Advancing Your Game Why You Should Consider AD&D 2E in 2024! (And How You Can Get Started at Any $$)

[@relightergamer1628]

I was debating whether to get 2E and then I watched your video and had no more doubts. The core books arrive tomorrow, and I can't wait to have some good fun. Thank you so much for your videos Justin! 👍👍

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That is great to hear! I’ve been running it for my 2 boys and we have had an absolute blast. It is nice because it can be as simple or complex as I need it to be. We have mainly ran the core rules without many optional ones, but they are using kits and proficiencies. At the end of the day, if you are having fun, you are doing it right!

[@arcticcirclepit2008]

Speaking of great splatbooks, the Book of Necromancers is absolutely fantastic. For a super grim campaign, I used that as the ONLY spellcaster class available. AD&D 2e is my favorite system after BECMI.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I have never broken down to buy it, as it has been pretty pricey… that said, there are some interesting options in Hyperborea one could port over for that purpose as well! Thanks for watching!

[@jaykaye594]

Loved Al-Qadim, it and the legend of the burning sands give you so much lore to draw from. Another banger of a video.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Jay I am always humbled by comments like this. I love Al Qadim, and the maps in it are my favorite of the history of the game.

[@arcticcirclepit2008]

Al-Qadim remains one of my absolute favorite AD&D settings of all time.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@arcticcirclepit2008 I like settings that are something somewhat unique, and it fits the bill! Not just the setting, which is great, but the focus on culture and the monsters, and the Sha’ir, and the varied locales… even the fact it is a setting within a setting is pretty interesting! I also like that with my Forgotten Realms box, and Kara-Tur, and the Horde, and Maztica, and then Al Qadim… and then Realmspace… I have so much world for the players to explore, very fleshed out.

[@demcrusher7086]

Truly a gorgeous display of AD&D box sets!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Thanks Crusher! I’ve added some to it since that video. Great stuff in those old boxes!

[@734527]

One more 90's player here. Started with the OD&D black box, missed 1e, but when we started playing 2e, man! We played ALOT over the years. I started to run a new 2e game last weekend and it was a blast! I'm using FG&G but I started to build my pdf collection on DTRPG. Glad to see some 2e love on youtube!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Good to see that the game is seeing some play as well as the nostalgia about it! FG&G is a great tool to get new players in cheaply. I intend to do some more product, setting and regional focused 2e content in the future as well, mixed in with my solo play and other system videos of course. Welcome to the channel!

[@ericpeavey]

Don’t forget you can print in demand the core 2e books

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@ericpeavey I actually mention that at 15:25 😉

[@n.ludemann9199]

which black box do you mean? New and Easy to Master D&D game? Or the black 2e introductory box with a CD?

[@734527]

@@n.ludemann9199 The Easy to Master one. With the legendary Escape from the Zanzer's Dungeon starter adventure.

[@Satori2046]

Loved that edition and I'm still nostalgic about it. But definetly still use a lot of lore material from it. And the art was the best ever.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

A lot of Easley and Elmore. The picture of the adventurers holding up the dragon carcass from the tree is so much of what my earliest games were about… so good… and then Brom…

[@stefane1915]

Ad&d 2e the best edition of all ! By far. I leave d&d with the 3rd for Rolemaster and Hero System and never come back. Big Hug from Québec.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Stefane, welcome to the comments and long live the Nordiques! I played some MERPS which I believe was powered by Rolemaster and played some Champions (Hero system I believe). My best memories are from my childhood playing 2e though.

[@n.ludemann9199]

@@booksbricksandboards783 we are playing some MERP this winter, celebrating its 40th birthday :)

[@piratecpnjack]

Started my career playing 2e dnd when I was 10, over 20 years ago. I'm running my players in 2e for the last years now

[@booksbricksandboards783]

What I would not give to have that first AD&D 2e experience again!

[@piratecpnjack]

@@booksbricksandboards783 Ain't that the truth. I have a decent archive of 2e books and a world I've been developing for 14 years now

[@robertowolvie]

Player from the 90s too. I did exactly that: I just bought the 3 main books to revive the old times feeling after being playing 5e (and previously Pathfinder, and 3.5 before that came up). I'm feeling a unexplainable feeling reading the books and thinking I'll be DMing them very soon to my wife and friends!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Awesome! Getting your wife into the game is fantastic.

[@anon_laughing_man]

Great video btw, all solid points as to why any gamers should give 2E some love. 👍👍👍

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Anon, thanks again buddy, very much appreciated. 2e deserves more attention than it gets.

