Does anyone else still play the older stuff?

[Raithe]

I have to admit, I've definitely become a fan of both Pathfinder, and the Mutants & Masterminds 3e.

 

M&M3e is just so flexible you can do whatever you want with it. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Superhero, Cyberpunk, it's all easy to shift those descriptors and make it all work.

[Fionavar]

Heh, I've got one shelf stacked up with AD&D 2nd edition stuff, all the core books, and nearly the complete boxed sets and supplements for Al-Quadim, Birthright, Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms, a chunk of the Planescape and Spelljammer... Although it's been about 6 years since we last used any of it.

 

That annoying time when the group that had been playing together for a decade plus ends up scattering around the country and dealing with jobs, marriage and suchlike..

 

I still pick up new rpg books, but I've found it tends to be more for my own personal reading and occasionally doodling of ideas rather then getting actual gaming in with a group.

 

Heya Raithe,

 

I totally hear how life can completely get in the way of old school RPG! You said you picked up new books. For AD&D 2nd Ed?

[Raithe]

 

Heh, I've got one shelf stacked up with AD&D 2nd edition stuff, all the core books, and nearly the complete boxed sets and supplements for Al-Quadim, Birthright, Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms, a chunk of the Planescape and Spelljammer... Although it's been about 6 years since we last used any of it.

 

That annoying time when the group that had been playing together for a decade plus ends up scattering around the country and dealing with jobs, marriage and suchlike..

 

I still pick up new rpg books, but I've found it tends to be more for my own personal reading and occasionally doodling of ideas rather then getting actual gaming in with a group.

Heya Raithe,

 

I totally hear how life can completely get in the way of old school RPG! You said you picked up new books. For AD&D 2nd Ed?

 

Heh, no, I think I've nearly got practically complete set of Ad&D 2nd edition stuff all stacked up..  I tend to pick up new books on fresh rpg's and such. Of late it's been more Shadowrun, M&M, Eclipse Phase, Pathfinder.

 

I did go through a lot of WoD before the new edition. (I think if I put all my Vampire/Mage/Demon books on end I'd get a pile about 5 foot high). 

 

Fresh new worlds and settings that can be interesting to see how they've handled different issues, and see how they've approached similar mechanics in different ways.

[Nightshape]

I run a Traveller game... Although it's Mongoose rules, it is pretty damn close to classic Traveller - does that count???

[Raithe]

heh, yes, actually there's a picture from a couple of years ago that might higlight my comment about WoD books..

 

 

Note the "twin stack" towards the back of the picture. That's just WoD rpg books....  Unfortunately the D&D stuff isn't in this picture.. Although there's a glimpse of the Shadowrun Denver boxed set in the corner...

Edited January 25, 2013 by Raithe

[melkathi]

And I think I spy the Vampire novels in teh far right of the picture?

[Raithe]

And I think I spy the Vampire novels in teh far right of the picture?

 

Vampire Novels in the far right..  Eberron / Dragonlance / Forgotten Realms in the middle just past the Star Wars... 

[melkathi]

We played an introductory session of Vampire: the Requiem today. It went very badly. Now I'll have to nicely tell teh storyteller tomorrow that I will not be present the next session or any session thereafter as I truly have better ways of spending my Sundays.

I hate players who actively try to sabotage the team...

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I hate players who actively try to sabotage the team...

Did they at least do it in character? IMO, it is ok if they do that because that is what their character would do.

 

However, if they were just being ****, that is another thing all together.

[melkathi]

Did they at least do it in character? IMO, it is ok if they do that because that is what their character would do.

 

However, if they were just being ****, that is another thing all together.

 

Not really in character and the storyteller is too nice to really say no to players, especially if they are new to the setting. So we ended up with a jerk simply trying to ruin everything and making the first 5 minutes of the session last 3.5 hours.

[Jigawatts]

In addition to the official earlier editions of D&D, there is an ever growing list of retro-clones and neo-clones based on the older editions. Here is a list of most of them off the top of my head,

 

OSRIC (streamlined retro-clone of 1E AD&D rules)

For Gold & Glory (retro-clone of 2E AD&D)

Labyrinth Lord (retro-clone of Basic D&D)

Swords & Wizardry (retro-clone of 1974 Original D&D)

Castles & Crusades (1E neo-clone, mixes just a smidgeon of 3E in there, although very rules lite)

Adventures Dark & Deep (1E style neo-clone, an attempt to make 2E AD&D "as Gygax would have made it")

Myth & Magic (2E neo-clone with a bit of 3E included)

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (Basic D&D neo-clone, hardcore style with a old swords and sorcery novel feel to it, magic is dangerous)

 

Hope this helps and good gaming.

