2nd edition or 3rd edition?

[The Ornery One]

I'm wondering which I should try learning the rules to. My friend (who had been trying to teach me) plays 2nd edition rules, and my cousin and nephew have been trying to learn 3rd edition. My friend will be moving in May and my relatives might loose interest, so I'm asking the people here about it.

This has been done before. i think 2nd ed won last time. Personally I hate the 3rd ed rules

[Redblueflare]

Yeah I'm not used to 3rd edition rules yet, so I also dislike them. The mean old developers are forcing us to get used to them though.

[Sir Krustin]

I'm surpised so few of you like 3E rules. I think 2E sucks bigtime. I always laughed at AD&D as anything but an entry level RPG. 3E fixes a lot of things I hated about 2E (lack of a skills system for one), although I still think it doesn't work as a "one size fits all" ruleset as they'd like you to think. In particular, SF/modern styles don't work too well with D20.

[Indemaijinj]

I think the 3rd ed rules are the best because they are both easier to understand and more flexible.

I do, however, hate what they have done to the psionicists and I resent the monk class.

[Gammit]

I prefer them in the order they were created. First edition, second edition, then (bleeeeech) thrid edition.

there's something wrong with an instruction manual that is an inch and a half thick.

[Angelousss]

I haven't seen to much of 3rd edition rules but what i have seen i didn't like. mostly character creation, seemed kinda messed up. It's supposed to make the game more intuitive which believe me was needed.

[Luvian]

Third editions are is lot more flexible than 2nd or first edition AD&D.

I don't see what is the problem with character creation, unless when you where plaing D&D you where only using the basic rules. Personally, I would never run a game without skills from the Player's option: Skills and Power, and most of the other advanced rules found in the base books as well as the other sourcebooks. To me, character creation meant browsing through 10 or so books. Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, the racial handbook, the class handbook, Player's option: Skill and power, Player's option: Combat and tactics,...

That was the problem with 2nd editons. The rules where in tons of seperated books, and sometimed contradicted eachother, or created exploits. They made 3rd editions to update the rules, and incorporate the skills and feats to the basic game. Now, you get all the rules in the core rulebooks, and the other handbooks are mostly only prestige classes and some roleplaying elements.

Of course, if you where using only the very basic 2nd edition rules, 3rd edition might be out of your league. It's like comparing the nes mario to mario 64. Same basic game, but one is a lot more complex than the other.

Personally, I don't see the point in learning 2nd edition now. First of all, it's discontinued, so getting the books and quests is harder, and no new products will come out, while tons of quests and other products are coming out for 3rd editions. In a few years, I bet about 90% of the players will be playing 3rd edition exclusively, so you would have to learn it then anyway.

[Eg0[)e@th]

I haven't had the opportunity to play a "pen and paper" game of 3rd Edition, but I think it would be great! I thought many of the 1st and 2nd edition rules for character creation were stupid. For many a year I longed for a Dwarven Paladin . . .

[LowTech]

I began playing 1st ed D&D so I love it but I have to say that 3rd ed rules are the best. Of course they are not perfect but they are way better than the stupid AD&D and its stupid class/race restrictions, its weird multi-class / dual class system and that ridiculous "sub-ability score" when you had 18 in STRENGTH. I never liked it and I'm glad it's gone.
THAC0 sucks.
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