I have the desire to get back into playing D&D after a long hiatus. I used to play back in the late 80's/early 90's as both a player and a DM in the Advanced D&D 1st edition. Other than crying a few tears that I didn't save all those nice hardcover guides, metal characters and oodles of dice, which seem to be quite a bit more valuable now, I am wondering what system would be best to get back into?
Should I stick with AD&D which I am familiar with, but I don't have any strong feelings that I HAVE To play that, or should I get into 3.5, which a lot of people (from what I am reading) seem to prefer much more than 4.o which recently came out, OR do I wait and get the new 5.0 stuff when it becomes readily available?
I have already began to purchase some miniatures, dice, and modules, and have even bought the Pathfinder beginners boxed set to check that out.
What is everyones' recommendaton on what is the most enjoyable to play today, and what do you suggest I can do to find a gaming group? I have posted on here, but the two guys in my that were on the boards looking for players, don't seem to be active on the site anymore.
Thanks for any and all help, it is appreciated.
As to what version to play, that's so much a matter of taste that if you ask three people, you'll get five different answers. So try it out and see what suits you most. Or try to find a group first and play whatever they're playing.
1) Dungeon Master's Kit. It has... basically everything you need to run a game. Rules, monsters, tokens, etc. You just need a battlemap (and it has some maps). Overall, great product.
2) Monster Vault - Another great product. Really solid set of tokens, and a nice, up-to-date monster manual.
If you're looking to be a player, about all you need is the PHB, although you probably want to at least read through the Rules Compendium. Someone should have it though. 4E is a LOT easier than AD&D in terms of fiddly rules, so it should go pretty smoothly.
I enjoy 4E a lot more than 3E/Pathfinder, but you have to play what people are playing.
Should I stick with AD&D which I am familiar with, but I don't have any strong feelings that I HAVE To play that, or should I get into 3.5, which a lot of people (from what I am reading) seem to prefer much more than 4.o which recently came out, OR do I wait and get the new 5.0 stuff when it becomes readily available?
That last one means waiting another year.
4th Edition is what's on the store shelves as the current official version of D&D. There is also Pathfinder which is based on the 3.5 version of D&D making those two games equally readily available for purchase. 4th is definitely different from older versions so it's hard to say whether you'd actually like it or not. As you noted a lot of people (numbers debatable) have chosen not to go with 4th.
I have already began to purchase some miniatures, dice, and modules, and have even bought the Pathfinder beginners boxed set to check that out.
That sounds like your starting point then. Read through it, try it out a bit. It should be fairly familiar with what you remember from 1E/2E AD&D. If it doesn't float your boat I'd suggest picking up used AD&D books (or get your paws on a set of the new reprints!). You might be a little taken aback at some of the... disorganization of the old editions though so be prepared to get back into the mindset as DM of making the rules work for your game.
and what do you suggest I can do to find a gaming group? I have posted on here, but the two guys in my that were on the boards looking for players, don't seem to be active on the site anymore.
Friendly Local Game Store ought to be a good place to start. See if they host games or have a bulliten board.