[Raithe]

I have to admit, one thing I'd love to try out even now would be a proper Al-Quadim game with a group that really tried getting into that attitude of the Arabian Nights.

The only time I actually played it, everyone else was basically just acting in that standard tolkienesque western fantasy with a twist, rather then going for that flow of genies and culture. Which was a damn shame.

[TMZuk]

 

These days where work, girlfriend, children and other small details of life prevents me from playing that often, I play Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd edition exclusively. It's a good system, if not perfect. But which system is?

The magic system is nice. The new careers they added really rubbed me the wrong way though so whenever I try to pick up the rule book I remember "Eh, that's written by the people who thought putting in random starting careers that dictate the players background was a fantastic new thing to do".

To me they just missed the whole point of having generic careers that could be anywhere in the Old World, leaving it up to players and GM to flesh out the characters.

I know, I could just ignore those handfull of careers and use the rest of the system, but as I said, it rubbed me the wrong way

 

I actually agree with that. They did some strange things with several of the careers. However, I didn't think the career system in 1st edition was perfect either, so we basicly play with a set of house-rules regarding the various careers.

[melkathi]

 

I actually agree with that. They did some strange things with several of the careers. However, I didn't think the career system in 1st edition was perfect either, so we basicly play with a set of house-rules regarding the various careers.

 

 

Indeed, WHFRPG can benefit a lot from house-rules. Of course most systems do, but being more obscure seems to keep people from rules-lawyering as much as I have seen them do with D&D.

Then again, I have come to prefer to play with players who have never even seen the rulebook

[Drowsy Emperor]

The older editions are still played, all the way back to the three original Dungeons and Dragons booklets which Gygax originally self-published. There's actually been an upswing in the available of rules for editions from 1e AD&D back due to the 'Old School Rennissence' and retroclone movement on sites like Dragonsfoot and The Piazza. This isn't to say that you can find a game of Basic Dungeons and Dragons, 1e D&D, or 2e D&D in any given gaming store or college campus, but they're out there.

 

That being said, I think that most of the criticisms of 4e in this thread are pretty far afield of how it's actually played outside of D&D Encounters events. It does have a serious case of hit point inflation making the PCs and monsters too durable alike, and I'm finding the combats just take too long at this point. I prefer to run a variant of BD&D if I have my druthers. (I run an ongoing game of 4e weekly, and BD&D about twice a month.)

 

On non-D&D older stuff: There's a lot of stuff being reprinted these days, so it's hard to say what really qualifies as old, but I'd love a chance to run more Talislanta. I'm a big fan of the simple system the 4th and 5th editions use, and I love the weird, wild setting.

 

Adventure! by White Wolf is still one of my favorite pulp games, but the genre can be hard to find players for.

 

Mekton Zeta, despite all its flaws, is one of my favorite games. I'm a mecha nerd at heart, and it's a lot more open than something like Battletech.

 

Btw a DnD 1st edition premium thingy with a box and and all the booklets is being released by Wizards in October or November this year.

 

Talislanta is fantastic! I have the 4th edition I'm in awe of Steve Sechi's creativity. I actually found the guy on Facebook and had a nice conversation with him.

[Drowsy Emperor]

 

 

Heh, I've got one shelf stacked up with AD&D 2nd edition stuff, all the core books, and nearly the complete boxed sets and supplements for Al-Quadim, Birthright, Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms, a chunk of the Planescape and Spelljammer... Although it's been about 6 years since we last used any of it.

 

That annoying time when the group that had been playing together for a decade plus ends up scattering around the country and dealing with jobs, marriage and suchlike..

 

I still pick up new rpg books, but I've found it tends to be more for my own personal reading and occasionally doodling of ideas rather then getting actual gaming in with a group.

Heya Raithe,

 

I totally hear how life can completely get in the way of old school RPG! You said you picked up new books. For AD&D 2nd Ed?

 

Heh, no, I think I've nearly got practically complete set of Ad&D 2nd edition stuff all stacked up..  I tend to pick up new books on fresh rpg's and such. Of late it's been more Shadowrun, M&M, Eclipse Phase, Pathfinder.

 

I did go through a lot of WoD before the new edition. (I think if I put all my Vampire/Mage/Demon books on end I'd get a pile about 5 foot high). 

 

Fresh new worlds and settings that can be interesting to see how they've handled different issues, and see how they've approached similar mechanics in different ways.

 

 

Hey I got Eclipse Phase as well. Nice setting isn't it? The rules are a bit clunky though

 

For the rest of you - you can find the rulebook on the official website, free for download under the creative commons license.

[greylord]

I love the setting for Eclipse Phase, even have all the books they've published for the system thus far, but have never actually gotten to play the system!

