So.. how many ADNDers we got?

[garhkal]

Well, the subject line says it all.  Who here is also an ADND gamer?

[VF1LAM]

I am planning to get back into AD&D games in the next year or so, after my online schooling and/or job search become less hectic.  Although I don't have a great deal of time for RPGs, my father is a huge LOTR fan and likes D&D/AD&D also.  So that's one person I can count on already to join my group if I am the Dungeon Master. ::)  Also, I have some new ideas for my campaign world, which is partially based on TSR's Mystara setting, although it uses many of my own ideas and doesn't use some of TSR's ideas.

Did I mention that I like 2nd edition?

[Scotty]

I have played, but hardly ever get the opportunity anymore. :(

[Velverin]

I started with AD&D but now I am really liking the Pathfinder RPG, for which I will try and design my own Campaign World.

[Fatebringer]

I only played one campaign under the only 2.0 rules. Most of the games I played were under 3.5, but I've tried 4.0 as well. Didn't work well for our group.

I'm Looking into Pathfinder now as I'm planning a 3.0/3.5 Forgotten Realms Epic Game to start next month for a local group. I have a more freestyle method of GMing and a full group :P One might say overly full. Trying to keep it capped at 8 peeps. :P

Theme: Plants vs Zombies (Nature vs Undead)

[Psyckosama]

I played it when I was in highschool but I did the switch over to 3rd in college.

[Daryk]

I'm in a 1st Edition tribute game over on the Giant in the Playground forums.  We started it in the wake of Gary Gygax's passing, and just recently restarted it after a hiatus.  I'm also in 3.5 and 4.0 games (one each) over there.

[TheOldDragoon]

I'm running a 1st Edition AD&D game set in Mystara.  It's a lot of fun to get back to the old-school for a while.
 
We're using AD&D1e with Unearthed Arcana, WSG and DSG.  Lots of fun.

[greatsarcasmo]

I played 2ed edition in junior high/early HS. And in my garage I have a rubbermaid container with every book my group bought(I bought everybodies collection when we gave it up). I'm thinking of joinin a 4e group at the LGS, but what are the primary difference between editions?
Or is that better left for a different thread?

[Crunch]

I only played one campaign under the only 2.0 rules. Most of the games I played were under 3.5, but I've tried 4.0 as well. Didn't work well for our group.

I'm Looking into Pathfinder now as I'm planning a 3.0/3.5 Forgotten Realms Epic Game to start next month for a local group. I have a more freestyle method of GMing and a full group :P One might say overly full. Trying to keep it capped at 8 peeps. :P

Theme: Plants vs Zombies (Nature vs Undead)

I've been running Pathfinder for the last year and am loving it to the point that I'm selling all my 3rd Edition books (other than fluff books).

[Daryk]

I played 2ed edition in junior high/early HS. And in my garage I have a rubbermaid container with every book my group bought(I bought everybodies collection when we gave it up). I'm thinking of joinin a 4e group at the LGS, but what are the primary difference between editions?
Or is that better left for a different thread?

That question is best left to another thread, but I will say this much here: they are significantly different.

[Altered_Priest]

I played mostly 1st edition in my younger years.  Since I grew "old" (my 30's), I've played in two campaigns that I've really enjoyed, using the OSRIC (1e retro-clone) rules, and the Castles & Crusades rules, respectively.  I enjoyed both very much, and would play either again if/when I get the chance. 

I've tried the 3rd and 4th edition rules as a player, and they just didn't click for me.

[Aokarasu]

Been playing DnD in various forms for almost 31 years now.  Currently involved in a 4E campaign and enjoying it.  For those familiar with the system, I'm playing a Deva Psion; switched him over from a Deva Wizard (with the DM's permission, of course).

That question is best left to another thread, but I will say this much here: they are significantly different.

Both absolutely true.

[target_destroyed]

I played a lot of 2nd ed. in highschool. Mostly Dark Sun and Planescape, with a bit of Dragonlance for good measure. I don't have a ton of time for gaming anymore, when I do I prefer blowing stuff up w/ stompy robots.  :)

[garhkal]

Surprised we have a lot..

[Daghda]

I played 1st and 2nd ed.  did not like the new 3rd edition and later variants.  Maybe we could start a 2nd ed. based game here, yes?

[Daryk]

Boards with dice (like Myth Weavers) are usually better for D&D in my experience, but don't let that stop you.

[Mattlov]

I played Basic, 2nd, 3rd, and 3.5 D&D.  I have the books for 4th, but they don't interest me that much.

I run a regular Pathfinder game, which s basically D&D 3.75.  It is a good d20 system.

[Top Sergeant]

I played two or three times a week in college, and I ran a campaign for two years. But then 2nd Ed came along and I stopped playing it.

[Crunch]

I played Basic, 2nd, 3rd, and 3.5 D&D.  I have the books for 4th, but they don't interest me that much.

I run a regular Pathfinder game, which s basically D&D 3.75.  It is a good d20 system.

My group really really tried to like 4 and it was a disaster of such proportions that it almost broke us.

It took a solid year of me running pathfinder to get us to the point of looking at other games (Other GM-WFRP 3/ Dark Heresy me Mage 2e/ ATOW)

[Fatebringer]

Boards with dice (like Myth Weavers) are usually better for D&D in my experience, but don't let that stop you.

I started a thread asking why not try to get a dice roller here, not to play DnD, but for the B-Tech games on here, but to date "0" responses from the PTB.

[Wereferret]

I'm playing 4e off and on, unfortunately no group yet but I actually prefer it to what I've played of 2e, and vastly prefer it to 3e. 

[Daghda]

I'll admit that I have not tried 4e, but considering the disaster that was 3e you can probably understand why.

[Daryk]

I started a thread asking why not try to get a dice roller here, not to play DnD, but for the B-Tech games on here, but to date "0" responses from the PTB.

Then you're ahead of the game.  I asked TPTB directly on the old board and quickly got a response from Herb in the negative.  It seems there's insufficient demand compared to the technical difficulty of implementation.

