ED 1ed

[Jaracove]

All this talk about 4ed has gotten me swooning for a game of ED. I don't quite like the way things went with 2nd and 3ed, so I was looking at getting 1st

What pitfalls should I look out for in 1st? I know there's no blood magic, I never did care for that, but are there any other things I should houserule?

Thanks all

[Panda]

I cannot recall all of the various issues that specifically troubled me, but Taunt was a big one for many. Willforce has always been a thorn in my side that tends to deform the game as soon as it becomes available. Specific spells were also an issue, such as the Wizard healing spells and Bone Shatter. The latter combined with their early access to Willforce were the reasons to play a Nethermancer for many. Which really says something.

[zayven]

It all depends upon how much of a number cruncher you are.

I'm a "rules light" sort of gamer and tend not to get hung up on some of the balance issues that bother people in the various editions. I've been playing Earthdawn for nearly twenty years, but I honestly couldn't tell you what most of the major differences are between each edition. I know there were a lot of changes in when disciplines get specific talents and so forth, but I never got too hung up on the changes. In terms of gameplay, I've never really noticed a significant difference between editions. But again, I'm a rules light gamer that doesn't sit around trying to figure out the best combination of talents for every situation.

The only thing I'll say about first edition is to make sure that you provide a house rule for players to have basic skills at character creation. To my mind, that was the only change worth talking about in later editions. It totally altered how you selected your talents. The presence of talent options in third edition was nice as well.

You said that you didn't like 2nd and 3rd edition. Since I always felt like the differences were minor, what did you not like about them, if you don't mind my asking? They really don't feel all that different to me in the grand scheme of things.

[Jaracove]

Just the power creep that 2nd and 3rd turned into

[zayven]

Power creep? Are you saying that first edition didn't have overpowered aspects?

[Jaracove]

[zayven]

Okay, then. I guess we'll just have to disagree on that one.

[Jaracove]