[@anon_laughing_man]

Only the cool kids play 2E. 👊👊👊

[@joshuaward5498]

Best edition hands down. Great video. Everyone should play 2e at least once, because we all know it won’t just be once.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Nicely said!

[@willmistretta]

Good stuff for sure. I have a slightly unusual history with D&D since I started playing right around the beginning of the 2E era, when it and BECMI were the "current" versions. But my very first exposure was via a secondhand copy of the 1981 Basic rulebook and most of the older players in my area swore by 1E AD&D. So, in practice, I tended to play a motley mix of all four games. Nowadays, I still largely play that way, except using OD&D (via Swords & Wizardry) as a base with which to sprinkle in choice bits from all the other TSR editions, old Dragon issues, etc. TSR's (A)D&D is, and always has been, one grand sprawling game to me.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Our history isn’t all that different… I started in BECMI, then as soon as 2e came out a cousin’s husband gave me all his 1e books. I was playing in a 2e game with the neighbor at that point(which was still using the characters from our BECMI game), but I was running a combination of 1e and BECMI on my own too. I’ve often said in my videos, all TSR era D&D is compatible in my book, on the fly, run it out of the book compatible. That is also why I like DCC so much, despite its many changes to the rules, the stat blocks remain fully compatible with TSR era stuff, because the hit points and damage are virtually unchanged… for DCC you have to convert to ascending AC, but otherwise all their stat blocks are close enough as to drop TSR monsters right into a DCC game. TSR gets a lot of flack now, but the more I dive back into their stuff, the more I realize I still enjoy it as much or more than most of the newer stuff.

[@mlfetlesjdrenbref1306]

Great video. Still play 2e to this day and is still my fav edition. Love this game!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Thank you, played another session with my boys last night. What a great game!

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

I started with AD&D 2E when I was a teenager and unfortunately our dungeon master moved us to 3rd edition. A few years ago I managed to get an original PHB and Arms and Equipment guide for $10 total and both looked as if they were seldom used. Since then I have managed to track down almost the entire line and glad I did. I wish this edition got more love.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

It really is an underrated system and easily the best supported version of D&D. Thanks for watching!

[@swordsnstones]

absolutely agree, dnd is the major influence of all ttrpgs [in my opinion] my own game included, although ive dropped many of the mechanics and went with something of my similar but different, as well as dumping the traditional stats and just using modifiers, cheers Keep 'em Rollin'

[@booksbricksandboards783]

You know, that was a beautiful aspect of the game, it was assumed to be a toolkit that had many proper ways to play. The 2e books codify more of those “optional” rules in the sidebars, but since OD&D and on, the hobbyists always were tweaking the game to meet their table’s needs. Like old mechanics making their hot rod’s engine sound particularly unique, that is a legacy of the game that is very often ignored or chastised in later editions.

[@n.ludemann9199]

One thing, the Monstrous Manual does not have the wilderness encounter tables! The Compendium I does have those, and the additional sheet-packages for the binders have their setting specific additions, just like some boxes like From the Ashes has some more. So if you want the random encounter tables for 2e, get the Monster Compendium, print/have them printed on 160g or thicker paper and put them into a 3 or 4 ring binder. This is the way of 2e "monstermanualing" - I print those pages I need for my campaigns out and have a complete binder just for that campaign, and I can put some nice full color dividers into it. So, when I do an arctic campaign (Howl from the North, Icewind Dale etc), I put scandinavian/subarctic beast in here, same for a trip to the Scarlet Brotherhood, the Sword Coast, Kara-tur etc. Or I do a 2-20-random table myself. The random tables for dungeons are included in the Monstrous Manual, but it is sort of a best of of the Compendiums. If you can get a Compendium 1, I adivice to get one. Or get the PDF and the supplements significant to the respective campaignsetting.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That’s a fair statement, but there was a good reason for that… each of the setting monstrous compendium appendices, for the different settings, had specific encounter tables for that setting (that also included the monsters from the Monster Manual). Those tables were specific to the settings, while the manual was generic to all settings. But, you are right, if you don’t want to create your own, that would be one way to get them.

[@n.ludemann9199]

@@booksbricksandboards783 afaik the intended way to use them - as stated in From the Ashes at least - was to roll on the specific regional or setting random encounter tables first. There are results pointing to the MC on the charts in From the Ashes. How they handled that on other campaign settings, I cannot say. I only used Greyhawk...

[@booksbricksandboards783]

From the Ashes was the boxed set (I have it). The Appendices are small monstrous compendiums specific to each setting (Greyhawk had one).

[@n.ludemann9199]

​@@booksbricksandboards783right, I know them. But they were rarely available around here (Germany). I'm still unhappy they didn't include them. As an experienced dm, I knew what to do. For a beginner, this may be frustrating if they are looking for a specific style of play.

