Post/Author/DateTime	Post
chaddukes 03-03-07, 11:50 PM	I started playing with Original D&D, but really cut my teeth as a DM with the AD&D first edition. I was predominantly a DM for years and years using a combination of 1st and 2nd Ed. Rules....I stopped paying attention to any of the new stuff when they came out with Skills and Options. I haven't played in nearly ten year. I've been missing it lately. I'd like to get back into playing again, if I can find the time or a group. But, how much has the game really changed? It seems like the core rules are entirely different. Of course, I haven't picked up the core rules and read them yet. Is the game really that different? It seems like I'll have to learn the mechanics from scratch. No more ThacO and AC from 10 to -10. Thanks, Chad
gkp79 03-04-07, 12:29 AM	The game is a fair bit different mechanically, but at heart it is still the same game. You still use a d20 for rolling to hit and rolling saving throws. A long sword still deals 1d8 damage. Wizards still cast fireball as a 3rd level spell. The thing I found most changed from old AD&D rules is the system of character building and advancement is a lot more modular and customizable now. I defintely recommend picking up the 3.5 edition Players Handbook and giving it a read, and then find yourself a D&D group!
Cantankerous 03-04-07, 01:22 AM	Don't let yourself get intimidated by the changes. Think of it as a new game who's rules you'll pick up really fast, instead of as AD&D and you'll do yourself a HUGE favor. The game engine is sleek and cleaned up, it's easy for even a newbie to grasp the basics so if you could slog through 1st ed AD&D, with the odd rules for initiative in place and all of the other clumsy bits in place you'll learn the subtleties of this system very quickly; IF you don't try to menatally overlay the old system and DO think of this as a new one. Isshia
ZombieDragon 03-04-07, 01:24 AM	The combat mechanics are different and in some regard favor figures and a map. The core melee combatants tend to be weaker at high-mid to high levels compared to casters. Players are free'er to play anything the feel like, no real racial constraints. Storytelling is still the crux of the game. Final answer : find a group you can socialize with outside the constraints of the game and the game til your blue in the face. The real difference is player type, there are the video game crowd that loves insta-gratificating, the role-players that love story, and the gamers (something in the middle).
Kursk 03-04-07, 10:12 AM	I started playing with Original D&D, but really cut my teeth as a DM with the AD&D first edition. I was predominantly a DM for years and years using a combination of 1st and 2nd Ed. Rules....I stopped paying attention to any of the new stuff when they came out with Skills and Options. I haven't played in nearly ten year. I've been missing it lately. I'd like to get back into playing again, if I can find the time or a group. But, how much has the game really changed? It seems like the core rules are entirely different. Of course, I haven't picked up the core rules and read them yet. Is the game really that different? It seems like I'll have to learn the mechanics from scratch. No more ThacO and AC from 10 to -10. Thanks, Chad The mechanics are different but easy to learn. 1st thing you will notice is how quickly a PC levels. There are a million non-core books but just ignore them for now. The main difference in flavor is it is geared for the computer game generation with a kind of "instant gratification" feel. The combat rules are more detailed and you have more options "by the rules" but this also chains you a bit as there are more rules. The encounter system is set up so PCs don't die. This is easily fixed by a good DM though. Overall, with a bit of tweaking it is a better system.
Sildatorak 03-04-07, 10:59 AM	Is the game really that different? It seems like I'll have to learn the mechanics from scratch. No more ThacO and AC from 10 to -10.The mechanics have basically been streamlined now, and many of the DM arbitrated combat options (I want to push him back, knock him down, disarm him, etc.) have been spelled out explicitly. Ultimately the new system is based entirely around one mechanic: Die roll + modifiers, higher is better. My advice is to try it out as a player first, rather than starting by DMing it. It is a pretty slick system compared to 1e or 2e, so you'll probably pick it up passably well in a few sessions and be back on your way toward DMing quickly.
chaddukes 03-04-07, 03:28 PM	Thanks guys for the positive replys. You've set me on the right path. I was wondering if I should just look at it like a new game or try to carry over information from the previous editions. Mechanics may change, but DM'ing is still about certain skills that aren't found on any graphs or charts. Nonetheless, I'll take your advice and find a gaming group first.
Man in the Funny Hat 03-04-07, 06:06 PM	First step - buy the PH and DMG and read them. The rules HAVE changed, almost entirely for the better. As someone coming from older versions there is one thing I will strongly suggest - forget what you have learned. 3rd Edition works differently than 2nd. DON'T try to compare them directly or you'll hate it. They can't be compared directly in many areas. 3E must be judged on its own merits, not on the ways in which is IS NOT 2nd Edition. When you find 3E doing something that doesn't make sense in 2E it's not a failure of the system, because it almost certainly does make sense in the edition for which it IS designed. Second step - play. Best way to really start to grasp it all is to just play the game rather than trying to work it all out before you ever start. Easy. When you have specific questions, just pop back in here and ask.