Dungeons & Dragons: Which edition is best? 

This video is getting a lot of down votes. Those darn 4e players I guess? :p I'm truly grateful for all of the positive upvotes and engaging comments! It's been very interesting to hear everyone's feedback and I'll definitely need to discuss these different versions more with a future upload! Thanks!

'Best' is, of course, subjective as you say - but my personal favourite is 1st Edition Advanced. It sings to me more than any of the others, but that doesn't suggest I dislike the others. Each adds something different or interesting. I actively run 1e, 5e, and Old School Essentials and enjoy them all for different reasons, but 1e is the one I love the most.

I can only answer by saying my favorite edition is 4e but "best" can mean different things to different people.

My Favorite version is 2nd. My friends and I have been playing 2nd since the 80's, We tried 3rd, 4th and 5th but always came back to 2nd. 2nd to me was just so basic without being conforming and patronizing. I know some people are like "but 2nd was so lacking in rules and details and some of the rules were not accurate or obtrusive." And to that all I have to say is; that is where imagination and personal tweaks step in to play. But to each their own.

The best edition is the one that made you smile when you think back. Which ever version that was.

I agree Whatever edition you’re playing is a good one. I’ve since the 1AD&D game skipping 4th. I still DM and play 3.5. We also play 5e. Yes the new 5e is a dumb name

I came into the game BECMI and plan to leave it that way. Throughout the decades and editions, that is the one which rules my table. I gave up on hasbro's dnd after 3e but have played all the other editions over the years too. But today, BECMI is it. Run it b/x level of basic or add the options that came later. It's the only system you really need. Also the rules are all in one book if you still have it or go get the pod, Rules Cyclopedia. It's all you need and is easily made into however you like to play.

Thank you. I don’t know why people conflate “I don’t like it” with some sort of moral or personal offense. “Like game. Play game. Have fun. The end.” My least favorite system to RUN is 5e because I could never figure out how to challenge the party without getting into the mindset of trying to outright kill the party, and that just wasn’t fun for me. Also, combat took way too long. My favorite system to run at the moment is probably EZd6. Basic Fantasy RPG is second, and Castles & Crusades is third. I REALLY want to run Numenéra soon, and had a blast doing a one shot of Shadowdark. I ran a PC in a one shot of Dungeon World with my one group, and it was fun, but Powered by the Apocalypse isn’t a system I think I’d enjoy running. One day I’ll try Low Fantasy Gaming as well. The best version of D&D is whatever game you play, even if it’s not.

In these modern times, B/X is my favourite because it is the fastest version to play. No slogging combats slowing down the adventure.

I started with Mentzer BECMI Red Basic box set with a golden (orange) dragon on the cover in the '80s - before moving to 1e AD&D and a little of 2e AD&D in the 90s then stupidly sold off all of my books in the 90s. Only came back to TTRPGs in 2013. The tale end of the 4th Ed D&D era and was an early member of Roll20. Played mostly 'Basic D&D' - now am focused on Basic Fantasy RPG as the game GM - but play in a range of rulesets. Great coverage on the editions in this video. Love that awesome message at the end. I chose Basic Fantasy RPG because it's not about 'editions' but more an era of playstyle for me. Flexibility and endless adaptability. ;)

I've played D&D Starting with Holmes up to 5e. For my current needs, as a solitary player (no DM), BX is perfect. Less is more. My most successful campaign was with AD&D2e. Not because of the rules but because of the stability of the group. With 5e I almost beat my 2e record but Covid threw a wrench into the group's cohesion.

My favorite edition of D&D was Mutants & Masterminds 2e. It made the d20 system presented in D&D 3e maximally flexible with regards to character customization.

100% agree. Play what you want, how you want, with who you want. The best game (of D&D or other RPG) is the one you play and enjoy. Edition wars is pointless. I find it strange that D&D has a tendency to change mechanics with each edition. Many other games just tidy up the rules, pop in some new art, and reformat. Ending up with a new edition. (Call Of Cthulhu 1st edition scenarios can easily be used with 7th edition rules with some minor maths.) I think this may be the way 5E is going.