[@henriquecanalle2630]

I'm fan of 2nd edition...and we have almost none material for second edition ad&d here in youtube...wich is a shame!! Love to see a dedicated channel to 2nd ...great video!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Thanks! I am planning additional 2e content, along with my other indie and Savage Worlds stuff.

[@Sanctum1972]

Great video. I'm an old schooler and had the famous red box in the mid-1980s learning how RPGs actually worked but at the time I didn't have a group. And this was when I was in 7th grade which I then eventually played Marvel Super Heroes with a cousin for a few years. However, fast forward to the early to mid 1990s during art school, I managed to get into 2nd edition AD&D with a group of friends that was right in front of me. We had a blast as I was the DM the entire time. I do concur that this was the best supported version and I had 3 sets: Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft and Planescape. Best part? I still have all these books with me. I was contemplating getting reprints of 1e AD&D but decided it would be pointless because 2nd edition is what I played in as familiar ground, despite owning the 'red books'. I played a bit of 3rd when I moved to another state and also 5th edition very briefly with other people as a player. They were okay but not the greatest. I ignored 4th edition despite the temptation to upgrade. I'm most likely thinking of Old School Essentials to be safe as the next acquisition to my collection ( recently got His Majesty the Worm ). Otherwise, 2nd Edition was MY world and sticking with it until WOTC gets their act together to clean up the D&D product line.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I had a cousin introduce me to TSR Marvel shortly after I started Basic D&D. He lived 4 hours away, so I didn’t see him much… I liked it so much that I hand wrote the ENTIRE results table and ALL the character creation tables over night before he left town… I got a copy later that year, but played my hand written copy until then. The 2e boxed sets are phenomenal. I have a LARGE number of them, and they are just as good if not better today (because comparatively they have so much more content than modern products). I will say, with your familiarity in Basic, and your love 2e, Old School Essentials Advanced is RIGHT up your alley. They made Basic versions of the AD&D classes and races, and provided some more options. For a modern product that appeals to old guys and young ones alike, OSE is pretty strong!

[@Sanctum1972]

@@booksbricksandboards783 That's exactly how my cousin introduced me that way although his family lived about 10-15 minutes away. The Marvel d100 chart was, IMO, a masterpiece of game design. I might still have the books around but not sure. And yes the 2e boxed sets were well done with plenty of material to work from, even the FR map was huge to gloss over. As for OSE, I'm seriously looking into it. Would I have to get the Basic OSE or just Advanced OSE alone? I assume you need both sets to work together. Also OSE seems to be more of a 'corrected' version of 1st ed AD&D with improved typography, layout and less errors. I suspect Advanced OSE is literally 1st edition AD&D that's cleaned up while Basic OSE must be based from the famous Basic/Expert boxed sets. I had the red box way before that when I got it on a cold wintry day at Waldenbooks for my 13th birthday. The 80s. Good times.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@Sanctum1972 Waldenbooks! Preferred reader card, ie 10% off RPG’s. Lol. If you want the full breakdown, I did a video last year that fully breaks down the whole OSE line. I would characterize OSE advanced as such, it took the IDEAS from AD&D(classes & races primarily), and redesigned them from a Basic D&D perspective. The options in there FEEL very much at home in the BX game, and don’t have the volume of abilities or rules that were in their AD&D counterparts, but in the redesign they also feel better balanced. They also have HP more in line with Basic. If you wanted to pick up OSE Advanced, the easiest and cheapest option is the Player’s Tome and Referee’s Tome. Myself, I like to have the pure BX option too, so I have the Classic Rules Tome (which covers player and referee material), and the Advanced Player’s Tome. The Referee Tome additions for the Advanced edition were minimal in my opinion, mainly some monsters, so I was ok with not having them. I have owned all the OSE books and still have PDF’s, but the print copies I kept were those two.

[@simontemplar3359]

The question this brings up in my head is this: am I going to admit to myself that I'm totally going to end up buying these books, or should I keep acting like I won't for a few weeks?? No need for me to even say as much, but this was off the chain and I miss me some old AD&D. It's like an old DKs record. Sure it might seem out of place now, but back in the day? Brilliant!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

As always, appreciate the shout out Mr Templar! Hope that your own creative projects are continuing to bear fruit as well!

[@simontemplar3359]

​@booksbricksandboards783 actually, yes! I'm super happy to say. Always glad to shout out the cool folks who make the rad things!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@simontemplar3359 and you are good about always doing that.