[topcat]

D&D player since waybackinnaday.  :)

It is and always has been fun for me, as long as you know what you're getting and are happy with that.  4e is an entirely new game the way 3e was compared to 2e, so learning it can be an effort.  Power levels moved from traditional fantasy to high fantasy - closer to something like Exalted in feel.  Characters now have roles and special abilities that were more at home in MMOs than traditional tabletop gaming.  If you're good with that, and an increasing number of new players are comfortable in MMO-style roles, then it's a good way to go. [Edit: I like 3.5e for what it does, too, but couldn't see myself going back further than that.]

If not, then there are plenty of other options out there.  It's a good time to be a gamer.  :)

[Arthinas]

I may have started out with good ol' 2nd ed, but I dropped it like a hot potato when 3rd came out. Stuck with 3.0/3.5 right up until 4th came out, and then made the move to Pathfinder, which I'm LOVING.

[Garm]

I would play 2nd ed. AD&D before 3rd or later any day. I prefer Palladium Fantasy for fantasy gaming,  more flexible system in my opinion. My group seems to agree, as one stated you can have 2 characters of the same class and not be cookie cutter twins. I tried 3rd edition and it was interesting but not D&D.

[Klingon]

I have played 1st, 2nd, 3.0 and 3.5 ADnD, and of the lot, I prefer 3.5. The transition to 3rd is kinda tough, but for someone just getting started, 3.0/3.5 just makes more sense. They simplified a lot of things that just didn't need to be complicated.

For example, the saving throws. It's simple: you're either trying to dodge (a reflex save), resist (a Fort save), or it's a mental attack (a Will save). Anything else is just a modifier to one of these three. Dragon breath? Well, the fire's a Reflex save. The poison gas is a Fort save.

Ability modifiers. If you have a 14 Strength, it gives you a +2 to anything that is helped by strength. To-hit for melee weapons, damage, bend bars, you get a +2 for your strength.

And so on.

I haven't tried 4th ed, but I hear it's a veeery different beast.

[Taber]

1st Ed, 2nd Ed player/DM.
played some 3rd but not set up to run it.
never tried 4th.

[lucho]

Like some of the others, I played 1st ed. in high school. I sold my books in '88(!) and never gave any more thought to the game- I had discovered Btech and never looked back  [rockon]

My friends invited me to a 3.5 game a few months ago. I was amazed at the difference; I basically had to learn a whole new game  :o

[Fletchi18]

I've been in a game since '95-ish. Started with 2E and we've moved up to 3.5. We're approaching the end of our current campaign and I'd love to get a BT game going instead (we used to do both a few years ago, but the demands of life stopped that).

[XaosGorilla]

       Suppose I'd have to be counted as a former AD&Der. Played 1e (some) 2e(lots) 3e/3.5e(not so much).

       "Life is what happens when people are in the process of doing what they have planned..."
                                                                                                                         -unknown.

[greywolf79]

When I have a good DM I like to play... But sadly the last time I enjoyed a game was about 10 years ago. I live in a place that is very anti-RPG... The only real gaming in this city outside of video games is 1 place runs a weekly Magic the Gathering game and there is a family where the father and 6 of his kids have Warhammer 40K armies and will allow others to borrow some troops for a game... No DnD, BT, AToW, Vampire, etc etc.... So, I play a lot of megamek and dream of better days to come (we are moving to a much more BT friendly environment soon).

[garhkal]

When I have a good DM I like to play... But sadly the last time I enjoyed a game was about 10 years ago. I live in a place that is very anti-RPG... The only real gaming in this city outside of video games is 1 place runs a weekly Magic the Gathering game and there is a family where the father and 6 of his kids have Warhammer 40K armies and will allow others to borrow some troops for a game... No DnD, BT, AToW, Vampire, etc etc.... So, I play a lot of megamek and dream of better days to come (we are moving to a much more BT friendly environment soon).

Where you currently at?  Where you moving to?

[greatsarcasmo]

Just got into a game and wow! Maybe I just live in the past but 2nd ed. was way easier.

[Daemonknight228]

2nd ed. was way easier.

THAC0 is my response to that :P

Don't get me wrong, I grew up playing 2nd Ed, and I loved it for many years. But sometimes, things seem so...arbirtrary. For example, with the percentage at Str 18- how come everything above 18 reverted to the single entry format? before and after Str 18, you had a single entry for strength, but at 18, you rolled a percentile and that gave you a more detailed breakdown(which I thought added an odd element). It either should have been implemented to every value after 18, or not at all. And why only strength?

Similarly, for the Warrior, why at level 9 did you automatically receive a small military force? admittedly, it could actually be quite large(in excess of 200 men if you rolled high consistently, and could even be given a Keep!). But without having to actually do anything to earn it?? Yet none of the other classes got anything similar. It just seemed alot of stuff was haphazard, or didn't make sense.


3.5 I think is the best edition, as it simplified alot of 2nd(such as getting rid of the dumb inverted armor modifiers that spawned THAC0 in the first place), and generally made the game alot easier to swallow.

[Crunch]

3.5 I think is the best edition, as it simplified alot of 2nd(such as getting rid of the dumb inverted armor modifiers that spawned THAC0 in the first place), and generally made the game alot easier to swallow.

I disagree, simply because Pathfinder is essentially 3.5 with an additional decade of playtesting. The Skill system and Combat Maneuver Defense/Bonus system specifically make the system more robust and flexible.

[OverKill]

Our core group of players alternate between D&D, Vampire and lately Battletech

[Daemonknight228]

I disagree, simply because Pathfinder is essentially 3.5 with an additional decade of playtesting. The Skill system and Combat Maneuver Defense/Bonus system specifically make the system more robust and flexible.

But isn't Pathfinder...pathfinder?

[Crunch]

But isn't Pathfinder...pathfinder?

Not really it's basically D&D 3.75.

[Daemonknight228]

but since theres no such thing as DnD 3.75...it's just Pathfinder. It has it's own rulebook, called Pathfinder. So it's not strictly DnD 3.5

[gordie]

No but when D+D went to N00B edition, the hardcore 3.5-ers went to pathfinder for more content because of how it was set up, but it isnt close enough to D+D 3.5 to be called 3.5, so we call it 3.75, because it is NOT the N00B edition

[Daemonknight228]

i assume by noob edition you mean 4th ed. I have yet to understand why 'different' automaticlly means 'noob' if there is a sensed lack of...something, because i'm not sure what 4th ed supposedly lacks compared to 3.5

[Crunch]

i assume by noob edition you mean 4th ed. I have yet to understand why 'different' automaticlly means 'noob' if there is a sensed lack of...something, because i'm not sure what 4th ed supposedly lacks compared to 3.5

Any rules or coverage for non combat situations?