Depends on what you’re looking for. 5e is perfect for introducing dnd to a wider audience whereas other editions emphasize different things

I think the best forms of d&d are actually some of the retroclones from third parties. They are like improved versions of each edition

Couldn't agree more, enjoy what you enjoy!👍

For me 1st, 2nd and 3rd edition gives context to the game's history and explain how to play the classic computer games like Pools of Radiance, Eye of the Beholder, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Running Tomb of Horrors with 1st edition rules is like being in a medieval fair or having a 1920's Cluedo Escape Room challenge. An appreciation of the old and the roots of the hobby. 2nd Edition is essential for the foundation of almost all of the settings. Most of Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft and Spelljammer were founded in this edition and that is where you find the deepest world info. 2nd Edition also had the greatest monster descriptions up to date. 3rd Edition continues the theme into really deepening the quality of the lore, especially with Forgotten Realms, while also granting us some of the finest color artwork. It also founded the quite distinct Steampunk Noir setting Eberron. 4th Edition is the foundation for the board games starting with Castle Ravenloft Boardgame, starting the "Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System" board game rules that are still in use today. While 5th Edition is the most accessible to use.

That AD&D player handbook has seen some wars.

I started with 3.5e. As much as I like 5e, I would definitely like to play a 3.5e campaign sometime. I love how thorough that system is.

Great video! And when you mentioned those 12 hour marathon sessions during the weekends, I had to smile.

You sir, are a glorious addition to my subscribe list.

I like and still play 3.5e. Unlike 4 and 5e, there's no level cap. It's also much easier (to me, at least) to customize characters to your liking. To be able to craft your own epic spells, to go beyond the standard norm of the game, to become so powerful as to rival deities in power and strength. That's MY game

I grew up with AD&D. And had stopped by the time 4th rolled out. I just got back into revisiting my youth recently. Without the ton of friends i had. I gotta say I'm liking 5th edition so far (even though i liked adding an armor system: making it easy to hit someone unless they block or tank the hit with armor). I'm liking the game being more open and inviting to people. You can explore moral and intellectual dilemmas better with 5th.

We play 5e . . .or so I thought. Found out I had so many house rules that we didn't know we're house rules. Basically I messed up my memory of the rules and mixed 5e and 3.5. . . And it was so good for us that we just kept it XD

Wow going the cop out answer to avoid arguments... Nevermind the fact that you're absolutely right and people on the internet just want to argue.

@ 6:36 you gave me that "WOOHOO!!!" moment... I wasn't sure if you were going to tell me the right answer... my DM recently switch back to Pathfinder from 5e, which is my preference.

"...12-hour marathon sessions..." More like half- or three-quarter marathons, but yeah, having a proper amount of time to really get into a good gaming session was _so_ nice. That's one of the things I miss from "the good old days," one of the luxuries we had that we didn't realize were luxuries, like eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ah, well, "youth is wasted on the young" as Oscar Wilde said. Or was it George Bernard Shaw? I completely agree with you about which edition is the best edition. Although I mostly played _AD&D_ and _AD&D 2nd Ed.,_ the most "D&D" I played was actually a system by Bard Games called _Arcanum._ It was extremely similar to actual D&D, but had some rules that seemed to make more sense than some of the D&D rules, so we went with it. And it was great for generating lots of fun sessions, some of them those half- and three-quarter and even full marathons aforementioned. I played _AD&D_ and _AD&D 2nd Ed_ before, during and after "the _Arcanum_ years" and it all feels the same in my memory: sword-and-sorcery fantasy role-playing gaming with minor differences in settings and rules, but the same overall effect of enjoyment.