[@joelkurowski7129]

17:00 a game store near me was selling the Monstrous Manual for $40. It's in great condition! I don't think whoever was pricing them realized it's much bigger than the PHB or DMG. Needless to say, i snatched it up. 😁 Btw love 2e content

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That was the deal of a century! You did quite well. And thank you.

[@creativeplayandpodcastnetwork]

Great video! I love my older edition books for tips n tricks from GMs of all editions!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

They are a treasure trove!

[@mykediemart]

I started with BECMI/BX and then 1e, But I played the heck out of 2e so many cool settings

[@booksbricksandboards783]

BX is a great game as well. Can’t go wrong with it either.

[@phoenixknight8837]

Inspired me to recheck Ad&d 2e. Thanks!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

You are welcome! It’s worth a look for sure.

[@marccaron6008]

Loved it in the 90s. One of my most successful D&D campaigns in 44 years. Tried going back to it during Covid but it did not work. I'm not the same person I was in 1994. My tastes have changed too much. I prefer simpler and more streamlined systems like Dragonbane, which does low-level gritty D&D very well.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That’s fair. I like Dragonbane a lot! There are definitely some advantages to each. Right now I have a solo Worlds Without Number game going, an AD&D 2e game with my 2 boys, a Pathfinder 2e game ending with a larger group, and getting ready to really launch our Savage Worlds Pathfinder game (in the Forgotten Realms). The system isn’t as important as the experience, but different systems do offer different advantages. Thanks for watching!

[@juauke]

Still haven't got around to it! But this is getting me excited nonetheless Hopefully, I'll get to it one day!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

It’s worth the look!

[@retrodmray]

Great stuff, sir! Thank you 👊🤓 Would you consider covering 2E in deeper dives, and maybe give us kinda how you run it (houserules, initiative, what you use and what you don't from "RAW")?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

You know Ray, you might be pleasantly surprised over the next couple months buddy! I’m planning on doing several 2e videos in the coming months. Stay tuned and thanks for always being a part of the conversation. You are appreciated sir!

[@paavohirn3728]

Haven't yet decided what route to go getting these but I'd love to read them. I actually have the MM pdf. If dtrpg had them pod as hardcover I'd probably jump right in. I think I can't get the og's as I doubt I could get them in good shape as the ones I threw away 😭 I'm not entirely sure I'd prefer to play 2e comparing to BX but who knows.. It would be really interesting to see how different it would actually feel in comparison. The nostalgia factor is surely there for it is the edition I first got my wife into rpg's (quite a few years after I actually got my set). Thanks for the presentation and showing off that really nice collection! 😁

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Paavo, I played some Old School Essentials with a group a few years back, and recently ran 2e for my sons. My older boy was in both groups. I think as a player, it FEELS more interesting to play 2e, as the advancement in BX just feels like there are no choices to differentiate outside of the equipment package and spells. In 2e it is basically a given you would use the proficiency system (BX has a skill system, but it didn’t seem as obvious to be used), and often kits and sub races were common too. Throw in campaign specific stuff, and players really have an interesting set of decisions to make. I actually like the SC pod reprints. If you need HC, the For Gold and Glory one would be a great choice!

[@paavohirn3728]

@@booksbricksandboards783 Cool thanks for these points! I get it! I might move back into that direction again at some point though I still feel like I'm just getting into the simplicity of BX though with the Dolmenwood stuff and recently advanced OSE (even though it's been my main game for over 3 years). One element I've been consciously avoiding is a comprehensive skill system like the non-w prof in 2e. It's pretty fiddly as I recall but maybe there's an allure to it. There's also the BECMI skill system which could be used in BX based systems. I really loved the kits back in the 90's but I'm not sure if that would also be mostly just nostalgia for me. 😅 My main group might end up yearning for more customizable characters but I'm first going to attempt a more free form system where you can use xp and training to buy some skills and other abilities. We'll see.

[@paavohirn3728]

@@booksbricksandboards783 Oh and the HC I mostly want for the feel of it.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Totally understand. I usually get one for ‘show’ and one for ‘go’. The softcover is for the table. Hardcover is my leisure copy.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Totally understand these perspectives

[@yourseatatthetable]

Personally I prefer 3e, probably because I've played it the longest, but I still have my 2e core books and it's quite playable.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I enjoyed DM’ing 3e, never played in it. I think where it lost me a bit is in the higher levels with so many combinations and modifiers. At lower levels I like it quite a bit.

