Which Edition to Buy

[yawny]

Hey all, not sure if this belongs in this part of the forum, but I figured i'd give it a shot.

Joined the forum because i'd like to get an answer, or at least opinion, to this question.

My friends and I are starting up D&D again after a several month hiatus due to massive schedule problems.

Background: We've all played 10-20 sessions of 4e and i played a few of 3.5 way back when.

I've chosen to DM and have a good idea for a campaign, all thought out and working on fleshing it out, but I have no idea which edition of the game to run. My players are only familiar with 4e, but they're good learners. I just personally don't care for 4e much, it feels too generic compared to how i remember 3.5. Just rolling dice with no real sense of immersion behind it.

I'm planning on grabbing all the core books now and I was looking at 3.5, 3.0 and AD&D. Unfortunately, I'm on a limited budget so i have a concern or two with each

3.5: I like 3.5 but the books are pretty darn expensive. Most places want at least $35 for the PHB used and i find that ridiculous.

3.0: The books are significantly cheaper, but I don't want to run it if it has major drawbacks to 3.5 (i know the classes like ranger were rebalanced etc)

AD&D: The uncle of one of my players may have all his old AD&D books lying around, so it's free, bt i know nothing about it or how it compares to the other versions.

I'd just like to know what everyone thinks would be best for me to run and if paying the extra is worth it

thanks,
Yawny

 

[kitcik]

I will try to answer without restarting the edition wars.

If you don't like 4E, then you should not DM it. You will only grow to resent the responsibility.

3.5 is simply a win over 3.0 IMHO.

That leaves 3.5 vs. 1E. You make the call. 1E gives more DM discretion / more creativity. 3.5 gives more player options and customization.

EDIT: and you can play 3.5 core only to save some dough.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As DM, you should only run a game you feel comfortable running, because if you're not proficient with the system, it may result in a clunky campaign. If your players don't want to be a part of a game you're able to run, someone else should probably run a game.

 

[yawny]

I was assuming 3.5 over 3.0, the dang PHB is just so hard to find cheap. AD&D on the other hand is incredibly cheap, but how different would it be from 3.5?

As for comfort, i feel comfortable learning any new system, last game we played was GURPS and we eased into that pretty well after a session or two with me as the GM. I'm pretty quick with learning the new system, but some clunkiness can be expected regardless.

 

[marcielle]

The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org . You now no longer need the PHB only the DMG. Seriously. Why do people even buy that when the SRD not only has everything you need out of the PHB but also a SEARCH FUNCTION.

 

[Dykstrav]

Marcielle's on the right track. You didn't mention interest in Pathfinder, but you can actually play Pathfinder for free in the same way: http://www.d20pfsrd.com

If you enjoy Pathfinder, cool. If not... Well, you can try it for free before laying down the cash for the core rules. It's also awesome that third-party support for Pathfinder is also included there.

 

[billd91]

To add one more plug for relatively inexpensive ways to play Pathfinder - if you're OK with electronic version of the books, Paizo sells their PDF versions of Pathfinder much cheaper than the print versions and they get updated with errata.

If you're not interested in the changes Paizo made to the 3.5 chassis, be sure to keep an eye on used bookstores. I haven't seen a ton of 1e or 2e stuff out there, but some things occasionally pop up. Same with 3.5.

 

[billd91]

Someone's post in another thread reminded me of something.
Don't be afraid to check Amazon.com for older edition AD&D or D&D 3.5 materials. Lots of affiliated used book stores post their products on Amazon and can be shopped through that portal. You can sometimes find some good bargains.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org . You now no longer need the PHB only the DMG. Seriously. Why do people even buy that when the SRD not only has everything you need out of the PHB but also a SEARCH FUNCTION.

That's almost true. Certain things have been left out of it, as I recall: you won't find an XP chart in the SRD, including the level-based benefits (as in- at which levels do all PCs gain Feats & Stat boosts). There may be other artfully withheld material.

 

[yawny]

I thought that the SRD was missing some materials, I guess I was right.

As for buying used, that's what I was planning. I have only been able to find the 3.5 PHB for >$35. The other core books are only about $10.

As for PDFs, I can't stand them. I feel that they hinder gameplay speed a lot when they're the only available resource, but can be a good supplement for a few things.