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I grew up on the origional D&D rules. In the early days, you didn't have powergamers, you had roleplayers. That was what D&D was invented for. Roleplaying. Not sitting there whacking rows of creatures to advance more, but to roleplay a quest, explore new lands, make up towns and other things.
A level 9-10 character was considered a pinnicle of playing. That was when your character became a force in the world. That was when your fighter became a true Lord, a mage became a true mage, thats when your hp's stopped raising per level, you just gained a few more each level after that.
If you got up to level 9 or so, you were a very experienced gamer. Those parties took on the hard foes, the giants, the dragons, etc. Each point of strength or dexterity etc counted. That +1 extra bonus to hit was a big difference in how you fought.
Then came Inflation. It happens as part of the world. People started to experiment and make up new classes and characters, because of the growing strength of the characters, new and stronger monsters had to be invented. Old dragons started becomming ancient dragons, then Great Wyrms.
Then they started with Weapon Proficiencies. Before, you were either proficient in a weapon or not. Now you can get to Grandmaster weapon. In D&D, it was alot worse than in baldur's gate 2. A grandmaster swordsman in D&D wasn't just +2/+3 with their weapon plus an extra attack, they were that strong times 3. Their attacks got stronger with each mastery. Proficient with a 2-handed sword did 1-10 damage, a Grandmaster might do 3-24.
SO they have to bump the monsters up some more. You had weapon and non-weapon proficiencies, you could be ambidextrous and use 2 weapons, you could learn bodybuilding to increase your HP per level, many others.
Monks became martial artists, with many different styles. Not just a monk, but maybe a karate monk, a judo monk, a wrestling monk. A strong monk character could do 6 attacks per round, doing 1-10 damage a hit.
Now not everything is bad. I personally loved alot of the 2nd edition rules, I like the martial arts lists, I like the new Psionists, alot of neat things. But there was too much bad things.
I tried one time to play with game as DM with a bunch of new wavers (what we called the new edition players) I gave up after the first day, this guy wanted to be the ambidextrous elven fighter with 2 swords skilled in dodging and such and such, mm that gives him +2 ac bonus, and hes from the north hills, so he gets +1 str and -1 int because hes a wood elf, and hes using a elven bow which is +1 to hit, and lets see, etc.etc.. you get the idea.
TOOOOOOOOOO MANNNYY STTTUUPPIIDDD RULLLEESSS! he he.
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