[@yourseatatthetable]

@@booksbricksandboards783 your not wrong. In my opinion most games are better at the mid-levels. The challenge is good and theirs room for character growth. The Epic level becomes a challenge to find appropriate challenges, if you get my meaning. That's where all the planer travel and god- like foes come into play. I rarely get to play, but I start loosing interest above 10th unless I'm playing a spell caster, 15th lvl, tops.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I, selfishly, look at it from a DM’s perspective, and as you level up in 3e the actions and modifiers, and options, between the players and the monsters, get to be more than I want to deal with. The 2e rules hit a sweet spot for me. BTW, I have watched several of your videos, love your channel.

[@AgranakStudios]

2e is my favorite edition hands down of D&D or rather AD&D!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Have you ever given Hyperborea a look? That is a really solid game. It feels closer to what Gary was looking for in a 2nd edition. Instead of the kits, more sub classes, and a return to the pulpy roots, without the Tolkien influence. I love 2e(as you can likely tell by my shelf), but always try to let folks know about Hyperborea.

[@telepaten]

Great video, I'd like to try AD&D someday

[@booksbricksandboards783]

If you want to see what it plays like mechanically, Baldur’s Gate I & II, as as well as the first Icewind Dale computer games are 2e, as are the various setting specific games for Dark Sun, Spelljammer, Al Qadim and Planescape, but as I have never played those PC games, I know that BG 1&2 are good representations of the 2e system.

[@roywilliams1580]

Never stopped running 2nd ed, my group voted after 3rd and never swapped. Still have a 2nd ed game going, and the list of players wanting to join is 6 deep on the waitng list.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Good problem to have!

[@igorn6102]

Thanks for the video.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Igor, thanks for the comment and the view buddy. This helps with getting the videos out to more viewers.

[@GrognardPiper]

2e was probably the cleanest edition for making your own setting.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Pretty close. It had the modularity to add whatever you wanted for sure. BECMI is pretty good there as well. No right or wrong when you get into that era in my opinion.

[@GrognardPiper]

BECMI (and the Rules Cyclopedia) got to be a little too drawn out and Mystra specific in the rules. If I was going that route, I’d use the slightly older B/X. I know they’re the same at the root, but I prefer that one (although BECMI had the better art in my opinion).

[@NerdyLiches]

Love these videos

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Thanks buddy!

[@michaelwhite8691]

When 3rd ED came out, I bought the DM's and Player's Handbooks. I read them in one night. Took them back the next day and haven't touched anything from WoTC. 2nd ED Forever !

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Dedication lol!

[@anon_laughing_man]

2E enjoyers unite! 2nd edition books on Ebay can be found for very decent prices if one is patient. I bought an original Players Handbook for just over $40 and the Dungeons Masters Guide for less. Both are in very good condition. The Complete Players Handbooks and other books can be found for similar prices. I am looking at original Complete Players Handbooks for $25 right now. Getting into original books is pretty much the same as buying new 5E books. There are only a few books that cost crazy money like the Complete Barbarians Hanbook or the Necromancers Guide, not to mention o Of Ships and The Sea. Ouch. $100 bucks and up. :(

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Love it, we have our own clan. I was able to get the Complete Barbarian for $60 a few weeks back, but it had a pretty bad listing that made me question my judgment. It ended up being excellent condition, just bad pictures. Risk paid off. Some of the less popular boxed set can be nabbed for like $60 in NM condition (just got Red Steel at that cost). I think the value, regardless of editions, of the boxed sets is generally higher than ANYTHING put out today. Thanks for watching!

[@Cuthbo]

Aaah my beloved 2nd Edition! Great video mate, takes me back. Maybe i should dig up my books and dust them off. How compatible do you think it would be with B/X, out of interest? It seems pretty similar at first glance - just more advanced 😅

[@booksbricksandboards783]

lol. You are very welcome. I know as we grew our collections, we used lots of various edition books. Typically, I think the monsters might have gained some abilities between editions, but largely pretty similar. I ran BX adventures with AD&D characters, especially appropriate being that it is unlikely to have 10 heroes at the table now, which didn’t feel uncommon then! Dust off the books and roll some dice!

[@kook1201]

Loved box sets

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Like Christmas morning every time I opened one of those.

[@Knightfall8]

what were the tweaks in FG&G? I have the book and didnt notice the differences. All I noticed was that they migrated some content from the handbooks into the core rules

[@booksbricksandboards783]

They added bits from the handbooks to the core, they changed some of the table results for ability scores (I believe exceptional strength was one that has differences), and other similar minor changes. I don’t have access to my book at the moment, so going from memory.

[@rchriswells]

What is the best adventure module to start a group’s 2e journey? Preferably, starting at Level 1.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I personally would run Keep on the Borderlands (and have). It is TECHNICALLY BX, but all TSR material is largely compatible without conversion (other than morale values, which are easy to account for on the fly). You will get some folks that will say you have to adjust HP or AC, but really you can run what’s there with very little change on the table.