[Daemonknight228]

okay, they removed skills, which served at add a layer of dice-rolling to what was essentially a RP-based section of the game anyways. I don't see that as nessicary, I see that as removing a part of the rules that don't add anything.

Because aside from skills, theres nothing about non-combat in 3.5 either.

[Thoth]

I've chucked a few AD&D dice in my years of gaming.

I even picked up the Dark Sun Campaign Guide recently for some old school nostalgia.

[gordie]

Allow me to validate my own argument, The 4th edition of D+D removed spell progression, and turned all spells/feats normallty covered by each of the rules into abilities, based in god-knows-where ito at-will, per encounter, and per day uses.... The limitation to these three catagories limits the application to specifically to use D+D for newer players.



For those who didnt understand mwhat i just said above, 4th edition is N00b edition because theres not depth to the gameplay.... its built for someone  who is new to both D+D and the Roleplaying genre

[Daryk]

The most telling change to me was evidenced by the sample adventure in the core books.  First level characters killing a (non-hatchling) dragon?  After facing down all its cronies?  Really?  I think that's the main source of the comparisons I've heard to superhero games.  Before 4th edition, the proper response of a first level party to a reasonably sized dragon in the neighborhood was "run away!"

[garhkal]

You forgot the "crap pants" THEN run!

[Daghda]

Heck the general response from some 15th level parties, when encountering a dragon was, 'crap pants, then run away.'

[ds9guy]

I played a crap load of Dungeons and Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons when I was young.  Then I switched to 2nd edition ad&d when it came out.....mostly either set in Middle-Earth or Forgotten Realms, then Dark Sun in college.  After I got back from school I played a great deal of 3.0.  When 3.5 came out half my old gaming group got real mad and dropped d&d.  I've played a little bit of 4.0 and disliked it. 

I've read most of the settings, even played in the lion's share of them as well. 
Thinking back, I've played a whole lot of halfings over the years.  My favorite 1st edition and 3rd edition characters were both halflings (1 thief, 1 druid) and my 2nd ed fav was a Thri-kreen from Dark Sun. 
I played a Goblin Bodger in the d20 Iron Kingdoms game based on Privateer Press's Warmachine setting.  He was alot of fun too... :)

[guardiandashi]

I played a bit of AD&D 2nd edition (picked up council of wyrms) and the rules for that version always seemed really arbitrary if you played RAW (Rukes As Written) humans are the only race that can dual class, some races can multiclass, different races have level caps IE an elf can never level past 9th level warrior?? err what??

3.0/3.5/pathfinder took a lot of the "stupid" out of D&D in the sense that everyone basically follows the same set of rules, wether you play as a human dwarf, dragon elf or whatever.

IE if I want to play a gold dragon under 3.0/3.5 I can but a hatchling gold dragon starts off as (roughly) a 12th level char, due to hit dice (8 ) stat mods, and additional abilities, (a +3 or 4 level adjustment is applied for the additional abilities) heck if you want to in 3.0/3.5 you can play as a pit fiend (if the campaign/gm allow it) of course any time your total effective level goes over 20 you are into an epic campaign but hey it is what it is.

the neat thing about the 3.0/3.5 is that since you can play oddball chars (like dragons) you can also do crazy things like having a young gold dragon, who is also a 8th level fighter, 8th level cleric, 7th level sorcerer  just for giggles

[Tslammer]

Have not played AD&D for 7 years now. Doubt my group will rotate away from Battletech to AD&D again. Mostly likely it would be back to champions. But we would be playing BT for at leat 2 more years before i think anyone needs a change of pace.

[monty]

Started  with 2nd ed around 92 played through 3.0 & 3.5 (moaning each time about how much I had spent on books for the now out of date set) but came to realise each was an improvement, mainly Forgotten Realms, came to 4th ed. looked at how they had maimed the campaign setting & butchered the rules and just said no, not again. Would like to get a game of 3.0 or 3.5 going again someday.

[Devens]

Played 1st and 2nd Edition, played a little 3.5 but it was just not D&D.

[Top Sergeant]

Played 1st and 2nd Edition, played a little 3.5 but it was just not D&D.

I felt the same.

[garhkal]

+1 to that.  Gave it 7 sessions to WOW me, but it didn't.

[truetanker]

I run a custm D&D game.

Take 1st ed. characters, FATE roll them, 2D6 instead of 3D6. Or just give every attribute a 9, then allow each player to roll a D6 once, they then can add the target die to any attribute they want. Removing numbers can be used to pump up others.

Then I use the 2nd ed. for equipment and money usage, finally throwing in 3rd ed. monsters to stir things up. That skeleton there? Well you need either a blunt ( full damage ) or a edge ( half damage ) weapon to attack. THAC0 is still used, but at a level higher than normal. It helps to have the system pre-printed out on flashcards in a random drawing.

I am currently creating a flashcard system that will allow me a place, with scenario involved. IE:

Room : 10x10
Roll : D10 for Monster, 5+ ( I roll a 6 and pick up random Monster card. )
Roll : 1-2 Barrel ( D6 )
         3-4 Boxes ( I roll 3, Boxes are found ) 1D6 for money, 25% chance Weapon, 25% chance Magic
         5-6 Empty
Roll : D20 for Wandering Monster, 15+ ( I roll a 16 and a draw a random Monster card. )

Every time I draw a Monster card there is one monster per level of character. And each character rolls a D6 to see how much money is found and or if they find a Weapon or Magic item.

TT

[Yo Jimbo]

I started playing D and D in 81 or 82. (yeah I'm an old guy) Played 1st, 2nd 3rd once, and about a year of 4th. We went back to 2nd. We did not like 4th at all, but that may just be because we are old, and like the role part of role playing.

[ChrisSmith]

Jimbo don't feel bad.  That's about when I started.

[M-Rex]

Yes.

First edition all the way.

