If you had to choose one edition of D&D....

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If the only RPG you could play was official D&D, which edition would you choose?


  • Total voters
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I am going to refer you to issue #4 of J.V. West's zine Black Pudding. It has his personal variant of B/X condensed down to 15 pages, with race-as-class, ascending AC and single saving throws. You can use it as is, or blend easily with OSE or any other B/X-compatible clone.

If you need a printed version, there is Black Pudding: Heavy Helping, which is a compilation of issues.
I want to thank you Baulderstone. I had heard of Black Pudding a while ago. Never took a look at it. Boy am I glad I did, following the link you put up. I really dig it. I totally fires up my imagination and creativity. Thank you.
 
I want to thank you Baulderstone. I had heard of Black Pudding a while ago. Never took a look at it. Boy am I glad I did, following the link you put up. I really dig it. I totally fires up my imagination and creativity. Thank you.
That's one of my favorite things about it. The whole spirit of it always encourages me to have some fun making my own stuff.
 
Favorite edition of D&D?

That would be a hard decision honestly.

I started with D&D 3.5 and the only edition of D&D that I don't like in any way is 4E.

All the other editions are good in their own way and each one have their own unique merits and feel about them.

Still, I decided to vote for AD&D 2E since that's my Dad's favorite edition and it also gave us the awesomeness of the Ravenloft: Realm Of Terror setting from 1990.
 
I picked 5e for a lot of reasons, even though if it was just me and my preferences, I wouldn’t. It’s a very smart version, and it’s easier to add the complexity I think it lacks rather than take it out. It’s pulled in a lot of people to play. It has good design
 
My choice is 2nd Edition AD&D. It has everything I want. I love weapon speeds and casting times adding to initiative, proficiencies, kits, fantastic settings (I'm mostly a Greyhawk guy, but the FR Grey Box is awesome)...

Plus, it's the first edition I fully played from start to finish, so there's a bit of nostalgia there, too. :wink:
 
For bog-standard D&D, 4e would be the last of all possible options. For Wraith Recon, however, or X-Crawl or as the system for a virtual MMO within Shadowrun, it’s awesome.

I wish Pat Pulling would have just realized she was the reason for her kid’s suicide and offed herself. That decades-long fit of cognitive dissonance was too costly. Yeah it’s not nice, I don’t care. How many kids committed suicide because they didn’t have D&D, thanks to that worthless piece of shit?

Michael Stackpole’s takedown of Pulling and truth-telling about RPGs is legendary. Putting him and Tom Dowd in charge of Shadowrun is on the short list of “Crazy shit I do with a big Lotto win”.

Awesome rundown, Tristam, but you forgot the Dragon Editorial where Roger Moore kicks Jim Ward’s teeth in in response to his talking about the demons/devils.

I voted 1e, but in reality it would be a blend of 1e and 2e, which I think is superior to either one alone.
 
For bog-standard D&D, 4e would be the last of all possible options. For Wraith Recon, however, or X-Crawl or as the system for a virtual MMO within Shadowrun, it’s awesome.
I am glad to see others agree with me about 4e. I think it is the worst edition to run a traditional D&D game but 4e does a damn good job as a miniatures skirmish game.
 
... Man, you are dead on about it being perfect for X-Crawl. (Also had not heard of Wraith Recon, that sounds cool too).
 
The golden age of gaming for me was AD&D 1st and then converting over to 2nd. So it's very nostalgic, plus I have a ton of the material. I'm a HUGE fan of the Birthright campaign stuff. That was really fun times.

You and I are simpatico! I do enjoy 5E, but it feels less gritty, and strangely too much magic, for what I want in terms of D&D. I like the freedom of interpreting some spells to make awesome creative combination moments, which 5E has sorta cut to make sure no one gets some advantage from creative uses. Birthright was my favorite setting. Though I was already growing tired of AD&D in entirety when it came out and tried several other systems with it. Still never found one that made me happy. (I think I'd use High Valor these days but cut down the magic.)
 
