Weasel | 30 Apr 2017 2:44 p.m. PST |
What the title says: What games did you feel were improved the most by a new edition? Whether it added new things, fixed things you thought needed fixing or just became clearer and easier to read? |
Florida Tory | 30 Apr 2017 4:27 p.m. PST |
From what I have read in an old article passed on to our group from Fred Vietmeyer many years ago, Column, Line and Square was originally played on the floor. Column, Line and Square, 2nd edition, was moved to the table top. Big, big improvement. The only idea I can think of that tops that was the move away from sand tables. Ouch! I can not imagine putting my troops on the floor, or in sand, to play. Rick |
Extra Crispy | 30 Apr 2017 4:28 p.m. PST |
One problem I see with new editions is that they are such major re-structurings that often they have little in common. Johnny Reb seems to be this way. Heck, they changed ground scales! |
USAFpilot | 30 Apr 2017 4:39 p.m. PST |
Dungeons & Dragons The first edition written by Gary Gygax and David Arneson (now call OD&D, as in original d&d) was just a few small paper back pamphlets. Gary Gygax re-wrote and added to the rules and published them in large hard back books. The new rules greatly expanded the original and became a nation wide phenomenon. |
21eRegt | 30 Apr 2017 5:32 p.m. PST |
Command Decision from 2nd to 3rd. Agree with USAFpilot, 2nd edition AD&D was great and we still play it despite all the subsequent editions. |
D6 Junkie | 30 Apr 2017 6:16 p.m. PST |
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rmaker | 30 Apr 2017 6:38 p.m. PST |
Sorry guys. AD&D was merely a rehash of OD&D and the various supplements (and stuffed "borrowed" from Judges Guild, Flying Buffalo, FGU, and Chaosium). It's sole purpose was to cut Arneson out of his share of the royalties. |
Timotheous | 30 Apr 2017 6:43 p.m. PST |
For me, DBA 3.0 was the best improvement over previous versions. |
USAFpilot | 30 Apr 2017 8:21 p.m. PST |
rmaker, that may be true but you are making my point. Gygax took from many various sources and combined all the disparate information into 3 coherent rule books, giving us AD&D. Which was much more substantial than the original game. |
piper909 | 30 Apr 2017 9:31 p.m. PST |
USAFpilot got here before I did. My pick would also be the AD&D over OD&D. Semantics was just semantics (plus the influence of the lawyers, so Gygax could swipe the revised game away from Arneson) -- AD&D took the same basic "white box and supplements" game to a new level and fleshed out a lot of nebulous areas; even if you ignored a lot of the chrome, the result was a more playable game and a product more user-friendly to newbies, and sales justified the revision. D&D needed an overhaul anyway, so AD&D was bound to happen, or something like it (but a different, sort of, title was a way to trick lawyers and judges -- win-win for TSR). |
Bobgnar | 30 Apr 2017 9:44 p.m. PST |
Ditto on both column line and square plus DBA 3. Roughly 50 years apart :-) |
Lluis of Minairons | 01 May 2017 3:15 a.m. PST |
Barry Hilton's 'Beneath the Lily Banners' 2nd edition was a great goal to me. Some mechanics were improved, others clarified and extremely useful supplementary chapters were added, while still preserving the period flavor and sense of fun of the 1st edition. |
Who asked this joker | 01 May 2017 6:41 a.m. PST |
The first edition written by Gary Gygax and David Arneson (now call OD&D, as in original d&d) was just a few small paper back pamphlets. Gary Gygax re-wrote and added to the rules and published them in large hard back books. Not everyone found this to be an improvement. There was definitely more stuff but it produced a slower game and many arguments. Since everything was codified, DMs feel it necessary to look up every little thing. The descriptions were often dense are often confusing…especially spell descriptions. But back on topic. DBA 3.0 is probably one of the most effective updates I've seen to date. |
miniMo | 01 May 2017 7:08 a.m. PST |
It's all a matter of personal taste. I prefer OD&D; and DBA 2nd edition, or even 1st, over 3rd. BloodBowl 2nd Ed. was a big step up from 1st. Other folks who like lots of random elements in a game liked 3rd. 5th (Living Rule Book) was a big step up from 3rd. Everyone jut ignores 4th. 6th is muddling around, but nice to see it back on the market. Warhammer 2nd was a big step up from 1st. |
Parzival | 01 May 2017 10:26 a.m. PST |
AD&D was definitely a step up over the original blue box D&D that I started with, finally creating weapon distinctions, expanding character classes, and so forth. But the revised "Basic" D&D was superior in many ways to the overly complex AD&D. I think 3 and 3.5 were a regression in many ways (despite the current favor for them), while 4e was an unholy abomination. 5e is a step back up again, though I think the "spell slots" concept is needlessly confusing, and I don't think the ability saves approach makes any significant improvement over the old method. So for any game, sometimes the answer is, "it depends." Streamlining is usually good, as are clarifications of existing rules (assuming that most people actually did play by the intended meaning, and liked it), but rules additions/expansions can either hit big or miss big. And rules subtractions, as removing the timer from Space Hulk, are often a bad idea. |
piper909 | 01 May 2017 11:09 a.m. PST |
Ohh!! The Sword & the Flame! I've only played the 20th Anniversary Edition since it came out (plus errata). This version corrected many problem areas of the original (altho' it still badly needs a thorough overhaul again to clear up inconsistencies, clarify certain things, and generally improve the organization). |
piper909 | 01 May 2017 11:10 a.m. PST |
Axis & Allies 50th Anniversary Edition is for me the single best reworking of this classic, as a global game. heads above the original and the subsequent reissues. Dunno why Hasbro doesn't put this back into print, it is superb. |
Jcfrog | 01 May 2017 11:47 a.m. PST |
Sharp practice I aint been shot mum. |
John Leahy | 01 May 2017 12:16 p.m. PST |
Battlesystem II. Vast improvement over 1st edition. Field of Battle over Piquet. FOB cleaned everything up and made a good game into an OUTSTANDING one! |
vtsaogames | 01 May 2017 5:22 p.m. PST |
I'm one of those who find DBA 3.0 a big improvement. |
davbenbak | 02 May 2017 8:47 a.m. PST |
Bolt Action v2 brought me back around |
Great War Ace | 05 May 2017 6:32 a.m. PST |
More successful later editions prove the original/earlier versions didn't get it right. Well, to some people. Actually the only thing later editions prove is that "new" sells. And selling is what editing and re releasing is all about. The game that improved the most from later "editions" is, chess…………… |