The TSR Reprints I Want...

With all of these reprints from the old AD&D lines of various editions, I got to thinking what I would like to see if Wizards of the Coast just opened up the reprints to the entire TSR back catalog instead of the AD&D items.  Here is what I would like to see...

 

 

B/X D&D:  For many people this is the pinnacle of D&D gaming.  I would be happy with reprinted box sets that included the modules originally shipped with the product or even a combined hardbound book with the Basic rule book followed by the Expert rules.  Many of the old timers cut their teeth on these rules and I think many of them would jump at the chance to replace their old battered copies.  I know I would!

 

D&D Rules Cyclopedia:  I would personally rather see this reprinted than the individual boxed sets from the BECMI line of products.  Of course, I would like all of the errors fixed because there are a ton of them in this manual.

 

Gamma World:  My favorite version continues to be the original.  I have messed with most other editions but I have never even flipped through a second edition set.  I hear that second edition is actually just a better organized and cleaned up version of first edition.  If that is so then I would pick up a reprinted second edition.  Hell, just reprint both editions.

 

Unearthed Arcana:  Just because of the crappy binding from the original; mine literally fell apart after a short period of use. 

 

There is probably more that I would like to see reprinted but that is a good start.  That list above would probably keep me pretty satisfied for quite some time. 

 

What would you like to see reprinted if Wizards opened up the entire TSR back catalog?

 

 

 

 



[Re-Posted & Expanded] Second Thoughts About Second Edition

There has been several posts (The TSR Reprints Keep Coming and Second Edition Core Rulebooks to be Re-Released in May) at other blogs about the upcoming reprint of the AD&D Second Edition core rulebooks in May of 2013.  I thought this was a perfect time to re-post and expand one of my earlier blog posts about AD&D Second Edition.  The original post is presented as it orginally appeared while any updated thoughts will be presented in this format.

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I admit it - I'm taking the easy way out and doing a lazy post today. I'm taking this opportunity to say "I didn't give second edition a fair chance". Of course, the second edition I'm talking about is the AD&D second edition. I remember the buildup to the release in Dragon magazine. I was pretty excited and was looking forward to the new books.

 

I guess you  could call this a lazy post also but my life is so busy right now with work, school, kids, and whatever other random crap pops up that it is probably the easiest way for me to stay posting until the end of the semester.  I am excited about the 2E reprints and I will be picking them up.  I have not picked up the AD&D reprints but I seem to be able to find those pretty easy around here.

My buddy Jamie got the 2E PHB and we went through it cover to cover. I liked the clearer language and organization but I did not like what I felt was the "de-Gygaxing" of the rules. That pretty much sums up my impression of the core books. It felt sanitized and politically correct with the removal of Assassins, Barbarians, Half-Orcs, and many of the monsters. I never bought the second edition books and never played in a straight second edition game either.

 

Yes, I know that was pretty close-minded on my part.  I could have easily used" any AD&D material that I wished.  It would have been a matter of simple conversion to the updated rules.  In reality, it would have been a smoother transition between those two rules and later editions.  I could have used the guidelines in the DMG to attempt to standardize the bard, for example.

 

I have had the opportunity to look at the core books again and I must say that for the most part the game is better explained, organized, and presented. Plus, it's close enough to AD&D to add back in anything that got "left out". So, on a second look, I would play in a second edition game IF it was limited to the core books, certain first edition material added back in, & house rules. I do know for a fact that I would avoid the Complete series of books and kits altogether.

 

I still pretty much feel the same way after looking at several of the books full of kits.  I think they were a good idea that just snowballed out of control - much like feats and prestige classes in later rules.  I think that a short list of kits to personalize each class would probably be the best idea with the focus squarely on campaign-specific kits.

 

 

There it is - a quick and lazy post. I'm hitting the sack. Maybe I'll write more about second edition sometime if I pick up the books or maybe one of the 2E retroclones...

 

Like I said, I am planning on picking up the AD&D Second Edition reprints.  I have also looked at some of the 2E inspired games.  While M&M does have several vast differences, I believe it would make for a fine game.  Adventures Dark & Deep - if I am remembering correctly - is supposed to be a "Gygaxian 2E" and I would very much like to see it completed just for the interesting "what if" potential and the debates that would assuredly arise from that game. 

A Little Catch Up...

Ugh - It's been almost 2 weeks of silence on this blog.  The biggest reason for my lack of recent posts is simply that college commitments have been extremely demanding lately.  I will be extremely pleased when I am done with this degree and get out of school.  For all you younger people out there, please consider going to college soon after high school and before you get married, have two kids, turn 40, and are just generally tired.  School is much easier on the younger mind!  There, that's my good deed for the day.  Now, on to other topics.  I am just going to write about several topics in this post to serve as a little bit of catch up.  Here it goes...

 

The Presidential Vote

First, this is not a political blog so I am not going to delve into the realm of politics except to remind you to VOTE on Tuesday.  I do not care who you are voting for or why you are voting the way that you are.  That is entirely your choice and decision.  In fact, I already have decided on my vote but I am not even going to reveal who it is or why.  The only thing I want to get across is that you should vote.  If you do not vote, then you really should not complain about the direction this country is headed if you disagree with it.  [Okay, a little pet peeve of mine but the small rant is over.]

 

Movies

I have caught up on my movie viewing recently; instead of doing full reviews I will just share a few thoughts.  What else can I really say about the Avengers movie?  It was just as awesome as I read and was told.  It exceeded my expectations because I was expecting a mess of a movie when I heard it was being made.  The Cabin in the Woods was the best horror movie I have seen in a while because it explained why people in the typical horror movie do stupid things and also paid homage to several entries in the horror genre.  Dark Shadows was a pleasant surprise for me.  I was against viewing this movie because I did not like that it was taken in a comedic direction but the movie was pretty decent.  The fairest evaluation that I can give Prometheus would be good but flawed.  There are several things that could have benefited from another round of editing.  Quite honestly, some of the writing stunk.  I liked it but I feel like if they would have gone over the script one last time then they could have had an epic movie on their hands.  Instead, we got a good movie with interesting visuals that has flawed writing in parts. 

Gaming
I have not been able to concentrate on a lot of gaming recently due to school but I will return to gaming posts soon; the end of the semester is in 3 weeks and I am taking next semester off so I do not burn out.  I have several unfinished posts stacked up waiting on some free time to complete.  Expect to see several posts about doing fantasy gaming with USR because I am highly interested in using those rules.  I also have some ideas for Dungeon Crawl Classics.  I plan on using both of those systems to help flesh out my Toldara campaign world.  Finally, I got my son the new Skylanders GIANTS and we have been playing that together.

Professional Wrestling
I used to be a big fan of wrestling and would watch it all of the time.  I fondly remember when wrestling was on television 5 or 6 days a week and all of it was new.  I think what really killed it for me was the removal of the kayfabe aspect.  I remember when people used to get in heated debates about whether or not wrestling was "real".  It is so over the top and everyone is *wink, wink* in on the joke so it just sucks now.  Oh, there are some rare flashes of brilliance here and there but this is truly not your daddy's wrestling anymore. :-(

Television
Although I watch a fair bit of television, the only show that I regularly follow as it is aired is The Walking Dead.  I wonder if that says something about me?


That should do it for this post.  I will be posting more often soon.