in a dreamworld; the "adventure" was her dying dream).

Lan-"it's pronounced 'LAN-e-fan', the lan and fan rhyme"-efan

 

[LostSoul]

It's an interesting question.

I think I would rather jump into a 4E game sight-unseen; that is, not knowing any other players or what's going on in the game.

If I was to join a group who wanted the same things out of D&D that I did? Probably 4E, though I imagine we'd change some of the standard assumptions and add a few house rules (treasure packets and extended rests).

That said, I'd join a group playing any edition of D&D as long as their priorities lined up with my own.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Don't forget... crush you!!!

... under the shear weight of their accumulated feats and skills.
When monster stat blocks start reaching 2, 3, even 4 pages in length (and I've seen'em!), and take orders of magnitude more time to write up then to defeat in combat, something is wonky.

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk Maldin's Greyhawk

Not that dungeondelvers post refers to a 4E related post - I don't think that worry applies for 4E.