I think the worst 2e stuff had to be:
Player's Handbook: There were some good changes, but the entire bit about how only munchkins play characters with good ability scores set a pretty bad tone for the game. I added a few things to my 1e game, but ignored a lot.
DMG: The first RPG book I actually gave to a friend, since I had no use for it.
The Falcon Series: Probably the worst modules I ever read. Even as a 15 year old, I could spot all sorts of design problems with them. There were scenes where the module explicitly told you to disallow character saves against spells to keep the plot moving, or to fudge the NPCs' rolls to let them beat up the characters. I very clearly remember buying the series simply to see how bad it would get. My favorite bit had to be the new spell priest lock, which was essentially wizard lock for clerics. I had just finished reading the bit in the DMG about how desiging cleric spells that did the same exact thing as wizard spells was a Very Bad Thing, and then an official published module goes and does it. At least the cardboard fold-up buildings were pretty cool.
Between those modules and the general lameness of 2e, my interest in RPGs started to fade. It was around that time that I started getting into Warhammer and Battletech.
Player's Handbook: There were some good changes, but the entire bit about how only munchkins play characters with good ability scores set a pretty bad tone for the game. I added a few things to my 1e game, but ignored a lot.
DMG: The first RPG book I actually gave to a friend, since I had no use for it.
The Falcon Series: Probably the worst modules I ever read. Even as a 15 year old, I could spot all sorts of design problems with them. There were scenes where the module explicitly told you to disallow character saves against spells to keep the plot moving, or to fudge the NPCs' rolls to let them beat up the characters. I very clearly remember buying the series simply to see how bad it would get. My favorite bit had to be the new spell priest lock, which was essentially wizard lock for clerics. I had just finished reading the bit in the DMG about how desiging cleric spells that did the same exact thing as wizard spells was a Very Bad Thing, and then an official published module goes and does it. At least the cardboard fold-up buildings were pretty cool.
Between those modules and the general lameness of 2e, my interest in RPGs started to fade. It was around that time that I started getting into Warhammer and Battletech.