Been playing since '83. I was 9, & the older kids in the neighborhood allowed me to game w/ them, I have no idea why they did but they did. I've been hooked ever since. When 2e came I was resistant, but eventually it won me over. By the time 2nd did win me over 2e Revised came out & I didn't want to recollect the books. When 3e came out, I actually didn't buy in immediately. However I was playing & collecting WotC StarWars d20. Then we got the idea to play D&D & I wrote a campaign using BECMI, & AD&D material. When it came time to play I realized my group wasn't as familiar w/ AD&D as they were w/ the D20 system so I bought the 3e books, but shortly after I did 3.5 came out & I collected those too & we used 3.5 in to run that campaign. I feel it's fair to note that ya can't collect the entire 3.5 line of books w/ out picking up some 3e books. For example there's a 3.5 Monster Manual I & a 3.5 Monster Manual III but no 3.5 Monster Manual II, only the 3e version. Same thing Fiend Folio, Arms & Equipment Guide, Stronghold builders guide etc, only 3e versons available. Wotc did create updates for the 3e books to 3.5 on their website & in Drag Mag IIRC. I was there that night on the WotC boards when 4e was announced it was a total blood bath. Not long after just as The Great Edition War kicked off I was promoted to the rank of General. I humbly accepted being naive to the horrors that awaited me. We lost a lot of good gamers during that conflict, I remember them fondly, may they never be forgotten. I never bought or played 4e or 4e Essentials. When Pathfinder 1e came out, I didn't buy in immediately, but eventually I went all in. I bought 5e the day it came out, read it & decided it was for me, but there were a lot of good ideas in there I could steal. With this said my favorite edition is 3e/3.5/PF 1e, D20ish. I like it because there's rules minutia & 9 variant takes on every rules. Variant rules not only presented by WotC & 3pp but also form entirely different d20 games. Ya can still ignore a rule entirely if ya don't like it. The weapons through out the different d20 genres (ex-space opera, modern espionage, medieval fantasy, supers etc) as scaled proportionately, though maybe not entirely balanced. A bullet fired from a gun typical does more than damage than an arrow fired from a bow, & laser blaster does more than the firearm etc. Need a magical anti-matter cannon, no problem 3e/3.5/PF1e has ya covered. Not sure why someone would need a magical anit-matter cannon but it's available. Basically I like the d20 games cause I can really manipulate the system to cater to the feel of the game desired. The only issue is I'm using so many modified rules, there's no book in print that combines them. Which new players find intimidating. I have all the rules we use handwritten in a notebook but I don't have any book in print to give the players & say "this is the rules". Instead I have a few hundred books with the rules we use scattered through out various books. The one thing I stole from 5e was turning spells w/ long casting times into rituals. However the rituals work as presented in the White Wolf Sword & Sorcery books "Relics & Rituals" which is similiar to the ritual rules presented in 3.5s Unearthed Arcana. We use "Fluid Initiative" from SpyCraft RPG which basically if ya take "wound point" damage ya deduce your initiative score by the same number to a maximum of -20. We use spell points instead spell levels, & spells are cast using a dice roll, they don't always work. I could go on & on about the mods used in my game but I'l spare ya. Cheers!

Ok...back. loved the video. I played from 81-88...had all the books including Deities and Demigods..MM2. Had about 30 figurines I hand painted...I enjoyed it very much...but when I moved in 88, half way across the country..the people I found that played were the one that gave the game its bad reputation and name... I do miss it sometimes but I found Skyrim ES5...so I get to do more... again great video...thank you.

9:06 It would solve a lot of arguments if they made previous editions more readily available on print on demand, there is some but not enough!

My current gaming group have been going since the fall of 2006 and we have maintained a weekly gaming night for all those years. We all have engineering backgrounds, so it is perhabs no surprise that we stuck with 3.5 and later fully embraced all the intricacies and complexity of 3.75 or (as some call it) Pathfinder. We have an unofficial credo that says "Build them like a power player, play them like a roleplayer" and we find an almost perverse glee in building combos of classes, abilities, spells, items, tactics etc. We even had a guy who would prepare by running Monte Carlo simulations in Matlab to find the optimal action for his character depending on the conditions of the encounter. He would show up with printed-out graphs which he consulted during play 😀 Lorewise I find AD&D and its siblings (Planescape, Darksun etc) a lot more interesting than other editions and I have often lifted plot hooks or encounter ideas from those sources in my DM'ing.

keep it up, awesome content ! (3.5 I miss all those Prestige Classes, but 5.0 too because it's light and easy to learn for new players)

Great insights and totally agree. We played the basic set at school in late 70s then in our teens and 20s ADnD 1e. So when we came back to it as a VTT in lockdown to keep in touch with our old group (now scattered between UK and Australia), we just dug out our old rulebooks and carried on. My younger friends love 5e and find THACO frankly baffling (and the old artwork hilarious) but it's your friends that make the game enjoyable so if it works and you're having fun then all is well in the dungeon.