[Fatebringer]

We've been playing pathfinder and in their recent book blitz, they finally made characters more customizable for those of us that like having more complex games.

I decided I wanted to play a Mystic Theurge so I had to go thru other classes to get my prestige class. The end result? A multi-classed that actually works! (Mystic Theurge requires 3 classes, one arcane - I took cleric, one divine - I took Summoner, and then the only thing the Mystic Theurge does is increase the spell levels of both previous classes. All extra abilities remain at the actual level of their class)

I was worried that not having any spells above Level 3 at 11th level would hurt me, but my combat prowess has remained high and while I don't have powerful spells, I have a lot of them. I don't run out of things to do in a lengthy dungeon crawl where we haven't stopped in a while.

The extra feats (Pathfinder gives Feats at 1st, then every other level) and the Traits gave me enough of an edge to make my character concept work.

[Guitardian]

we still play 1st ed AD&D here from time to time witha LOT of beer and silliness (complete with the Random Disease Tables and Assassination Chance of Success stat, the Hireling Loyalty percentages, Treasure Type (in lair), random "dungeon" generator in the back of the DMG, chance that a dragon will use its breathweapon, chance that a Demon gates another Demon... Chance that halflings might be angry and summon Arvorean if threatened). So many wonderful, somewhat useless tables, arbtrary percentage chances, may as well take advantage of them all. Plus DEMON is cooler than Ta'anari (darn 80s xtian parents and their satanic paranoia). They usually go something like this since we devolved a bit since the imaginations of youth...

@Magnus the Mighty Mage: good job man, you are now a 3rd level Magic User! People have to call you "seer" now. Your spell book contains 3 spells... read magic, hold portal, and knock

@Sigmung the Fighter: hits the Ogre for 5 ponts of damage! (because of his great strength and +1 Sword) the Ogre doesn't appear hurt and swings his (d% roll) SPEAR at you but (rolls) misses.

Magnus: I have a 14 Dex does that help me go first?

@Magnus: No.

Magnus: dang... um.. I cast detect magic!

@magnus: The Ogre isn't Magical, he is just pissed because Sigmung is hitting him, he sees you casting a spell and turns his attention at you

Sigmung: Do I go next?

@Sigmung: No dude you have a weapon speed of 10 with that Two-Handed Sword

@magnus: The Ogre hits you for 10 points of damage!

Magnus: damn I only have 11 hit points! that's 1 left

@Magnus: how did you get 11 hit points at level 3? That's like two 4s and a 3! Did you really roll that high?

Magnus: um, yeah.

@Magnus: Next time I want to see your rolls when you make a level... Sigmung you miss.. Magnus, the Ogre is bellowing with rage that he got poked by your "Swashbuckler" friend's big slow sword ...what do you do now?

Magnus: he's bellowing?

@Magnus: yes

Magnus: I cast hold portal on his mouth! "Shut your trap beast!"

@Magnus: umm....(roll roll) he failed his Save Versus Spells and is suddely stunned by your magic power and (roll roll) fails his morale check and starts to back silently away, clenching his big toothy jaw as if it was wired shut...

@Sigmung:  The "Swashbuckler" hits again for 6 points of damage! See how awesome you get when you make 5th level,
Sigmung? The ogre now looks pissed, uncomfortably quiet, and bleeding. He is attempting to withdraw.

Magnus: No WAY he's getting away that easy! Time to pull out the heavy artillery! I cast KNOCK and knock him off his feet! Second level spells rock!

@Magnus: It doesn't work that way

Magnus: why not?

@Magnus: He's not a door. It's like knocking on a door, man.. if he could speak common and open his mouth he might say "who is it?"

Magnus: I speak Ogre, but oh yeah, the mouth. Man second level spells are dumb! oh. well, what's in the room?

@Magnus and Sigmung: a box, duh (roll roll roll), open it?

Sigmung: we cant check for traps?

@Sigmung: no... the new thief died the first last time he checked for traps and failed his 13% chance. Then he failed his poison
15+ save and died, remember? jeez guys why can't you ever keep a thief alive?  I can't believe he failed BOTH rolls!

Finneous (the dead theif's player): Cause he always has to check for traps a-hole and never gets past 1st level because he dies very time he fails! and start over at level 1 again when they die every game!

@Finneous: shutup you're dead, grab me another beer woud you, and you can roll up a new character so you can be the "caller" again.

Finneous: (roll roll roll) I'm running out of name ideas.

Sigmung: I wanted to be the "caller" next.

@Sigmung: too bad you're a big dumb fighter with a Charisma of 4 nobody would listen. You get to be the "mapper".

Sigmung: Man I hate being the "mapper" all the time. How big is the room?

@Magnus: so you open the box, but it's (roll roll) not trapped... inside is (roll roll) 2000 electrum pieces, 8000 copper pieces.... and the quest continues... hey Sigmung grab me another beer while your up and you get 100 experience...

Magnus: Monsters are so organized. always have their money sorted into 1000s. wierd huh? I should get help me balance the books nice and neatly

@Magnus: That's only cuz he's treasure type "In Lair". It would be different if he was a "Wandering Monster"ogre. What else do you think he has to do sitting in a room at the end of a tunnel with nothing but a box of change?

Magnus: Oh yeah.. I guess that makes sense... ON WITH THE QUEST TO DEFEAT THE FORCES OF CHAOTIC NEUTRAL, SIGMUNG!

 
....yah something like that

[Frabby]

I played AD&D only once and barely remember the session (I think I played a Bard there).
On a more general level, I have tried out a multitude of RPG systems including, but not limited to, MechWarrior 1st Ed., Shadowrun, The Dark Eye, Call of Chtulhu, Midgard, Aliens RPG, and at least two different homebrew systems.

I'm in an active RPG group playing once a week for more than 10 years now with RoleMaster/Middle-Earth Role Playing, which is my "core" setting and ruleset. It's not perfect, but we're so used to it that we won't switch rules and definitely won't change our setting (except perhaps to revive our BattleTech campaigan as a secondary setting... hmmm...).

[Fatebringer]

nice story Guitardian  :)

[Ghost Legion]

Aww, D&D....

