Johann
*eyeroll*
Beoric beat me to the punch with another juicy event (2e - why you think it sucks, and why you're right), but I'll barge ahead anyway.
(I'm not usually combative online at all, but this tiny little forum has had the most charming debates, so I'll give it a try. I'll probably get my ass handed to me, but maybe, just maybe I can tag-team some jobbers with the mighty DP before backstabbing him over 5e with a ringside chair or something.)
I posit that RAW AD&D is technically obsolete, i.e. objectively better options are available.
AD&D is just like a Ford Model-T. Sure, you can drive over to the mall and bring back your groceries (so it’s not broken, Squeen) but would you recommend it to anyone wanting to buy a car in 2020?
It may still be relevant to some people for a number of subjective reasons, of course:
1. Familiarity.
If you've been running RAW AD&D for decades, then its many rules have become second nature to you and probably don’t bother you. You’re like an old man with an ancient sofa on his porch. After many years, it fits his ass perfectly, better than any new one ever could. That doesn't make it a good sofa by any objective standard. Chances are, if you've been playing AD&D for decades, that your mind now fits it like a glove (or the other way around if you have adapted it via house rules but that’s not what I’m arguing about).
2. Nostalgia.
There's no arguing with this. AD&D may capture another time for you, probably your teenage years. Remember when you rode to town to buy your first car? You were still smelling of horse when you got behind the wheel. Pure magic!
3. Aesthetics.
Rolemaster has different fumble chances for different weapons, typically in the 3% to 5% range, if I remember correctly. I posit that nobody would notice this if a blackbox handled this part of the game. 3% vs. 4%? Give me a break. However, I also believe that just knowing these little details are accounted for can make the game 'feel' more realistic. So if that's your cup of tea, enjoy. But don’t tell me it's technically a better game.
Let’s tackle another set of aspects:
A. AD&D has a huge library of gaming materials, novels etc.
True, but this is not a reason to pick up AD&D because compatibility between AD&D and B/X, the retroclones etc. is very high, so it’s much easier to go with, say, Labyrinth Lord, and adapt G1-3, probably on the fly.
B. AD&D has features that are unique or rarely realized in other games.
See above – just lift what you need and play a better game. That’s what many people did: Play B/X (or a stripped-down or heavily house-ruled version of AD&D that more or less amounts to the same thing) and add (or keep) AD&D’s spells and monsters etc. Heck, I use the old Monster Manual II for its encounter tables (because the new-fangled versions don’t sort by terrain but encounter level which is frigging useless to me).
3. AD&D has a huge player base.
Well, not anymore. I certainly wouldn’t tell a youngster “Hey, if you want to get into RPGs, choose AD&D so you’ll always find players”. But maybe your cousin Rob has been running an AD&D campaign since the 70s or you really like the guys at Knights & Knaves Alehouse and wanna play with them? This is a good reason to get into AD&D, but I think this is about the people (and Rob’s campaign), not the rules.
I guess I’ll take a breather now (to be suplexed by Prince of Nothing or end up in an Anaconda Vise from EOTB, most likely).
(I'm not usually combative online at all, but this tiny little forum has had the most charming debates, so I'll give it a try. I'll probably get my ass handed to me, but maybe, just maybe I can tag-team some jobbers with the mighty DP before backstabbing him over 5e with a ringside chair or something.)
I posit that RAW AD&D is technically obsolete, i.e. objectively better options are available.
AD&D is just like a Ford Model-T. Sure, you can drive over to the mall and bring back your groceries (so it’s not broken, Squeen) but would you recommend it to anyone wanting to buy a car in 2020?
It may still be relevant to some people for a number of subjective reasons, of course:
1. Familiarity.
If you've been running RAW AD&D for decades, then its many rules have become second nature to you and probably don’t bother you. You’re like an old man with an ancient sofa on his porch. After many years, it fits his ass perfectly, better than any new one ever could. That doesn't make it a good sofa by any objective standard. Chances are, if you've been playing AD&D for decades, that your mind now fits it like a glove (or the other way around if you have adapted it via house rules but that’s not what I’m arguing about).
2. Nostalgia.
There's no arguing with this. AD&D may capture another time for you, probably your teenage years. Remember when you rode to town to buy your first car? You were still smelling of horse when you got behind the wheel. Pure magic!
3. Aesthetics.
Rolemaster has different fumble chances for different weapons, typically in the 3% to 5% range, if I remember correctly. I posit that nobody would notice this if a blackbox handled this part of the game. 3% vs. 4%? Give me a break. However, I also believe that just knowing these little details are accounted for can make the game 'feel' more realistic. So if that's your cup of tea, enjoy. But don’t tell me it's technically a better game.
Let’s tackle another set of aspects:
A. AD&D has a huge library of gaming materials, novels etc.
True, but this is not a reason to pick up AD&D because compatibility between AD&D and B/X, the retroclones etc. is very high, so it’s much easier to go with, say, Labyrinth Lord, and adapt G1-3, probably on the fly.
B. AD&D has features that are unique or rarely realized in other games.
See above – just lift what you need and play a better game. That’s what many people did: Play B/X (or a stripped-down or heavily house-ruled version of AD&D that more or less amounts to the same thing) and add (or keep) AD&D’s spells and monsters etc. Heck, I use the old Monster Manual II for its encounter tables (because the new-fangled versions don’t sort by terrain but encounter level which is frigging useless to me).
3. AD&D has a huge player base.
Well, not anymore. I certainly wouldn’t tell a youngster “Hey, if you want to get into RPGs, choose AD&D so you’ll always find players”. But maybe your cousin Rob has been running an AD&D campaign since the 70s or you really like the guys at Knights & Knaves Alehouse and wanna play with them? This is a good reason to get into AD&D, but I think this is about the people (and Rob’s campaign), not the rules.
I guess I’ll take a breather now (to be suplexed by Prince of Nothing or end up in an Anaconda Vise from EOTB, most likely).