What the heck is "First Edition Feel"?
- Thread starter alsih2o
- Start date
- Status
Mercule
Adventurer
Institutionalized into the 1E feel is that the DM is god. 3E institutionalizes the balance/role of rules.
To take Kluge's example of chopping someone's head off, 3E has rules to tell us how likely the poor soul is to die. But, 1E had the DM there to say, "Okay, you chop off his head."
1E assumed no one needed to have their hand held and the participants were all rather intelligent. 3E recognizes that there are a lot of poopy-heads out there who will try to turn a vague rule to their advantage.
I tend to prefer 3E because I like to see things like skills listed on the character sheet and I don't have to think about the rules most of the time -- but I can revert to the 1E style of DMing if something bizarre comes up (I still hold to DM-as-god, but delegate much of my power to the designers). For someone who likes a foot-loose game or who is a very good referee, however, I can very much see the lure of 1E (or OD&D).
To take Kluge's example of chopping someone's head off, 3E has rules to tell us how likely the poor soul is to die. But, 1E had the DM there to say, "Okay, you chop off his head."
1E assumed no one needed to have their hand held and the participants were all rather intelligent. 3E recognizes that there are a lot of poopy-heads out there who will try to turn a vague rule to their advantage.
I tend to prefer 3E because I like to see things like skills listed on the character sheet and I don't have to think about the rules most of the time -- but I can revert to the 1E style of DMing if something bizarre comes up (I still hold to DM-as-god, but delegate much of my power to the designers). For someone who likes a foot-loose game or who is a very good referee, however, I can very much see the lure of 1E (or OD&D).
Breakdaddy
First Post
Edit: Never mind, I ma stoopuD soemtims!
Last edited:
MrFilthyIke
First Post
very true, been looking at my mentzer sets, and KW gazateers, and dreaming of finding a group willing to follow me there...:\diaglo said:
Ed Cha
Community Supporter
alsih2o said:
Beauty in simplicity. A few words seemed to say a lot more than the long-winded paragraphs you see today. The illustrations were relatively primitive, but more evocative. There was some humor to the drawings, not all the seriousness that's frequent in art lately.
jodyjohnson
Adventurer
We're running a 3.5 campaign using the 1st edition modules (Keep on the Borderlands, Baltron's Beacon, Slavers, ToEE, Giants, and the Vault, maybe Tomb of Horrors).
For us the 1st edition feel is all about the modules. We don't get misty about the rulebooks. But the modules have a different feel.
They are locales where adventuring occurs. Thumbnailed with barebones and maybe a few motivations. Every location gets a write up but not every location will end up getting used. Most of the plot is the DMs responsibility to add and dependent on player actions rather than starting with a pre-determined timeline.
Fully statted locations, traps, and puzzles (sometimes logical and sometimes illogical/non-rules compactible) with the role play added by the DM according to taste.
We hack 'n slashed our way through them in the 80s. And can now role play our way through them 20 years later.
Most 2nd and 3rd edition modules are more plots where the PCs are lead from location to location and almost everything gets used. Trying to run 1st ed modules that way turns into a grind (because every room/location had something going on - and they do it in 8,16 or 32 (rarely 128) pages). Trying to get the party to just focus on their current goal without searching/fighting every encounter whether relevant or not.
Like going through Moria and exploring every room instead of just trying to get through.
For us the 1st edition feel is all about the modules. We don't get misty about the rulebooks. But the modules have a different feel.
They are locales where adventuring occurs. Thumbnailed with barebones and maybe a few motivations. Every location gets a write up but not every location will end up getting used. Most of the plot is the DMs responsibility to add and dependent on player actions rather than starting with a pre-determined timeline.
Fully statted locations, traps, and puzzles (sometimes logical and sometimes illogical/non-rules compactible) with the role play added by the DM according to taste.
We hack 'n slashed our way through them in the 80s. And can now role play our way through them 20 years later.
Most 2nd and 3rd edition modules are more plots where the PCs are lead from location to location and almost everything gets used. Trying to run 1st ed modules that way turns into a grind (because every room/location had something going on - and they do it in 8,16 or 32 (rarely 128) pages). Trying to get the party to just focus on their current goal without searching/fighting every encounter whether relevant or not.
Like going through Moria and exploring every room instead of just trying to get through.
rogueattorney
Adventurer
Trying to actually answer the question without making value judgments...
More defined traditional fantasy archetypes as pc's
More reliance on DM judgment than having a rule for everything
More abstract combat
More dangerous magic (Haste ages, Fireball with blow-back, etc.)
In terms of adventure and campaign design, at least prior to Dragonlance, it took greater influence from Sword & Sorcery literary sources than Epic Fantasy sources, and many of the rules - training, natural healing, learning spells, etc. - fit the episodic type campaign rather than the epic quest type campaign much better.
Those are just what I can think of off the top of my head. I like all of the above, so I like 1e. I know a lot of people dislike all of the above, probably framing all of the above in more perjoritive terms, and therefore like 3e better. Different strokes...
R.A.
More defined traditional fantasy archetypes as pc's
More reliance on DM judgment than having a rule for everything
More abstract combat
More dangerous magic (Haste ages, Fireball with blow-back, etc.)
In terms of adventure and campaign design, at least prior to Dragonlance, it took greater influence from Sword & Sorcery literary sources than Epic Fantasy sources, and many of the rules - training, natural healing, learning spells, etc. - fit the episodic type campaign rather than the epic quest type campaign much better.
Those are just what I can think of off the top of my head. I like all of the above, so I like 1e. I know a lot of people dislike all of the above, probably framing all of the above in more perjoritive terms, and therefore like 3e better. Different strokes...
R.A.
- Status
Similar Threads
