2009-08-02, 05:37 PM
In my opinion, 2nd ed DnD is the best of all of them. When TSR was bought up by Wizards of the Coast, they made DnD into commercialized power-gaming -- munchkinish characters, excessively powerful items, etc. 2nd ed is more confusing to learn, but it is pure roleplaying.
I strongly suggest buying extra books if you're planning a serious campaign. Skills and Powers, Combat and Tactics, Spells and Magic, and the Monstrous Compendiums spring readily to mind. The point-based system in Skills and Powers and Combat and Tactics provides a far superior character generation system than the Player's Handbook, nad you'll get more skills and abilities. It is not excessive when you research their current worth; on Ebay you can buy them for just a few dollars each.
As far as the playing itself, it's a good idea, but in my experience it's very hard to get a group. You should consider a smaller group because the larger a group is, the more likely it is that all of you cannot get together on a particular evening or weekend. Playing online is another option, (the Giant in the Playground features Order of the Stick comics, but the forums are full of DnD roleplays,) but internet people are a lot more likely to flake out on you.
Hope this helped.
I strongly suggest buying extra books if you're planning a serious campaign. Skills and Powers, Combat and Tactics, Spells and Magic, and the Monstrous Compendiums spring readily to mind. The point-based system in Skills and Powers and Combat and Tactics provides a far superior character generation system than the Player's Handbook, nad you'll get more skills and abilities. It is not excessive when you research their current worth; on Ebay you can buy them for just a few dollars each.
As far as the playing itself, it's a good idea, but in my experience it's very hard to get a group. You should consider a smaller group because the larger a group is, the more likely it is that all of you cannot get together on a particular evening or weekend. Playing online is another option, (the Giant in the Playground features Order of the Stick comics, but the forums are full of DnD roleplays,) but internet people are a lot more likely to flake out on you.
Hope this helped.