I've played Basic, 1st Edition, 2nd Edition, 3rd Edition, 3.5 Edition, and even a little 4th Edition.  I have hundreds (maybe even thousands of books).

I enjoyed every Edition, except 4th.  4th Edition got me to quit buying.  I hated it.

[Wereferret]

LOL Guitardian that was great!  ;D

[Clangador]

I still play AD&D and OSRIC, which is a retroclone of AD&D. I run a game at my house at least once a month. I also run a play-by-post game for someone here on this forum.

[VF1LAM]

Plans have changed and interests have shifted for my gaming group.  We are getting out of AD&D to focus entirely on BattleTech.

I could add that we are having a good time playing BattleTech, as might be expected.  The latest game was a Phoenix Hawk and a Griffin versus a Warhammer.  My father's Phoenix Hawk was doing okay until he made the mistake of trying to get under the range of the Warhammer's PPCs, after which he was blasted by all the other weapons the Warhammer had left.  His 'Mech ended up losing a leg and both of its arms, at which point he ejected from his 'Mech.  Now the Warhammer, with much of its torso armor gone, is trying to fight the mostly-undamaged Griffin, which has so far outmaneuvered it.  Even though the player has only been in a few games in the past couple of years with us, she will probably win the game.

[TS_Hawk]

been that way for 30 + years for ADnD primarily I am a 2nd ed player hate 3.0 and 3.5 and 4th is ok.  Just give me THAC0 and I am fine :)

[Guitardian]

Give me loads and loads of random charts of useless stuff and I'm fine... (like the old DMG "random disease table" for if some evil cleric casts "Casuse Disease" on you.. you get to find out if you got gastroenteritis, or a bowel infection, or a bladder infection, or chicken pox, or a hundred other possibilities).. I'm not making this up it exists. Also, the "stronghold" table... which always has 10-60 or 20-180 or some other dice delineation of level 0 "normal man" soldiers with really absurd seeming armament... "The keep is occupied by (roll roll roll) 80 men with (roll roll roll) 3 javelins each, light crossbows, clubs, and platemail (?!??)"  That's what I love most about the old DnD> it just made its own wierd sense you weren't expected to question.. just the way the world works that there's a 1%-3% chance of success in catchin the attention of some god, demon, or other extra-planar being by saying its name. Imagine how busy a Judeo-Christian deity would be just over the course of a single church service.

[lucho]

I remember playing AD&D 1st ed. Our DM was especially devious.

I played a half-orc fighter/assassin. An utter mercenary, he was hired by the local chapter of paladins (  :o ) to eliminate local threats. "Fight fire with fire," they said, and sent a paladin along to make sure I only killed bad guys. Did I mention that we had an especially devious dungeon master? I had thought it was how he justified having a paladin and an assassin in the same group, and then we saw the bad guys  #P You laugh at puny little kobolds until they hit you from the shadows with improvised explosive devices, snipers with poisoned crossbow bolts, buckets of black pudding placed over the doorway, and the like

[guardiandashi]

reminds me of one of the "pools of radience encounters"

you run into {roll} Kobalds check table.. ok there are 1 kobald for each hit point in the party up on the roofs of the sorrounding buildings.. each is armed with a light crossbow a dagger, and has leather armor.....

I actually got out of that by bribing the kobalds with 1 of the 2 bags of loot I had... it was full of shortswords (something like 20 or 30 of them) stupid orcs, funny thing was the kobolds let me keep my other bags, which had the longswords and money

[Black Omega]

D&D was first fantasy/scifi game I ever played.  I started with the original version in '77 (my freshman year in high school) [Yeah, another old guy here]  I've played AD&D 1e, 2e, 3e and 1 campaign of 3.5e.  It took a while to adjust to the add everything up target number system but I think it makes sense for new players.  It beats knowing when to add, subtract, multiply and divide. :)  Overall I liked 1e and 2e the best.

Once as a Paladin (3rd lvl), I gave an Ettin a free first shot in a fight--to repent from his evil ways.  Freaked the DM out.  The Ettin missed, I didn't.

Another time the party ran across an ancient red dragon in his lair....as we were about to #$%^ our pants we discovered that this dragon had earlier been tricked into putting on a "Helm of Opposition."  He was now an interior decorator. ;D

[Top Sergeant]

D&D was the second RPG I ever played.

The first was Traveller, about 1977-78, the early version in the small black box & books with the red writing on the cover.

[Terminax]

D&D was my first RPG back when it was in the original red, blue, green, black and gold boxes. Then I got into ADD 2nd Edition and from there went into 3rd Edition and then 3.5 Edition. Having sunk a small fortune into the books I already got and nobody I knew making the switch I passed on 4th Edition.

[Stride]

pathfinder every other weekend! {>{>

[Orion]

This takes me back some years.  First played AD&D back about 1981 or 1982.  Never played very often, but if given the chance would have done it every week back then.  By 1984 I was already seeing problems with D&D and trying to design my own houserules and/or knockoff system.  Discovered the Hero System in 1985, and it's been my system of choice ever since.  I played AD&D1 occasionally in the 1998-2003 period, but only to hang out with friends.  Between their playing style being so different, and my general dissatisfaction with D&D, I decided no gaming was better than bad gaming.  It makes a great system to base computer games on (playing Baldur's Gate II right now), but I can't handle it for actual role-playing.  I've looked at the later versions, but to me they are even worse.

[Stride]

[...]Between their playing style being so different, and my general dissatisfaction with D&D, I decided no gaming was better than bad gaming.  It makes a great system to base computer games on (playing Baldur's Gate II right now), but I can't handle it for actual role-playing.  I've looked at the later versions, but to me they are even worse.

i know several people that share you're sentiment. they usually enjoy ShadowRun. give it a try if you haven't. ^-^

[Orion]

i know several people that share you're sentiment. they usually enjoy ShadowRun. give it a try if you haven't. ^-^

I've got it, but never used it.  Same with Traveller, MegaTraveller, and HarnMaster.  Sad thing is, between real life, lack of friends that share my playing style, and general apathy, I haven't done any roleplaying since 2003, and haven't done anything I considered real roleplaying since about 2001.  I collect old game supplements, design characters and campaigns for several genres, plot storylines, and have recently started attempting to write real fiction, but don't actively game other than computer stuff.  It's not that I don't want to, it's just not worth the time and effort right now with so much else that needs to be done.

