2nd ed

[Echo]

I played 2nd till 3e came out, and then switched since I liked the simplifcation of the mechanics (no more THAC0 tables, X+ savings throw tables, etc). But when 4e came out, I was so disgusted I reverted all the way back to 2nd edition and dug up all my old resources from the 90s. I was reminded about how many outstanding accessories and resources they had. For the video-conference game I run now, I use modified 3e rules, but drawing on converted 2nd edition material.

[mfossati1]

2nd ed with some house rules

[kgauck]

But when 4e came out, I was so disgusted I reverted all the way back to 2nd edition and dug up all my old resources from the 90s.

I'm intrigued. Disgusted by what? If you play low combat, as I do, sure 4e isn't the way to go, but neither is 2e, with no skills at all. If on the other hand, you play combat intensive, 4e is certainly more robust (unlikely to produce wildly different results if you re-play a combat, or to achieve accidental TPK because you made the encounter slightly too hard) than either 3e (which has to be the most brittle combat system invented) or 2e.

So I must presume there is something else that disgusts you. I can imagine some places one might recoil at change (magic?), but I am curious, disgusted by what?

[The incredible, edible Phil]

I'm currently in a 2e Ravenloft game because the DM isn't familiar enough with the 3e rules to run it and he doesn't want to touch 4e with a 10 foot pole.

[cyrano24100]

(...)
So I must presume there is something else that disgusts you. I can imagine some places one might recoil at change (magic?), but I am curious, disgusted by what?

I for one felt 4ed wasn't for me (I won't say "disgusted", but I can relate... rather "un-impressed") ; My main frustration is rule complexity -- and I wish someone at wizard would find that fine line between realism and simplicity of game rules; I don't think we need all those new classes... I had my pet peeves about 2ed too mind you (like why bows take 2 extra slots for specialization instead of 1 like all other weapons), why racial ability modifiers, why Prime requisites... I guess I was more in favor of dummied-down rules, and same went for combat... but then what I liked were spell components (bat guano for fireball spells), and just about anything that gave the rules "flavor": It just felt like a DM should be a pro on spell components, monster's tactics, and storytelling rather than having to be a bureaucrat.

... yeah, but oddly I'm still a fan of Thac0.. though I remember screaming for TSR/Wizards to get rid of it!

... Ok, I'll shut up now.

[kgauck]

Unfortunately that fine line is not so fine, in fact it appears to be wider than it is long. Some people want a very simple resolution system, other people want to model combat styles, different weapons, kinds of hits, and so on. Then there are people like me who complain about the probability distribution.

[Chabit Rane]

2nd edition is what we use here, namely because we have most of the 2nd edition books.

[The incredible, edible Phil]

Personally, I find that 4e has its merits, especially when compared to 2nd edition. The problem is that some of it is so radically different from the previous edition(s) that it no longer exactly feels like D&D but just something vaguely similar. Namely the race changes and the mechanics lending itself mostly to high fantasy play only which is fine if it's FR (although don't get me started on how they ruined much of the setting), Eberron, and even Dragonlance and Greyhawk. It really doesn't lend well to the low magic settings like Birthright or the other genres like Ravenloft or "Planescape" (or whatever can be salvaged of it in 4e).

[bonz_of_baton_rouge]

I use the 2ed rules when I play birthright. I got out of playing AD&D when I was in college did model war gaming instead during that time. I didn't play D&D again until I went to a convention with a friend to help setup stuff and played the 3.5ed rules. Which I thought had some cool things for combat but just slowed down the character creation process and added extra detail that could over whelm someone who was not familiar with the D&D stuff.
Since than I have started playing birthright again and use the 2ed rules for playing. And I have all the 2ed stuff already instead of buying books from a store or digging around on Google for house rules on 3.5ed. I am glad that birthright.net has started to make changes for the new version, and I have incorporated some stuff into my 2ed games from it.

Thanks