What's your favourite version or variation of D&D?

[jonesy]

BECMI with the added ~100 character classes, 18 character kits and 8 wizard specializations from the Gazetteers, Creature Crucibles and Hollow World. BECMI remains my favourite, and I love the setting presented through the Gazetteers. When you add classes from Dragon you get 15 more. That's a lot of options for players.

Or Pathfinder. That's the usual go to.

But honestly, I'll play any rule set. I just prefer some of them much less.

 

[Mishihari Lord]

AD&D. Gary's writing set the tone for the game in a way that hasn't been matched by later variations.

 

[Starfox]

I think people's second choices are just about as interesting as their first choices. It muight turn out that there is a wide spread in 1st choices, but some editions get a lot of 2nd choices.

Personally, my first choice is Pathfinder, and my second is 1E.

In many ways 3E was better than 1E, but now that Pathfinder is available and similar to but better than 3E, my second choice is not 3E but Pathfinder.

One big thing that Pathfinder has in its favor compared to 3E is that it is all under the Open Gaming License. That means products based of Pathfinder can use all of it, not just a small subset like how it used to be with 3E.

Parthfinder has surprised me favorably as a player. There are enough oddities and quirks to inspire lots of agitated discussions with the GM and other players, and quite a bunch of house-rules, but so far has been fun to play, in spite of the creaks and leaks; The archetype system is a godsend for adapting classes to get just the class variant you want, especially if the GM (@Starfox) helps out by adding an extensive list of his own: http://hastur.net/wiki/Apath

Agreed, another very strong point with Pathfinder is the strength and easy customization of the archetype system. It basically eliminates the need for prestige classes,and allows the GM to customize classes for a setting very easily. It is very much easier to create an archetype than a new class.

 

[Campbell]

I still need to really dig into it, but 13th Age is ringing all the right bells. As a DM 4e is by far my favorite version, but I don't have a lot of experience on the other side of the screen. I'm not really a fan of 3e (or Pathfinder) on either side of the screen. As a player I still really like 2e without Player's Option material in play (I'm currently playing a Half Elf Bard in a biweekly game).

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) In many ways 3E was better than 1E, but now that Pathfinder is available and similar to but better than 3E, my second choice is not 3E but Pathfinder. (snip)

Some people say that you never forget your first love - in a D&D sense that would be 1E - but I will never forget the moment my first love made sense: and that was with the release of 3E. What amazed me when 3E was released was that, somehow, all the rules for D&D finally made sense. I'm not talking about realism, per se, but just that suddenly there actually seemed to be some sort of logic underpinning how things fit together.

That said, 4E is my favourite but it's memories of the release of 3E that evokes the feelings of greatest nostalgia.

 

[Starfox]

I will never forget the moment my first love made sense: and that was with the release of 3E.

I had a feeling much like this back then too. 2E was a disappointment to me - too little, too late. 3E added a structure that was badly needed. Still, there was just too much of it. I remember when seeing the 3.0 PH that I was thinking "That book is just too fat". What DnD needed then, and what I still feel it needs, is a slim system with a low point of entrance. A game I can give the teenagers of my next-of-kin and believe they will be able to play it on their own after just a little help. 3E was NOT that game, it's level of complexity was more at the university level. I do hope for Next might be that game.

 

[Ahnehnois]

I had a feeling much like this back then too. 2E was a disappointment to me - too little, too late. 3E added a structure that was badly needed. Still, there was just too much of it. I remember when seeing the 3.0 PH that I was thinking "That book is just too fat". What DnD needed then, and what I still feel it needs, is a slim system with a low point of entrance. A game I can give the teenagers of my next-of-kin and believe they will be able to play it on their own after just a little help. 3E was NOT that game, it's level of complexity was more at the university level. I do hope for Next might be that game.

I picked up 3e at around the age of 14. I didn't find it anywhere near too complex or difficult, and I was slightly older than the others in my group and had never owned an rpg book before. I don't think it's that bad. I don't think 5e is any better in this regard, whatever one hopes.

Don't get me wrong; I don't entirely disagree with the sentiment. Lighter, more open-ended rules with a shorter page count is a good direction, if anyone in the business ever actually wants to do it.

 

[Campbell]

I'm not sure I bear the argument that complexity is a huge barrier to entry many assume it to be, especially for millennials. We're talking about a generation raised on smart phones, tablets, and social networks. Discerning patterns in complex systems is really par for the course. If anything I'd say that my taste has moved more and more towards simpler systems as I've gotten older. When I was younger I couldn't get enough complexity. Of course I was also already writing some basic C programs when I was 12, along with several of my friends. I can't really say I had a normative adolescence.

 

[JeffB]

I'm not sure I bear the argument that complexity is a huge barrier to entry many assume it to be, especially for millennials. We're talking about a generation raised on smart phones, tablets, and social networks. Discerning patterns in complex systems is really par for the course. If anything I'd say that my taste has moved more and more towards simpler systems as I've gotten older. When I was younger I couldn't get enough complexity. Of course I was also already writing some basic C programs when I was 12, along with several of my friends. I can't really say I had a normative adolescence.

I cannot speak for all kids, but I have been running a game for my son, and 3 of his friends for nearly 2 years. They are all 13-14 years old now. They are all A/B students, own smartphones, and live for XBOX, and grew up with a DS or gameboy in hand playing POKEMON.

They HATE complexity. They have no desire to game the system, and want fast game play with good story/fluff material. They let (make) me level up their characters when we have done so in 3.x/PF or 4e. They much prefer the lethality and simplicity of Swords & Wizardry/OD&D, though they definitely like the big damage and hitability of 4e PCs.

They cut their teeth on the PFBB, but when we switched to OD&D, eliminating the grid/pawns, and going TotM with group initiative and a simple clean layout for character sheets, it was over for PFBB and 3/4e as written. Which is fine by me too.

DCC RPG is our next game starting up, as they have burned out on 4e (even after my simplification of such). I think it will occupy a nice middle ground without the bloat of feats/skills/powers, etc.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) I do hope for Next might be that game.

Yeah, I think a revised edition of Next after it has been out for 2-3 years and with a design team led by someone with the clear vision of making it a perfect (the perfect?) intro to fantasy RPGs would probably be that game, more so than the current version which is still bouncing around trying to please different tastes. The basic framework is there, it just needs someone with a clear vision to tighten it up, et voila, the perfect intro game.

Similarly, I think there's a solid intro game that is waiting to be birthed out of the complexity of 4E. Imagine if characters were essentially created in the same way 4E monsters are created? The maths would be right, the game would be balanced, but you would be avoiding all the feat- and option-related bloat. (Of course, this is talking about an intro game that would cater to the crowd that want miniature- and grid-based combat.)