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I ran a Dark Sun campaign for a while using Classic D&D, and played in an AD&D Spelljammer campaign that seemed to go on forever. I loved Dungeon & Dragon magazines from that era, and the glorious, wonderful settings we had. 4e is now a close second though :D But then, while I didn't like the AD&D rules, I loved the imagination it wrought. Heck, I still do, and rate the D&D Rules Cyclopedia as being the Best D&D Ever. I was never an AD&D fan I loved my D&D flavoured Basic/Expert/Companion/Master style, and just didn't see why any of it needed complicating. Positive as I tried to be about 2nd Edition AD&D (considering it's birthday and all), I can't help but agree with you Mike. So, happy 20th birthday, AD&D 2nd edition. The mechanics were easier to use in many places, but the stench of one true wayism and a commitment to the worst aspects of gamer humor undercut the game.Īs the line matured, a lot of good stuff emerged like Dark Sun and Planescape, but I can't help but believe that 2e did some deep damage to the D&D hobby, damage that wouldn't be truly repaired until the launch of 3e.
#Ad&d 2nd ed store update
Cut out the condescending attitude and the love of all things goofy, and the game was a reasonable update of AD&D.
Looking back, in my eyes 2e was a missed opportunity. By the end of high school, though, I was pretty much out of gaming as my active hobby. Really, it was only the 1e books I already owned, and the quality adventures in Dungeon, that kept me interested in AD&D. It had an orange mohawked dwarf on on the cover, splitting an orc in half with a battle axe. Here was AD&D 2e, babbling on about story and bad puns. Yet, it was pretty obvious looking at my gaming shelf that things were due for a change. To me, the RPG world had been turned upside down. If you like, I don't know, dungeons, and perhaps dragons in those dungeons, get lost. The bad way involved combat, dungeons, loot, kicking in doors, and kick ass characters. If you liked goofy puns, pop culture references, and joke monsters, this was the game for you. Random NPC, and generally carrying on like a bunch of spastic Ren Faire rejects. The right way centered on talking in funny voices, spending hours shopping for gear or chatting with J. The PHB, and many of the books after it, made it clear that there was a right way to play AD&D and a wrong way. The worst sin in my eyes, though, was the tone. I liked some things (THAC0, expanded spell lists, a more flavorful ranger class, the bard as a class, the color art, the layout, the clearer rules, non-weapon proficiencies, rogue skills) but hated others (no demons or devils, a really annoying binder format for monsters, goofy art, plentiful attack spells for clerics). Was backward compatibility deemed the most important element? What did TSR's designers see as the game's goal?Īs a 14 year old when the game came out, my reactions were mixed at best. I have no idea what sort of restrictions or goals the designers worked under. I'll always remember 2nd edition as a missed opportunity. Greywulf mentioned that Zeb Cook's intro was dated January, 1989. Back in 1989, AD&D 2nd edition hit store shelves.