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What did you like most about AD&D 1st Edition?
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Poll: What did you like most about AD&D 1st Edition?

Poll ended at Thu Nov 12, 2009 9:34 pm

Alignment	7%	[ 3 ]
The Planes of AD&D	0%	[ 0 ]
The Character Classes that seemed to cover the entirety of Fantasy fiction	5%	[ 2 ]
The wealth of Spells for Magic-Users, Clerics, etc.	14%	[ 6 ]
The Game Mechanics (Saving Throws, THAC0, etc.)	30%	[ 13 ]
The fascinating Campaign Settings (Ravenloft, Dragonlance, etc)	7%	[ 3 ]
The fact that it could be expanded into gamebooks, novels, computer games, etc	0%	[ 0 ]
The fact that there were so many rulebooks you felt like you could simulate almost every situation	2%	[ 1 ]
The fact that you could simulate almost any Fantasy story with it, even if you had to tweak the rules a bit	14%	[ 6 ]
The art	23%	[ 10 ]

Total votes : 44

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Deadlord
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:36 pm

I'd say the fact that it made people think and act as a group. There are not many games that don't include a stick and/or ball that allow for teamwork.

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MetaSigma
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:32 pm

dbartman wrote:"THAC0" did exist in the 1st edition. The acronym didn't officially take over for the combat tables until the 2nd edition, thus people associate it with the 2nd edition only. I can't recall seeing it referenced directly in the books until later though.

I'm not sure I follow your reasoning... Sure, you could "hit Armor Class 0" in 1st edition AD&D, and there was a number you needed to roll on a d20 to do so, and in that sense I suppose it existed. But as you say there was no reference to THAC0 per se until 2nd edition. :?:

In any case, I was just razzing the original poster

. I was still playing 1e in the '90s, but I'm pretty sure our group did use THAC0 at that point, along with a few other "imports" from 2e.

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Zenopus
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:36 pm

MetamorphosisSigma wrote:I'm not sure I follow your reasoning... Sure, you could "hit Armor Class 0" in 1st edition AD&D, and there was a number you needed to roll on a d20 to do so, and in that sense I suppose it existed. But as you say there was no reference to THAC0 per se until 2nd edition. :?: In any case, I was just razzing the original poster :). I was still playing 1e in the '90s, but I'm pretty sure our group did use THAC0 at that point, along with a few other "imports" from 2e.

THAC0 definitely started appearing in 1E modules at some point. I just randomly opened up a handy module (UK4, 1984), and it's got THAC0 in the monster stats. So, now the question is - what's the earliest appearance of the term?

TheMilford
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:58 pm

Probably appeared first in Dragon...

But what "product" first, as in Module or Rulebook... I dunno.

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FormCritic
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:40 pm

THACO was always just terminology...a handy shorthand for the charts.

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MetaSigma
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Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:02 pm

Zenopus wrote:
THAC0 definitely started appearing in 1E modules at some point. I just randomly opened up a handy module (UK4, 1984), and it's got THAC0 in the monster stats. So, now the question is - what's the earliest appearance of the term?

Ah, I didn't know that. I stopped buying new modules around 1983. I think UK1 or the EXs were the last I bought, and I'm almost positive it isn't used in any of those. My bad, I thought it was a 2e term.

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silver_beetle
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 3:04 pm

TheMilford wrote:The Art, the Mood and the Aesthetic... and that it was the first of it's kind.

the story and plot content was not intrinsically unique as that part can be brought by the players and is not mutually exclusive to TSR/AD&D...

I have to agree. I remember first opening the PHB and it was just so... magical is the only word I can use.

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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 12:51 pm

I believe the experience is magical in all the game's great editions.

And in 2nd Edition too.

I don't think it's the art so much as the sense of wonder...something difficult to explain to those not inclined to the subject, but the common experience of long-time players.

"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."

grodog
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:07 pm

The modules and Greyhawk, of course.

THAC0 first appears in Appendix E of the DMG, or whichever appendix it is that lists out XP totals for monsters.

Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
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MetaSigma
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 6:16 pm

grodog wrote:The modules and Greyhawk, of course.

THAC0 first appears in Appendix E of the DMG, or whichever appendix it is that lists out XP totals for monsters.

Sure enough, "To Hit AC 0" is one of the column headings on that table.

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Onlondore
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 3:30 pm

It was an incredible tool for the imagination. I was DM'ing within weeks of starting to play (no one else wanted to), but enjoyed sharing the creativity and the adventures.

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Gnat the Beggar
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:20 pm

serleran wrote:Playing. The rest is meaningless.

Best post in the thread.

And it ws not even one of the 236 choices in the poll either. :roll:

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bombadil
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:12 pm

Personally, I liked the smell of the books new off the shelf. Ahhhh.

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dbartman
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:43 pm

MetamorphosisSigma,

I like your new avatar image

Not as much as Malc's tho!

MetaSigma
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Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:26 pm

Thanks. I'm a (very) recent Jorune convert (I was always intrigued by the ads in Dragon and finally decided to acquire the 2nd ed. box), so was inspired to change my avatar accordingly.

EDIT: AHHH! Tracked down lawrenson's to see what you meant. His avatar's cleavage is a bit more....hypnotic, I guess is the right word.

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