Birthright was my favorite setting. Though I was already growing tired of AD&D in entirety when it came out and tried several other systems with it. Still never found one that made me happy. (I think I'd use High Valor these days but cut down the magic.)
Yep, I'm the same. I was moving on to other things like Cyberpunk and other sci-fi games and Birthright was my last major foray in to AD&D. And it was a blast!
 
I do enjoy 5E, but it feels less gritty, and strangely too much magic, for what I want in terms of D&D.
I agree. Within the implied setting of 5e, magic seems so banal that it essentially becomes a utilitarian technology. I look at 5e as more of a toolbox than a default way to play D&D if that makes any sense. I don't include every race, archetype, spell, or item in my own campaign because limiting options gives a campaign more identity than trying to include everything.
 
I agree. Within the implied setting of 5e, magic seems so banal that it essentially becomes a utilitarian technology. I look at 5e as more of a toolbox than a default way to play D&D if that makes any sense. I don't include every race, archetype, spell, or item in my own campaign because limiting options gives a campaign more identity than trying to include everything.

Oh Realms, what hath become of thee?

6F22D9FB-832A-461D-9529-BFA1C30A2741.jpeg
 
I am glad to see others agree with me about 4e. I think it is the worst edition to run a traditional D&D game but 4e does a damn good job as a miniatures skirmish game.
Still do not understand the reasoning behind this.
I mean really? I look at 1e with it's measuring of movement and attack charts sounds way more miniature skirmish.
 
Still do not understand the reasoning behind this.
I mean really? I look at 1e with it's measuring of movement and attack charts sounds way more miniature skirmish.
IMHO AD&D could be shoehorned into a miniature skirmish game but it wouldn't be a very good one by modern standards.
 
Still do not understand the reasoning behind this.
I mean really? I look at 1e with it's measuring of movement and attack charts sounds way more miniature skirmish.
I think I can help you with that. Keep in mind, none of these are what my main problem was...but then I've discovered I actually like miniature skirmish games, so who am I to judge:smile:?
First, the Most Disliked D&D Edition* was really, really hard to run without a battlemat, AFAIK. At least, the GM who ran it for us said it would make it much harder, so he brought a battlemat. which he wasn't doing on our regular campaign:wink:. (Given how many powers had effects on movement, pushing, sliding and whatever figures across the mat, I'm inclined to agree that it was kinda necessary).
Second, miniature skirmish games are games where combat is meant to take a significant portion of the session. And the combat in 4e was S-L-O-W, or shall I say instead...it made Exalted 2e seem reasonably fast. I should know, we were playing Ex2 with the same group:grin:!

Now, neither of these is a damning quality. but when you combine them, you end up with a game where a significant portion of the gameplay must be devoted to combat...thus reducing the share of roleplaying and exploration in the standard session (and slowing down the game itself). Which is something people expect from miniature skirmish games or the like.
In comparison, a fight using any TSR-era edition of D&D seldom lasts long, and often can be run using theater of the mind.

*OK, it's just my joke name, so take it with any quantity of salt that you prefer.
 
I think I can help you with that. Keep in mind, none of these are what my main problem was...but then I've discovered I actually like miniature skirmish games, so who am I to judge:smile:?
First, the Most Disliked D&D Edition* was really, really hard to run without a battlemat, AFAIK. At least, the GM who ran it for us said it would make it much harder, so he brought a battlemat. which he wasn't doing on our regular campaign:wink:. (Given how many powers had effects on movement, pushing, sliding and whatever figures across the mat, I'm inclined to agree that it was kinda necessary).
Second, miniature skirmish games are games where combat is meant to take a significant portion of the session. And the combat in 4e was S-L-O-W, or shall I say instead...it made Exalted 2e seem reasonably fast. I should know, we were playing Ex2 with the same group:grin:!

Now, neither of these is a damning quality. but when you combine them, you end up with a game where a significant portion of the gameplay must be devoted to combat...thus reducing the share of roleplaying and exploration in the standard session (and slowing down the game itself). Which is something people expect from miniature skirmish games or the like.
In comparison, a fight using any TSR-era edition of D&D seldom lasts long, and often can be run using theater of the mind.

