The Cardinal
First Post
for D&Dish games:
Pathfinder
GURPS4e Dungeon Fantasy
C&C
Pathfinder
GURPS4e Dungeon Fantasy
C&C
Which Edition?
Philotomy Jurament
First Post
For a D&D-ish game, here are my picks, in order of preference:
I didn't list OSRIC, because I don't see myself ever playing OSRIC, although I certainly use OSRIC products with OD&D and AD&D. The same goes for Labyrinth Lord (although not for the upcoming Mutant Future -- I might play that as its own game). I listed BFRPG, C&C, and Hackmaster because I consider them their own games (i.e. not clones, but "editions," themselves). Out of the "inspired by" games, I think I'd pick BFRPG as my first choice. I still think highly of Castles & Crusades, too. I'd like Hackmaster better if the humor/satire elements didn't grate on me so...but they do, and I can't seem to look past them (I've tried).
With list numbers 2 and 3, it's really close; as far as system/rules, I think I'd be equally happy running either 1E or Classic, but I gave the edge to 1E because I love the writing and art in the 1E rulebooks. Obviously, 2E is my least-favorite version of TSR D&D, but it's still recognizably the "same game" as my favorite editions.
Post-TSR, D&D changed quite a bit, and I consider 3E and 4E different games (although clearly still related to earlier editions of the game). From what I've seen (and from playtest opinions I've read from people who share my tastes), I think I'd prefer 4E over 3E. Pathfinder vs. 3E is a toss-up, but I ranked Pathfinder higher because I'd probably play it before 3E, again, just to try out the variations.
Oh, you know another one I didn't list (and I don't want to go back and edit the list to include it): original Empire of the Petal Throne. It's an OD&D variant, and an excellent example of how gamers took the OD&D rules and did their own thing with them. Very cool, and full of inspirational material. I consult it, frequently, to soak up the fluff, but I've never run an actual Empire of the Petal Throne game. I also bagged some house rules from it (e.g. my approach to rolling hit points comes from there).
- Original D&D
- OD&D [1974]
- Holmes Basic + Meepo's Holmes Companion
- Original AD&D [1E]
- Classic D&D
- B/X (Moldvay/Cook/Marsh)
- BECMI (Mentzer)
- AD&D [2E]
- "Inspired by" TSR D&D
- BFRPG
- Castles & Crusades
- Hackmaster
- Post-TSR D&D
- 4E
- d20 variant (Conan, Black Company, etc)
- Pathfinder
- 3E
I didn't list OSRIC, because I don't see myself ever playing OSRIC, although I certainly use OSRIC products with OD&D and AD&D. The same goes for Labyrinth Lord (although not for the upcoming Mutant Future -- I might play that as its own game). I listed BFRPG, C&C, and Hackmaster because I consider them their own games (i.e. not clones, but "editions," themselves). Out of the "inspired by" games, I think I'd pick BFRPG as my first choice. I still think highly of Castles & Crusades, too. I'd like Hackmaster better if the humor/satire elements didn't grate on me so...but they do, and I can't seem to look past them (I've tried).
With list numbers 2 and 3, it's really close; as far as system/rules, I think I'd be equally happy running either 1E or Classic, but I gave the edge to 1E because I love the writing and art in the 1E rulebooks. Obviously, 2E is my least-favorite version of TSR D&D, but it's still recognizably the "same game" as my favorite editions.
Post-TSR, D&D changed quite a bit, and I consider 3E and 4E different games (although clearly still related to earlier editions of the game). From what I've seen (and from playtest opinions I've read from people who share my tastes), I think I'd prefer 4E over 3E. Pathfinder vs. 3E is a toss-up, but I ranked Pathfinder higher because I'd probably play it before 3E, again, just to try out the variations.
Oh, you know another one I didn't list (and I don't want to go back and edit the list to include it): original Empire of the Petal Throne. It's an OD&D variant, and an excellent example of how gamers took the OD&D rules and did their own thing with them. Very cool, and full of inspirational material. I consult it, frequently, to soak up the fluff, but I've never run an actual Empire of the Petal Throne game. I also bagged some house rules from it (e.g. my approach to rolling hit points comes from there).
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I now play Castles & Crusades, which is the best hybrid for my tastes and needs - and, yes, I consider it an "edition" of the D&D game - just having the rights to the title and putting it across a set of rulebooks doesn't make something "D&D"
Having looked at 4e, it certainly looks like a fun table top mini-intensive battle game with a lot of WoW influence, so I can say looks like a great time, but a VERY different game than my own RPG preferences.
Having looked at 4e, it certainly looks like a fun table top mini-intensive battle game with a lot of WoW influence, so I can say looks like a great time, but a VERY different game than my own RPG preferences.
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