[@rchriswells]

@@booksbricksandboards783 thanks!

[@MichaelSmith-fm5ln]

Just found my 97 Ad&d books. Players and 2 dungeon master. Also a 1st edition volume 1 that I wrote my name on like an idiot. Still going to have fun. Looking to trade extra dm guide for monster manuel. No need for 2.

[@MichaelSmith-fm5ln]

Also subbed. 😊

[@booksbricksandboards783]

That Monster Manual is the best Monster Manual in my opinion. Unfortunately the price on it reflects that too. Nice find!

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Appreciated!

[@steambub]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the historical settings.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I only had a couple and it has been 30’years since looking at them. I know some hold them in high regard.

[@burningphoneix]

Can you go in depth on how to run a game for your kids? especially the 5 year old going for Advanced D&D! My kids are 9 and 6 and I always think they wouldn't be able to grasp the complexity of even B/X and how deadly a dungeon can be.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I will do my best here… 1st) make sure that the story is related to their interests. Example: my current game is related to an episode of TMNT, but mine is a sequel to the Mazes & Mutants episode. I told them that the wizard Malachi actually turned them into the characters they played in the game… so they are playing as PC versions of the 4 brothers’ characters from the show. 2) for the youngest, I play it very much like it was commonly played as a kid… I didn’t understand much of the rules, as the DM owned and kept all the books. I just told him what I wanted to do and he told me what to roll. As they get more accustomed, feed more rules their way, but start with “what do you do now?”. 3) Err on the side of too easy rather than too hard, but let their be consequences to bad decisions, just give them creative ways to recover. First couple sessions the oldest said “this is easy”. The next session an enemy got a critical hit and suddenly the Wizard was on death’s door. 4) Give them something magical. I gave each hero a single magical item that was fun, but not super powered… still far more than a starting character should have… this will keep their attention at the beginning.

[@burningphoneix]

@@booksbricksandboards783 Thanks. I'll try running the kids through a B/X session when I can.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

@@burningphoneix B/X is just a little bit cleaner for the young ones, and at this point it’s all new and exciting, so you don’t need the extra options AD&D offers… just yet!

[@Knightfall8]

did 2nd edition ever publish material for special domain priests? As the PHB for 2nd edition simply suggests the priest player and DM just make something up on the fly

[@booksbricksandboards783]

There were specialty priests for different settings, at least for Forgotten Realms they had them. The Forgotten Realms Adventures hardcover had specialty priests for every deity. Each gave the specialty weapon, spell domains, and special granted abilities. I believe that Legends & Lore provided similar specialty priest options for mythological pantheons, and Monster Mythology for the monster pantheons.

[@JeffDrennen]

Your making want to go back and play Second edition.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

My boys and I have been having a good time with our games. It really has cemented that there more there than the nostalgia. It still plays very quick and fun.

[@agilemonk6305]

Here as #2 :)

[@booksbricksandboards783]

But the question is, “who does #2 work for?” Bonus if you get that reference.

[@Dave_L]

Where did you get your blue character sheets? Mine are green...

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I downloaded them a while back, I believe from Dragonsfoot. This one has EVERYTHING. It has spots for kits, psionics, honor, birth rank, martial art styles, etc. love that sheet.

[@deeebeee1758]

I suspect those ebay prices are going to creep up a bit after this video. ;P

[@booksbricksandboards783]

lol. They should send me royalties if they do!

[@deeebeee1758]

@@booksbricksandboards783 They should! BTW, so cool you're playing with your boys.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Man, that just made my whole year… dropped all other goals for gaming and just want to make that the best I can for them 😀. So excited.

[@AceneDean]

First here! 🎉

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Dean hitting the ground running!

[@NuttySquirrel_8]

Is WotC the license holder for these? They're always trying to monetize DnD, so why not bring these back into print? I know they weren't written for their precious One DnD, but money is money, and people still play these. My 2 cents.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

They did a reprint in premium covers in 2013 (same time they reprinted 1st edition), but only the core books. They still own the rights, and evidently get a portion of the pay on demand profits. My guess is that they didn’t feel the demand for the premium reprints were enough to invest in the full scale production. The originals are still not too hard to track down and if I have the choice avoid paying any more to WOTC than I need to. Don’t get me wrong, I’d buy premium 2e stuff if they offered it, but not giving them my money is good with me as well.

