TSR Why would anyone want to play 1e?

[Lanefan]

I've heard a lot of people mention darts for low level magic users, but in my area ... no one (and I mean no one) ever used darts until at least level seven!

Same here.

The only PC I've ever seen use darts was (and still is) a Fighter, who specialized in them and then eventually got herself a Girdle of Giant Strength. Gatling gun for the win.

Everyone I knew either picked daggers (so they could have ranged/melee choices) or staffs (because that's iconic).

And at 7th level they take the other one.

 

[Voadam]

2e specialization actually made picking up random new magic weapons more feasible for fighters than 1e did.

In 2e you could specialize in more than one weapon, new weapons just had to be mastered after first level. So while an Unearthed Arcana fighter was double specialized in their one weapon and stuck with that for their career as their one better skill thing, a 2e one could decide this new magic trident they found was something they were going to develop their skill in as they leveled up.

 

[James Gasik]

2e specialization actually made picking up random new magic weapons more feasible for fighters than 1e did.

In 2e you could specialize in more than one weapon, new weapons just had to be mastered after first level. So while an Unearthed Arcana fighter was double specialized in their one weapon and stuck with that for their career as their one better skill thing, a 2e one could decide this new magic trident they found was something they were going to develop their skill in as they leveled up.

This may have changed at some point, Lord knows, after awhile they gave out Weapon Specialization like candy (there's an Al Qadim Kit that gives it to Thieves ffs), but that's not how it started in the PHB:

Like, obviously the "Fighter (only)" limitation got axed with the Complete Fighter's Handbook letting you play Myrmidon Rangers, and it was downhill from there, but I thought only the Samurai Kit and the Dark Sun Gladiator had the power to multi-specialize.

 

[Voadam]

This may have changed at some point, Lord knows, after awhile they gave out Weapon Specialization like candy (there's an Al Qadim Kit that gives it to Thieves ffs), but that's not how it started in the PHB:

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Like, obviously the "Fighter (only)" limitation got axed with the Complete Fighter's Handbook letting you play Myrmidon Rangers, and it was downhill from there, but I thought only the Samurai Kit and the Dark Sun Gladiator had the power to multi-specialize.

The two revisions in weapon specialization are in PHBR1 The Complete Fighter's Handbook page 58:

"Only single-class warriors (fighters, paladins, and rangers) can take weapon specialties. Such a character can only take one when he is first created, but may specialize in more weapons as he gains new slots."

On page 35 under swashbuckler kit it mentions multiple weapon specializations as a requirement of the kit:

"Weapon Proficiencies: The Swashbuckler receives two extra weapon proficiency slots which must be devoted to weapon proficiency with one of the following weapons: stiletto*, main-gauche*, rapier*,and sabre*. (The " * " symbol denotes new weapons to be found in the Equipment chapter.) Throughout his career, he must devote half of his weapon proficiency slots to those four weapons. Once he has achieved specialization in all four of those weapons, he may freely choose where the rest of his weapon proficiency slots go."