[Drowsy Emperor]

Neither have I.

 

Its hard to enthuse people for hard sci fi. Or sci fi in general.

 

And the damn system is a pain to learn, compared to others I have on hand.

[Akimotos]

i'm playing pathfinder in pbp forum. its still alive and 5 years in the running. i am working on a adventure set in numenera. (a different system that is a lot of fun if you choose to think in possibilities instead of numbers and limits.

[Nepenthe]

Got my first PNP products in quite a while last week, bought some Pathfinder stuff and ordered the two new Forgotten Realms minicampaigns (Murder in Baldur's Gate and something to do with the Crystal Shard). Might have to start a separate thread for Murder in Baldur's Gate at some point...

[nikolokolus]

If anybody is into retro-clones and the like, Swords and Wizardry Complete is free from Frog God Games now (the pdf) and I just picked up the boxed set of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea during North Wind Games winter sale. Great stuff if you want to run a good old-fashioned, bare knuckles hex crawl or a weird fantasy campaign.

 

Both hew closer to OD&D or Holmes/Moldvay than AD&D, but the presentation and organization is top notch in either system.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

If anybody is into retro-clones and the like, Swords and Wizardry Complete is free from Frog God Games now (the pdf) and I just picked up the boxed set of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea during North Wind Games winter sale. Great stuff if you want to run a good old-fashioned, bare knuckles hex crawl or a weird fantasy campaign.

 

Both hew closer to OD&D or Holmes/Moldvay than AD&D, but the presentation and organization is top notch in either system.

 

Dunno, is it any different from the literally countless other free retroclones (New 52, LotFP, Tales of the Grotesque and the Dungeonesque, etc etc)?

[nikolokolus]

 

If anybody is into retro-clones and the like, Swords and Wizardry Complete is free from Frog God Games now (the pdf) and I just picked up the boxed set of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea during North Wind Games winter sale. Great stuff if you want to run a good old-fashioned, bare knuckles hex crawl or a weird fantasy campaign.

 

Both hew closer to OD&D or Holmes/Moldvay than AD&D, but the presentation and organization is top notch in either system.

 

Dunno, is it any different from the literally countless other free retroclones (New 52, LotFP, Tales of the Grotesque and the Dungeonesque, etc etc)?

 

 

I think Swords and Wizardy Complete is probably the best organized and most professional of the retroclones I've read. As for AS&SH, The rules and classes are pretty standard fare, but there are no elves and dwarves and demihumans, instead each "race" of humanity is somewhat distinct (Atlanteans, Keltic, Hyperboreans, Ixian, etc.) it's main selling point is the way it has integrated that setting material (Based on the fiction of Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Howard, Lovecraft et. al.) into its rules system. 

 

If you're not into it or don't care about OSR style games then skip it and move on. I just posted about it because somebody was asking if anybody was still into the "old stuff" and this seemed to fit.

[Gromnir]

ad&d is horrible. only thing worse in d&d rules history were the original white box... although white box had the advantage of being less complete. all ad&d were was the accumulated tournament and house rules that developed for d&d, but vomited out into book form and labeled "official."

 

harsh? not harsh enough. 

 

most common pnp groups we sees nowadays is--

 

pathfinder

d&d 3.5

d&d 4th

d&d pre-d20

 

always amuses us when we see "old skool" d&d gaming sessions being run. the nostalgia of ad&d eludes us, and Gromnir actually played d&d and ad&d before they were the subject o' rosy-hued retrospection.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps d&d next looks like a return to 3.5. hopefully next don't make the same mistakes with prestige classes that 3.5 did.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

ad&d is horrible. only thing worse in d&d rules history were the original white box... although white box had the advantage of being less complete. all ad&d were was the accumulated tournament and house rules that developed for d&d, but vomited out into book form and labeled "official."

 

harsh? not harsh enough. 

 

most common pnp groups we sees nowadays is--

 

pathfinder

d&d 3.5

d&d 4th

d&d pre-d20

 

always amuses us when we see "old skool" d&d gaming sessions being run. the nostalgia of ad&d eludes us, and Gromnir actually played d&d and ad&d before they were the subject o' rosy-hued retrospection.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps d&d next looks like a return to 3.5. hopefully next don't make the same mistakes with prestige classes that 3.5 did.

 

AD&D is horrible. Retroclones, however, are awesome. I'm fiercely of the opinion that the new Hackmaster and the DCC RPG are perhaps the best iterations of the game, ever.

 

And here's a "why (and how) are retroclones better than the post-3E stuff" recommended reading list.

Edited December 24, 2013 by aluminiumtrioxid