[@Iulian111]

The only thing WOTC and current editions of D&D have over TSR era D&D and OSR games is higher production artwork. Besides the eye candy, they have nothing that makes them better.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Even then, I’d put the Brom stuff from Dark Sun, or the Easley pieces from the core books, against anything before or since. Of course art is always somewhat subjective, but the house art style of the new edition didn’t feel right, it felt clinical, even though it was much more consistent. Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts, may your rolls be 20’s… unless you are using a Non Weapon Proficiency, then may they be 1’s!

[@Iulian111]

@@booksbricksandboards783 there is great OSR and TSR artwork, but some are hit or miss and even if they're good, they're usually not as frequent. OSR games with black and white artwork are the best.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I know that the direction 5e art was going when I finally gave up on collecting it, I felt like the look was too graphic novel and not enough high fantasy pulp/novel for my preferences. Like I said, matter of taste to some degree.

[@DrWaites]

2e was where I started. Complete nostalgia. But, man, those revised black border books by TSR had some of the worst art in the history of the game. Terrible perspectives, unfinished and detailess drawings. They look amateurish.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

There are a couple of pieces I like in them (barbarian type hero busting the door down being the one that comes to mind), but largely yeah a downgrade from the original artwork. Some of the faces on random characters looked pseudo real and pretty modern, like they might have put themselves or people around them into the art… pretty weird at times. I’m guessing that they switched art to stop paying royalties on the original art, just because that was the TSR way, total speculation.

[@pralinor]

that is more for my "personal culture". OK. ODD is unreadable and you cannot play it without seeing it played firstly. ADD 1e is a chore to read. Not only because of Gygax's style but because it is everywhere.(that and it is a wargame and not a RPG) So I see why 2e as a bare minimum. But why not 3E??? 3.5e?? 4e??? 5e??? or wait a tad bit and go to 6e. To be clear I never read or played 4e. I scrumed over 5e. And reread it when BG3 came cause people around me knows I do RPG and deduced I was a champ at 5e... and asked questions... Go figure XD I ain't a Dnd fan. Never was. Never will be. I am just curious what motivates 2nd e vs 3rd e. NB : while not a fan WHATSOEVER of DnD Pralinor as I said was my character in DnD 2 edition, the few time I played that game. And Ed Greenwood... Man that guy can write lore as a champ.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Pral, thanks for the detailed post… I can’t speak for everyone, but for me: 2e was the best official variation of the intent of the original game. It reorganized and cleaned up what was started in OD&D, became 1e and then was refined in 2e (the peak of TSR D&D for me). The reason to not go to 3rd and 4th would be that they are much more influenced by tactical board games and MMO’s respectively. 5e tried to pare back the “board game” type of elements, but maintained the focus on build synergies with the feats (which while optional are still very prevalent) and class combinations and options. For all the flack that 2e kits get, they basically add a benefit or two, and maybe some proficiencies at creation and then you don’t have to think about it mechanically again. Subclasses from 5e give more options which also creates more chance for analysis paralysis while creating the perfect “build”. For me the 5e game also has morphed further away from the older editions as releases were added, often for reasons not related to gaming. To now see that races don’t receive a balancing modifier to stats that they are traditionally poor at removes a lot of the mechanical connections to the lore and I think that is a shame.

[@Nobleshield]

I grew up playing AD&D 2e, but lately I've seen a lot of things just saying how it's worse overall than 1e.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

My opinion, as someone that owned the 1e books first, but played 2e first, they were very much interchangeable mechanically, with tweaks and adjustments, but substantively the same. It was primarily changes in layout and some terminology softening for PR reasons. I think when taken in a vacuum, 2e is much better to use at the table overall, however without 1e to build upon there wouldn’t be 2e. Also, the advice in the 1e books in essay form from Gygax, which is derided often, I find to be incredibly useful to this day, whereas I can’t find an analog in 2e.

[@Dave_L]

I've been playing 2nd Edition pretty regularly for the last 30 years... I'm currently running the 1991 New Easy to Master D&D though. Playing with the kids is awesome and that is now my preferred group... I don't have to worry about rules lawyers or murder hobos when I game with the kids. I actually started my kids on 2nd Edition at age 4 and they've been playing for years now. I never played 3e by the way, or 4e or 5e... I never played any WOTC version. I was never interested and I never had trouble finding 2e players in the 2000's. I'm sick of waiting for the older millennials to have their nostalgia wave though... where are the 90's TSR purists? We should all collectively abandon the OSR and WOTC... it's just a false dichotomy between two awful choices. OSR is for Generation X and WOTC is for younger Millennials and Gen Z. Us older Millennials should go back to our roots and forget about this false choice between "old school" and "new school." We were never welcome in the "old school" anyway... we're "middle school" and should commit to building our own community.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Dave, I never thought of it that way but there is a lot of truth there. Some older guys always made fun of the 2e books when we played as kids. The TSR games were my preferred, but WOTC games allowed me to get groups when otherwise I would not have, so they served a purpose. I have ran every edition except OD&D (but I have read it). 2e is my preferred. 5e is my least favorite. 4th is my second least favorite. Thanks for watching!

