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<blockquote data-quote="Tyler Do'Urden" data-source="post: 7971290" data-attributes="member: 4601"><p>Oh, there's something to like about every edition. Since 5e is my favorite to date, let's go edition by edition:</p><p></p><p>AD&D 1st Edition: The DMG was Gary's magnum opus - there's no other RPG book quite like it. That's one to sit down, read and enjoy. So many classic adventures from this period - the original Ravenloft being the big standout, as it was the module that really brought D&D to the next level - showing that the game could be much more than a hack through a big dungeon full of monsters (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) And yes, even Dragonlance - while it was a mess and a railroad, it was the first attempt at making D&D do High Fantasy rather than Swords & Sorcery, and it definitely left a mark.</p><p></p><p>"Basic" D&D/Red Box/Black Box/Rules Cyclopedia: THE RULES CYCLOPEDIA. It's my paradigm for what an RPG manual should be. EVERYTHING you needed to run a whole campaign was right there in one utterly packed book. Not only that, but it had the best skills system we'd see before 3e, and the Domains, Strongholds, Mass Combat and Divine Ascension rules were something that should have been carried into the core of later editions as well. (Though, from what I understand, these weren't something Gygax really wanted to mess with, and as the later editions were truly in the lineage of AD&D rather than "Basic", it's understandable that they were dropped. Still a shame.)</p><p></p><p>AD&D 2nd Edition: The settings, of course. Planescape and Ravenloft are my favorites. Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms got expanded on - the latter massively (though let's not forget the Dragonlance "Time of the Dragon" boxed set, which introduced my favorite setting that I've never run - Taladas). The Spells and Magic sourcebook made D&D magic as interesting as it's ever been. OMG, THE PLAYERS OPTION CRIT CHARTS! Birthright brought in the elements I liked of BD&D - and was rapidly canned. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite3" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":(" /> Lots of great stuff, lots of missed opportunities. The 90s in a nutshell.</p><p></p><p>D&D 3E: It was... a revolution. Two years before it came out, InQuest published a "top 20 RPGs" list - and AD&D 2nd edition came in... 4th. As they put it, while they couldn't deny how great it was... it was looking pretty creaky. RPGs had come a long way since Gygax's day, and the game didn't just need a coat of paint, it needed a whole new engine. In came Monte Cook... who built the Lotus Evora of RPGs. A high powered, technical masterpiece... that wasn't for the timid. Everything got an upgrade. The mechanics were rationalized in a way that made sense. A thorough skills system was introduced. Feats and stackable multiclassing opened up an array of customization options. Creatures could all be built as characters now - nothing was off limits. Eventually the massive problems came to light... but when that PHB showed up in my hands in late summer 2000, shortly before I left for college... I was hooked. D&D for the 21st century had arrived.</p><p></p><p>D&D 4e: The black sheep. As much as I loathe this edition... I do think it's a fantastic tactical combat game, and I may look at it further in the future for ideas for beefing up my encounters. Skill challenges were a great idea too. Too bad about everything else.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tyler Do'Urden, post: 7971290, member: 4601"] Oh, there's something to like about every edition. Since 5e is my favorite to date, let's go edition by edition: AD&D 1st Edition: The DMG was Gary's magnum opus - there's no other RPG book quite like it. That's one to sit down, read and enjoy. So many classic adventures from this period - the original Ravenloft being the big standout, as it was the module that really brought D&D to the next level - showing that the game could be much more than a hack through a big dungeon full of monsters (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) And yes, even Dragonlance - while it was a mess and a railroad, it was the first attempt at making D&D do High Fantasy rather than Swords & Sorcery, and it definitely left a mark. "Basic" D&D/Red Box/Black Box/Rules Cyclopedia: THE RULES CYCLOPEDIA. It's my paradigm for what an RPG manual should be. EVERYTHING you needed to run a whole campaign was right there in one utterly packed book. Not only that, but it had the best skills system we'd see before 3e, and the Domains, Strongholds, Mass Combat and Divine Ascension rules were something that should have been carried into the core of later editions as well. (Though, from what I understand, these weren't something Gygax really wanted to mess with, and as the later editions were truly in the lineage of AD&D rather than "Basic", it's understandable that they were dropped. Still a shame.) AD&D 2nd Edition: The settings, of course. Planescape and Ravenloft are my favorites. Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms got expanded on - the latter massively (though let's not forget the Dragonlance "Time of the Dragon" boxed set, which introduced my favorite setting that I've never run - Taladas). The Spells and Magic sourcebook made D&D magic as interesting as it's ever been. OMG, THE PLAYERS OPTION CRIT CHARTS! Birthright brought in the elements I liked of BD&D - and was rapidly canned. :( Lots of great stuff, lots of missed opportunities. The 90s in a nutshell. D&D 3E: It was... a revolution. Two years before it came out, InQuest published a "top 20 RPGs" list - and AD&D 2nd edition came in... 4th. As they put it, while they couldn't deny how great it was... it was looking pretty creaky. RPGs had come a long way since Gygax's day, and the game didn't just need a coat of paint, it needed a whole new engine. In came Monte Cook... who built the Lotus Evora of RPGs. A high powered, technical masterpiece... that wasn't for the timid. Everything got an upgrade. The mechanics were rationalized in a way that made sense. A thorough skills system was introduced. Feats and stackable multiclassing opened up an array of customization options. Creatures could all be built as characters now - nothing was off limits. Eventually the massive problems came to light... but when that PHB showed up in my hands in late summer 2000, shortly before I left for college... I was hooked. D&D for the 21st century had arrived. D&D 4e: The black sheep. As much as I loathe this edition... I do think it's a fantastic tactical combat game, and I may look at it further in the future for ideas for beefing up my encounters. Skill challenges were a great idea too. Too bad about everything else. [/QUOTE]
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