They say those that can't, teach.  And so I thought I'd bring all my expertise and wisdom to these boards and tell everyone the proper way to play Battletech.  I know that none of you asked, but I owe it to you all to shared my crazed babbling.   >:D

[monty]

D&D was my first RPG back when it was in the original red, blue, green, black and gold boxes. Then I got into ADD 2nd Edition and from there went into 3rd Edition and then 3.5 Edition. Having sunk a small fortune into the books I already got and nobody I knew making the switch I passed on 4th Edition.

The 1 good thing about 4th ed. was that  I didn't buy it. After spending hundreds on 2nd ed & thousands on 3rd 4th  left me break that habit.

[Terminax]

My other problem is with ADD in general is the lack of acceptable players in my area. I've had three really good groups over the years but the last one I motherhenned was a group of teenagers/college age kids back in my late 20s and now that I'm in my late 30s it isn't appropriate to hang out with teenagers (or at least it feels that way to me) and I also really don't have the energy to build up another group. I've joined several tables since but mostly we didn't mesh. One group in particular was very over sexed with their roleplaying and the last game we had made me so uncomfortable that I texted my wife to phone me to get me out of there. Not that I have any problem with game flirting but it was crossing over far too much with the people I was playing with and that's just not for me. My online gaming got to the point where it wasn't rewarding enough for the work involved with it and only my small battletech table group and my Champions group seem to be stable these days.

[St.George]

Only played 1st and 2nd Ed,,,,started back in 81'.Lets see also Gamma World,Boothill,Twilight2000,Roadwars and topSecret as Rpg's go.Dabbled in MtG from 3rd ed.through the tempest series,up to 6th/7th ed,so quite some time(and cards)there.

Also played lots of "bookshelf" games being a armchair general,panzerleader,ASL and blue&gray to name a few,,,also a neet lil'mini game set to Naval warfare in WWII we use to play on the gym floor,,,,have to look those minis up,theres a decent fleet somewhere in the basement/man-cave.  >:D

Also play "boardgames" with military feel to em',,,say risk,chopperstrike,shogun or just a good game of chess.

Gave up on my on-line gaming of a half dozen games.I still crank on Totalwar,,,but wife made me give up Ever"crack" after almost 5 years and 75th lvl SK,,,,,  :(

[StCptMara]

Surprised we have a lot..

Dungeons and Dragons(whether it be White Pamphlets, Red Box, AD&D 1E, 2E, or 3E) has long been the
"Gateway to Gaming." I would say that everyone has played some version. I am trying to get a playtest group
set up for D&D Next(which seems to be wanting to go the opposite direction from the failed 4th Edition), and looking
forward to the re-prints of the 1st Edition Core books in July.

For those asking about 4th Edition...the differences are significant enough that, as someone who has played Red box,
1st Edition, 2nd Edition, 3rd Edition, I could not recognize 4th Edition as D&D, it was SO DIFFERENT...

[Hawk]

Played 1st Ed at 15, liked it, and then stuck with it. In point of fact, I have played all 5 editions so far (yes, I count 3.0 and 3.5 as two editions, because of the level of revision), I have been toying around with Pathfinder (and I do think its a damn good take on 3.5 when it comes to improvements.
Its from there that I branched....now its one of my two big collections, the other being Battletech.

[TJHairball]

I run AD&D second edition on a regular basis.  ;)

[idea weenie]

I ran a 3.5 undead campaign for a while, then we started a 4th edition campaign (I am also running).  3.5 camapign was basically vs undead, especially with the Elder Evils book featuring Atropus.  The really fun part is designing the undead prodution area to use assembly line technology, with all the plentiful/free negative energy Atropus puts out.  One example would be the Deathjack from Iron Kingdoms.  One of those is a CR 15 critter.  A assembly line churning them out would be a serious problem.  My ideas were to use various gems as representatives of the different undeath cults working together (it also gave the players a nice reward when they managed to defeat one).  (Also see the Cryx miniatures for other ideas.)

The 4th edition game I am running is essentially X-Com.  The aliens are popping in, getting goblins to give them locals (or goblins if not enough locals).  The players have seen one of the organic ships from Apocalypse, but it cast Greater Invisibility to get out of sight (then blasted the goblin encampment to destroy evidence).  The players have started wondering if it is an alien campaign, but I am going to have to try and hide that for a while to throw them off the trail.  Essentially, figure the Sectoids, with the bio-tech from X-Com Apocalypse as the main enemies (plus organic power armor for +10 strength bonus), with the possessing entities from Wormwood as the main bosses.  More organic tech ideas came from GURPS Bio-tech.

The nice part about 3rd vs 2nd is the to-hit makes more sense.  You roll to exceed the target number, not trying to figure out the THAC0.  4th edition is nice, because if you are rolling, you are attacking.  No roll, counter roll, etc, jut one roll, then do damage.  It speeds up the game.  The at-will, encounter, and daily powers also make for a fun mental choice for all the characters, without making the wizard where he casts magic missile 3-4 times, then has to resort to a dagger.  The qizard can cast his at-will every turn, while deciding if now would be a good time to use the encounter.  Also, each encounter the wizard would be trying to decide if that would be a good time to cast the daily power.

I essentially use 3/3.5 for ideas, and 4th for speeding up combat.  If you want, you can invert that, using 4th edition for ideas to speed up combat (and to make wizards useful every turn), and 3.5 for the settings.

[rebs]

Played every edition (edit: except 4th) from the old red DnD Basic set up until 3.5.   I still paint minis too, even though I haven't played high fantasy in a long time.  A friend and I have one of each kind of dragon, each type of giant (3 Frost Giants, and we even have a jolly green Storm Giant).  Skeleton Army, Goblin Army, Ogre Army, Gnoll Army in progress (20 to 30 pieces in each), plus many many character minis...   lots of dwarves, halflings, gnomes and even kender.  And wizards...   