*OK, it's just my joke name, so take it with any quantity of salt that you prefer.
IDK
When I started 1e back in 86ish we were using the same table the older folks(parents) were using for their miniature gaming(when we were playing at Pete's house, if not Pete would bring some minis to wherever we were playing at).
Then we had a local art teacher(shout out to Mr. Twigg) who did a bunch of sculpts of creatures no miniature company did(at the time) No idea if he actually played, but he was making some nice side money from the local gamers
So I guess perhaps my experience is more 'unique', but then I didn't start playing until highschool compared to others who seem to have started as preteens. Plus there were parents who were into miniature gaming from at least the '70s+.

I didn't play a fantasy RPG without the battlemat until I picked up Earthdawn in '94

Again, I don't see the S-L-O-W combats. We averaged between 15-45 minutes the same length of time our combats lasted in 1-2e and no where near the combats of 3e those typically lasted 45-120 minutes.
Yes when we first started playing they were slower, but that was from unfamiliarity.
 
IDK
When I started 1e back in 86ish we were using the same table the older folks(parents) were using for their miniature gaming(when we were playing at Pete's house, if not Pete would bring some minis to wherever we were playing at).
Then we had a local art teacher(shout out to Mr. Twigg) who did a bunch of sculpts of creatures no miniature company did(at the time) No idea if he actually played, but he was making some nice side money from the local gamers
So I guess perhaps my experience is more 'unique', but then I didn't start playing until highschool compared to others who seem to have started as preteens. Plus there were parents who were into miniature gaming from at least the '70s+.

I didn't play a fantasy RPG without the battlemat until I picked up Earthdawn in '94

Again, I don't see the S-L-O-W combats. We averaged between 15-45 minutes the same length of time our combats lasted in 1-2e and no where near the combats of 3e those typically lasted 45-120 minutes.
Yes when we first started playing they were slower, but that was from unfamiliarity.
I respect that, but suffice it to say, our experiences with the length of combat vary by a good margin.
 
My group has also commented on how the Most Hated Edition is not a particularly good rpg, but a fine skirmish game. We had troubles with it, but I think we expected a roleplaying game. We play gloomhaven and enjoy it just fine. It’s pretty well the same thing.
 
My group has also commented on how the Most Hated Edition is not a particularly good rpg, but a fine skirmish game. We had troubles with it, but I think we expected a roleplaying game. We play gloomhaven and enjoy it just fine. It’s pretty well the same thing.
I get the stuff for in-combat, but out of it, 4e's RP mechanics are almost exactly the same as 5e, with only a few tweaks to the numbers. The mechanical roleplay side of it really isn't any worse than a lot of D&D's or fantasy games.
 
I voted 1e, but in reality it would be a blend of 1e and 2e, which I think is superior to either one alone.

This is the ideal for me as well. But I voted 2e. But my love for 1e is immense, hybridizing the two would be optimal for me - which is how I ran things for decades before 3.x dropped. But I consider that period my messy divorce from D&D whereupon I sired bastard children, developed several addictions, caught some diseases before i purified myself by fire.

I'm fine now.
 
I get the stuff for in-combat, but out of it, 4e's RP mechanics are almost exactly the same as 5e, with only a few tweaks to the numbers. The mechanical roleplay side of it really isn't any worse than a lot of D&D's or fantasy games.
My group, despite being made up of smart people, is not made up of smart people :smile:
 
I respect that, but suffice it to say, our experiences with the length of combat vary by a good margin.
Oh they started out slow, but we also just came from 3.5 where the club was having 4-5 turns 2+hour combats. Getting 10+rounds of combat for 2+hours was quick.
Truth be told what sped up 4e combat was a couple of us leaving the club that thought 3.5 was rpg nirvana.
We started a new club where only 2 of us was current on gaming the others were new to gaming or lapsed players from the 80s-90s. No more having to listen to players bemoaning and kibitzing. No more having people with agendas to 'prove 4e sucks'. We got players who had no agendas about is 4e a roleplaying game or skirmish miniature game.

