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Message: <blockquote data-quote="John Quixote" data-source="post: 8711085" data-attributes="member: 694">We have rather different definitions of "notable" and "significant", I think.There is one significant difference between the '81 rules and the '83 rules that I'm aware of — magic-user spell acquisition, limited under Moldvay and unlimited under Mentzer. That changes gameplay in a way that slightly different numbers on thief skill, cleric spell, attack roll, and saving throw tables do not. (Plus a few minor tweaks to spells: the duration of magic missile, the area of effect for sleep, the time required to detect thoughts with ESP. And blah-de-blah something something encumbrance variable weapon damage.)Everything else about the two printings remains consistent. They share… well, every other salient feature of the game you can think of. The differences between the '81–'82 rules and the '83 rules amount to minor bits of errata for the most part (especially given the short lifespan of the former). Truly, the consistency in the D&D game between 1981 and its eventual demise in 1996 is far more striking and noteworthy than any changes introduced along the way.(Also… the thief skill numbers actually didn't change between the <a href="https://imgur.com/MITM61m" target="_blank">Cook Expert Set</a> and the 1983 printings of the <a href="https://imgur.com/d3FEHwY" target="_blank">Mentzer Expert Set</a>. Since this is always everyone's go-to example, does it mean that the '83 and post-'84 printings of Mentzer Basic & Expert constitute whole different editions of D&D!?)It's a weird decision, man. If you're not gonna split off 1e UA and 2e S&P, there should probably only be six options on the poll — Original, Classic, and 1e through 4e.</blockquote>

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