I love Tolkien as well, the entire mythology, of course.   Turin Turambar is a favorite.  We still meet up (the old group), listen to the Tolkien Professor, paint minis and thumb through rule books making characters.  But it's hard to write pure fantasy, and my interest in the game itself waned a long time ago.  But even still, once a week or so, some of the same people who had been meeting to play since they were 12 and 13 years old still meet up, not to play as much as simply do stuff for the game... and I'm one of them.  It never goes away, it's classic.   

We did every game too...   RIFTS, Turtles, Beyond the Supernatural and other Palladium games (I'm near Detroit, Palladium are our home town guys) BT and MechWarrior, Axis and Allies tournaments. We had four games running at once on several occasions, everyone may or may not have bought in to the tourney for ten bucks, things got brutal and took two days to finish twice over the years of our A&A Summer Classic.   And we played an old game called Supremacy where you ran nations , sold to markets, fought wars and developed nukes, we all know the drill :) 

Sci Fi was my true first love.  DnD was a close second, then all the rest.  But yes, got to give major props to ADnD.

[Lysenko]

I started, in 1981, with Gamma World (first edition) and went on to D&D later.

These days, when playing or running D&D, I prefer either 3.5 (which was surprisingly streamlined, especially if one only uses the core rules and none of the splat books--who needs everything + the kitchen sink?) or B/X D&D (that's the 1981 "Moldvey edition" pictured below) with the recently fan-published B/X for the high level stuff:



I'm also planning a FASA Star Trek game and a MW 2e game (I'm having problems getting into ATOW).

[Sartris]

I played a few games of AD&D as a fledgling role-player, but the DM was an evil genius that made every step of the way feel like a Sherlock Holmes mystery combined with crazy danger from a Dragon Lance novel.

[Notsonoble]

pathfinder every other weekend! {>{>

Wish I had that kind of time...
And local gamers... despite helping test for maptool for a while and tabletop forge now, I'm not big on playing at a vtt online (I like em better for less map upkeep)

[truetanker]

Anyone every have the feeling that your DM could better use thier time NOT trying to kill you?

I had a recent game that they DM really tried too hard to find a simple trap. I stop playing with that gruop and went back to my custom one.

Side note: Still trying to find a person or persons to help draw stuff. DnD style CCG. PM me if you know someone.

TT

[Jacob01]

Back when elf was a class, I can't remember the world(not Dragonlance....).  Anyone recall this?  We play this setting before moving into AD&D. I am sad thinking of all the books I bought as a kid that I don't have now. One of the books I trying to remember is the elf nation, I think was in the middle of the map.
It expanded the elf class too.  Can anyone help me?

[truetanker]

Greyhawk mayhaps? It had the class books, Elf Hound NPC familiar.

Yeah, got two copies.

Would anyone want to GM a 1st ed style game? I can, but most things are hard in PBEMs. Like die rolling and saving throws.

TT

[Crunch]

Back when elf was a class, I can't remember the world(not Dragonlance....).  Anyone recall this?  We play this setting before moving into AD&D. I am sad thinking of all the books I bought as a kid that I don't have now. One of the books I trying to remember is the elf nation, I think was in the middle of the map.
It expanded the elf class too.  Can anyone help me?

Elf was a class in Dungeons and Dragons, and later Basic Dungeons and Dragons. It was only in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons that Race and Class were separated. Mystara and  was IIRC the Basic campaign setting with the Savage Coast being the area I remember best.

[Kommando]

Aye. I GM a Pathfinder game on sundays.

I've played D&D 3.5 since 2002. with an extended foray into 4E that left me giving away my books and swearing that it is the worst thing that happened to WotC.

This is the pathfinder party. As drawn by Alex Drummond the Dwarf Alchemist Zan Zanzibar.

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

Started with D&D Basic way back in 1982 at the tender age of 10 (yes, I know, I'm giving away my age). It all began with The Keep on the Borderlands. Ah, those were the days. From there I went on to 2nd Edition in the 90s, 3.X in the 00's and then Hackmaster, Castles & Crusades and Pathfinder. Along the way I got to play in some awesome games like being in on the ground floor at MegaCon (in Orlando) for Dave Arneson's Blackmoor 3.X MMRPG.

These days I'm lucky if I can play at all. However, I've gotten to play (as well as GM) some great games over the years including Gamma World, Star Frontiers, Top Secret, Robotech, Rifts, Shadowrun, MechWarrior, WEG Star Wars 2nd Edition, Call of Cthulhu, TOON! (including a twisted TOON! Cthulhu), GURPS, All Flesh Must be Eaten, Decipher's CODA Lord of the Rings RPG as well as a number of homebrews.

8)

[Doug Glendower]

Trying to start a Pathfinder game set in Eberron.

[tassa_kay]

Longtime tabletop gamer as well. My aunt and uncle met via OD&D, and I grew up on 1st and 2nd edition. Lotta Mystara for me! I'm a big Tiamat fan in all of her D&D incarnations, so I love Forgotten Realms (especially the Old Empires). Just finished playing a campaign in 3.5 to level 30 with a cleric of Tiamat with all 10 levels of the talon of Tiamat PrC, in fact...

Played a lot of World of Darkness and Warhammer as well, as well as WEG Star Wars and Saga Edition Star Wars (played an amazing KotOR-era campaign!), and our group is currently in a Vampire: Dark Ages game set in 12th-century Sicily. We just wrapped up a game of Classic Traveller as well...I adapted the Capellans and the Davions into the homebrew setting with my GM's help for funsies.

 We also started a new 3.5 campaign set in the world of our previous evil-aligned game, where we're going to try to undo all of the evil **** our old characters did as we clawed our way to level 30, lol.

[StCptMara]

We also started a new 3.5 campaign set in the world of our previous evil-aligned game, where we're going to try to undo all of the evil **** our old characters did as we clawed our way to level 30, lol.

Most interesting game I ever saw: GM gamed for two different groups on two different nights. One group
was evil, one group was good. The good party was always just behind the evil party action wise. The evil
party was always just ahead of the good party(basicly, the good party was trying to undo what the evil
party had just done. the evil party was leaving traps and other stuff the get/delay the good party).

GM ended the campaign by revealing the heroes/villians that were always just out of reach were another
party of players, and then coordinated a final showdown between the groups. (It ended with the last
of the good guys leaning against a wall as the poison from the last of the bad guys kicked in and he failed
his Save vs Poisons, both parties killed to a man..)