My group has also commented on how the Most Hated Edition is not a particularly good rpg, but a fine skirmish game. We had troubles with it, but I think we expected a roleplaying game. We play gloomhaven and enjoy it just fine. It’s pretty well the same thing.
Always comes across as disingenuous about "expecting a roleplaying game", looking at the "roleplaying parts" of every previous edition of D&D, strangely enough 4e has more written about the "roleplaying parts" then the previous editions.
 
Always comes across as disingenuous about "expecting a roleplaying game", looking at the "roleplaying parts" of every previous edition of D&D, strangely enough 4e has more written about the "roleplaying parts" then the previous editions.

lets say it's not disingenuous, and we might have a different opinion now, but the scars were bad. We, as a group, were busily learning what we liked and growing up in the process. People change, and their view then isn't always fixed in stone :smile:

I won't even disagree about the contents of the books, and frankly, I still like it a lot.
 
No it doesn’t. It comes across as a difference of opinion. Why go there?
Looking at the "roleplaying parts" of every previous edition of D&D, strangely enough 4e has more written about the "roleplaying parts" then the previous editions.
Yet people were able to roleplay in those versions and not make it a skirmish game? Rolleyes

That is why I call bullshit and have been calling bullshit for 11 years.
 
Looking at the "roleplaying parts" of every previous edition of D&D, strangely enough 4e has more written about the "roleplaying parts" then the previous editions.
Yet people were able to roleplay in those versions and not make it a skirmish game? Rolleyes

That is why I call bullshit and have been calling bullshit for 11 years.
The issue really comes to down to what you spend your time at the table doing. B/X is my preferred version of D&D, and it has about four pages of combat rules and options, and combat zips along quickly, keeping the pacing fast and the focus stays on exploration. B/X mentions the possible use of miniatures in its very last two paragraphs, right before the credits.

My issue isn't with whether or not you can roleplay in the game or not. I can roleplay perfectly well playing 40K or Monopoly, so that isn't the issue. I didn't want an edition of D&D where it takes 2 hours to resolve 10 rounds of combat. For me, I like combat to be a spice in my games. I don't want it as the main course.

That doesn't make it a bad game, and I'm glad you had fun, but you sure aren't going to win me over to your side by saying everyone who disagrees with you is disingenuous. What are you even implying there? That we all conspired behind your back to hate 4E? "Hey guys. I hear that Sommerjon likes 4E. Let's all pretend we don't like it to piss him off!"
 
I found in the same setting D&D 4th edition combat takes as long as GURPS to resolve for similar situations. The reason why that the case differs. In D&D 4th edition it is because of the myriad ways of recovering hit points. In GURPS it is because combatants have a defense roll. Both take longer than the OD&D variant I run. And D&D 5th edition sits in between.

As for being a RPG, D&D 4th edition is just as much as a RPG as the 3 LBB of OD&D and is supported by an excellent Dungeon Master Guide. Too bad they did not follow their own advice in published adventures and organized play. They started too by the time they released Essentials but it was too late.

Rating the DMGs

A tale of two 4th editions

The one where I ran an organized play adventure.
Where you get to read my judgment on the adventure
While the session when well, the adventure was some of the worst crap I seen published for roleplaying in a long time.

Side Note: I guess my assessment of the adventure resonated because it is second on the list of result when you google Gates of Neverdeath.
 
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Looking at the "roleplaying parts" of every previous edition of D&D, strangely enough 4e has more written about the "roleplaying parts" then the previous editions.
Yet people were able to roleplay in those versions and not make it a skirmish game? Rolleyes

That is why I call bullshit and have been calling bullshit for 11 years.
Truth to power! Definitely worth insulting people over. You’re fighting the good fight brother.
 
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Cmon guys, we can argue about our fairy tea parties without insulting each other for our preferences in tablecloths.
 
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