[@anon_laughing_man]

I am Gen X.... I started playing 2nd Edition when it came out. Just sayin.

[@booksbricksandboards783]

I did as well. We were playing basic with some 1e books, and then when 2E came out, we converted all of our characters over. As the PHBR series came out, we updated for that. Later campaigns we played all the settings as they released, except unfortunately, Birthright and Planescape, by which time we had discovered beer, girls and cars… but I came back around to those when I discovered that none held a candle to a natural 20 and a bag of holding.

[@pewprofessional3181]

I was born in 82, never got to play AD&D. I started with 5e, couldn't run away fast enough. Now I am completely obsessed with 2e AD&D and continue to add to the collection and I'm loving it.

[@Dave_L]

@@pewprofessional3181 Like I said, AD&D 2e is our birthright (no pun intended)-it's the game of OUR generation, the older Millennials. The OSR is full of Gen X'ers that worship Gygax and Moldvay, but those are NOT the games that we older Millennials grew up with. We grew up with post-Gary TSR, which was loaded with tons of amazing campaign settings, supplements, adventures and more. Our D&D is much more polished than 80’s D&D, much higher production quality, much more imagination. It's sad to see how many non-Gen X'ers like to pretend that they are OSR fans. We need to have more pride for the glory that was 90’s D&D. Leave the OSR to the grognards and leave WotC to the younger crowd. Our home is 90’s D&D and we should stop denying that.

[@AceneDean]

I don't see anything here that really makes me interested in playing AD&D. Knave 2e, OSE, Shadowdark, and WWN can play any of this material without being bloated and poorly written. What is the draw of this over WWN or OSE Advanced, for example?

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Well, for myself, I think that the core game of AD&D 2e has some advantages in the resolution systems, in the spell list, in the class list, the kit system and the core monster manual over both of those. WWN and OSE are simpler at their core, but simpler isn’t always better. They are also just different… while the attribute system of both are “simpler” than AD&D, but the proficiency system is in my opinion is simpler in AD&D (with an attribute check, as compared to the WWN Traveller skill system). The big draw for AD&D 2e is the toolkit nature, it has options to make the game optimal for my liking. Also, the native settings made for the system are the best in the history of the game. But, a lot of this is subjective. AD&D and 2e are a hobbyist’s system, a toolkit to build the game you want. OSE and WWN are a complete game tuned for a specific experience.

[@AceneDean]

@booksbricksandboards783 I think if I wanted a toolbox for gaming I'd go Savage Worlds or Badic Roleplaying Universal Game Engine. :)

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Fair enough, but it’s almost like saying why does someone want to drive an old 70’s model Charger when they could have a new car with all of the modern advantages. The old hot rod DOES have some advantages, and one of them is that a shade tree mechanic can easily work on them, as well as the look, feel, and sound that they produce when you tweak them just to your perfect specifications… Will they outperform a new Tesla Cybertruck in conventional measurable? No way! Does that mean that they are objectively worse, also no way. You and I agree on most things, so I don’t want to cause too much of a rift here, but I do want to say that I disagree with two of your criticisms of AD&D 2e. You said it was 1) bloated and 2) poorly written. To 1, I would say the core rules are pretty light, my 5 year old is playing and enjoying the game… the bloat is in the options you can choose to add. To 2, I would say this, the rules if looked at compared to rules sets that were iterated over 40 years of refinement, might seem like they are not as cleanly written, but they are far from poorly written… I was playing the game in grade school, from the books, so they had to be at least competently written. They also formed the shoulder upon which later newer systems would stand, so I’d say that itself holds much value in understanding. I’d compare this to looking at a movie from the 30’s, like Casablanca, compared to a more modern movie, like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Both are a reflection of the times in which they were written and the audience to whom they were written for, but to write off one as superior to the other simply because we are not the intended audience is to miss out on the genius of the works, both of which are great in my opinion. 😀

[@AceneDean]

@booksbricksandboards783 I don't want to come off as a hater. I like that you covered this game. You covered it well and explained it well. And I am sure there are lots of people who love it. Keep making awesome content, man. I just want to reserve the right to politely disagree sometimes. 😉

[@booksbricksandboards783]

Absolutely! Appreciate your voice, and don’t mind having a civil disagreement with an intelligent gentleman!