[garhkal]

WOW..  Both groups TPKed..

[RebelRunner]

A buddy of mine at a different school has a DnD campaign going. He house-ruled 19th-century firearms; it's basically DnD but set in a rather bizarre/hard-to-explain universe of his own creation.

[StCptMara]

WOW..  Both groups TPKed..

Yup...it was a second edition game, so poison was far nastier..The moral victory for the Good Party
was that their last guy lived longer then the last guy of the evil party...but, he had something like
6 or so different poisons in him(the evil party? They LOVED their poison..)

[garhkal]

That would have been a blast to have been part of.

[Wolf72]

Started with D&D Basic way back in 1982 at the tender age of 10 (yes, I know, I'm giving away my age). It all began with The Keep on the Borderlands. ...

Wow, same age, same adventure.

No local gaming groups+to far away from older bother+5yr old kid+full time job= very little gaming.

Long time with 1e, long time with 2e, 3e was fun but short lived, 4e blew chunks ... was even hard to mine for ideas, PF is very cool looking and I've been using the OGS and SRD ... Have updated so much of my old 3x stuff (which was from 2e ... from 1e).

[NullVoid]

Picked it up in 93 or 94, in middle school, already on the second edition.  I loved the Dark Sun, Planescape and Birthright settings, as well as parts of the Forgotten Realms (Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, the Forgotten Realms Atlas, and the Menzoberranzan Boxed Set in particular).  I met several older players that claim that 2e ruined D&D, but I certainly don't see it that way.  Back in the day, the game had few rulebooks (the three basic books, the Complete * Handbooks and the MC Annuals), the rest were mostly fluff books, and it was glorious.  As the decade came to an end, that policy changed, and the optional rule arms race began; by the time the third edition came around, the shadow of the future was plain for all to see.

Don't get me wrong: 3e/3.5e was great, the rules were MUCH simpler, being designed with more modern sensibilities in mind: design policies, not special case rules; the variant games (Mutants and Masterminds, Blue Rose) were also great fun, but the streamlined system and the careful(?) balancing of the different races, classes and options took away most of the flexibility of the game.  Back in 2e days, you could play anything from ultra high fantasy like Planescape to historicals set in classic antiquity where there were no mages and few magic items; take magic out of 3e or turn it up to eleven and mid- to high-level characters become unplayabe.

Pathfinder recently someow managed to add some of that flexibility back into the system, but I haven't been able to get Birthright ported over to my satisfaction, so there's still plenty of reason to play the old editions.

This is my cue to thank the folks at CGL for the streamlining of the ATOW as compared to MW3; rules should be simple, and there should be checks and balances, but the flexibility to adapt to different eras and even the occasional AU is the strongest point of the new system.

So, uh, thanks a lot!

[Wolf72]

would love to see Birthright done for PF

[StCptMara]

Picked it up in 93 or 94, in middle school, already on the second edition.  I loved the Dark Sun, Planescape and Birthright settings, as well as parts of the Forgotten Realms (Aurora's Whole Realms Catalogue, the Forgotten Realms Atlas, and the Menzoberranzan Boxed Set in particular). 

NullVoid: in my group, even in Pathfinder and D&D 3.X, Aurora's is one of the most well loved and used books
we have. I still have my original copy, and wish that WotC would allow it to be made PoD.

[Top Sergeant]

Yahoo News has an article announcing Dungeons and Dragons is 40 years old today!

I started playing about '78 or '79.

And yes, my hair is mostly gray now ;)

[kroner]

Yahoo News has an article announcing Dungeons and Dragons is 40 years old today!

I started playing about '78 or '79.

And yes, my hair is mostly gray now ;)

Starting playing around that same time.....

Your hair is grey, Top?  Funny, it must have grown back since you lived here in Baltimore area....   O:-)

- kroner (aka Vorpal)

[False Son]

Picked up 2nd ed at about 12.  Logged tons of time in Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft and my fav, Planescape.  When 3.0 came out and killed off my group's extensive collection and rendered my knowledge moot I never got back into it.  And I wasn't really thrilled with some of the choices made by the designers.

But yeah, good times.  Plenty of weekends where Friday was one group's campaign, Saturday was another.  And both groups resented the other's approach :)

Yup...it was a second edition game, so poison was far nastier..The moral victory for the Good Party
was that their last guy lived longer then the last guy of the evil party...but, he had something like
6 or so different poisons in him(the evil party? They LOVED their poison..)

QFT.  There were poisons that would killed if a saving throw was failed and did like 30-50 damage even if passed.  When Hero's Lorebook came out we were measuring the toughness of those characters by how many hits of Type F poison it took to kill them.

[Top Sergeant]

Starting playing around that same time.....

Your hair is grey, Top?  Funny, it must have grown back since you lived here in Baltimore area....   O:-)

- kroner (aka Vorpal)

Oh I had plenty of hair, its just I was on active duty then and just kept a real short haircut (real short!)  :)

My hair's at least two inches long now---I'm such a hippie!  ;D

[Dice]

From 2nd edition to Pathfinder ( still playing )

 8)

[Prospernia]

I'm sort of into AD&D; I have the 2nd edition DMG and the 3rd edition DMG, I'm hunting around for the AD&D DMG.  I love Dark Sun and Hollow-World as well as the Red-Blue-Green-Black-Gold Boxes of D&D!

I've never been a huge fantasy-fan; I like science-fiction more: I a kid I've grown up on Tolken's works, Narnia and '80s fantasy movies like Beastmaster. 

I'm more into Historical-gaming or worlds based off of historical worlds: I like WW: OWoD VtDA, Mummy and M:tA.

Since I know the D&D system well, I've been moving to explore other games: I have Chivalry & Sorcery and I'm looking for Tunnels and Trolls!  T&T baby!

[Notsonoble]

Remember me not having time... Well, I'm in three games a week now. All PF. Only Rise of The Runelords is close enough to the end that the DM is in Killmode. Loving the insanity.

[Khymerion]

Due to a flood, only my 2E Ad&d books made it through to the modern day but that stack has been eclipsed by the monster piles of 3.X and PF.   4th never took hold for me.  But, the game is played every sunday without fail now for almost a decade and a half now.