My favourite is 1981 B/x because that is what I started with. The advantage of seeing so many editions is realising they all have terrible flaws and imbalances. Then sometimes you realise those errors were deliberate. I agree 5e is probably the best written so far, after 50 years of errata to review you would hope so

2e AD&D was "my" D&D as a teenager, but currently I think 3.5 is the best.

I never played 4th Edition myself. However, I was a big fan of the 'Dark Sun' setting back in the AD&D days, so when books for that setting were released for 4th Edition, I did pick them up. Strangely enough, the setting seemed to work better with 4e rules than any other edition. Dark Sun doesn't have 'Divine' magic sources, for example. 4e has the 'Primal' magic source, which casters like Druids access. It also had rules for Warlocks, and Psionics. So now you could have a Dark Sun setting without 'hand waving' away the fact that devotees of the Sorcerer-Kings or the Elements were still using Divine spells, since they now used Primal Magic spells. That being said.......still never picked up any of the other books, but just put the Dark Sun books in my collection for the nostalgia of it 😅

Very interesting video, I could listen for ours to your old school dnd stories

I'm now at the point where the base of my game is Basic D&D/OSE. And then I grab and/or convert stuff I like from all the other editions and clones because why not?

BECMI Forever! Long Live King Elmore!! Play what you love. Love what you play.

6:53 I knew that was coming but also you are right! You have a new subscriber.

I've always taken ideas from other DnD games and other TTRPGS to create the game I want. I never play rules as written, in any edition.

My friends and started with the basic set many moons ago..the moved onto advanced. Many weekends were had playing d&d and I had the dubious honor of being our "forver dm". As far as a favorite version, I don't really have one..just great memories of days gone by.

I started in 1977. I was interested in 4th Edition because it seemed to be the most cohesive and deliberate design of the game (which I still hold to be true). It didn’t have the Winchester Mystery House feel of the previous rulesets, and it seemed that maybe there would be an unprecedented balance between character classes. I was surprised to see how little it felt like D&D to me. I still think the design was very good, even if it seemed a departure from the feel of previous editions. It left me wondering if wonky rules and poor balance were an integral part of D&D. These days, I think one of the key dynamics is the emphasis on character build rather than gameplay. I loved the customization introduced in 3E, but it became the focus of the game, rather than heading out and finding adventure. I think every edition has been a great game in its own right. I’m currently designing a rules-lite homebrew that finds a balance between customization and easy game play (and with nothing but D6’s). It will be a fun game, too, because sharing adventures with friends is always a good time.

I'd like to say that some of the retextured classes in 5e took notes from classes in Palladium rpg. I'm looking at you Warlock,which "borrowed" ideas from the Witch O.C.C. Not meaning to compare apples and oranges. I've for many years have always tried to mix in a little Palladium stuff/angle within my 5e game. It was great to see my players reactions to encountering a group of Gargoyles and finding out that their much bigger,smarter and some posses good magic skills. My group learned how to parley properly that night!😆 But yeah,the version or combination there of,that you enjoy and importantly your friends enjoy is ultimately "the best one". GM DUG EDDY out.....

4e is in my opinion still the best edition. The ease of encounter building and varying enemies, characters that feel like something more than just the "ordinary people" even at low levels, opportunities and abilities martial classes can have, as well as the classes it has that have not been seen elsewhere i.e. Seeker, Warlord and Avenger. All tied neatly to easy to read system that once you know how to work with, combat becomes faster than 5e, 3.5(or PF) and much more cinematic, including the skill challenges that make scenes like escaping from the city or invading a stronghold much more tied to a narrative while being guided by the skill tests. Even beyond 4e, we still use minions, bloodied etc. in other non-D&D games and it makes sharing information much easier among the group.

Although I feel like and probably look like I am older than you, our D&D experience is very similar. I started with AD&D and miss those days; weekends and summer vacation. I have been toying with the idea of getting reprints but, you nailded an important point. It wasn't the game ruleset but, the memories associated with it. Great video sir.

Over the last 2 years or so I have played B/X (via Old School Essentials), 3.5, 5e and AD&D 1st edition. All have had their good and bad points, as you mentioned. Initially I started with 3.5 since I am most familiar with that edition, but I grew up with 1st and 2nd. I had to pull myself away from 3.5 though as I started to realize I’m not as big a fan of the whole “character build” concept and this edition is best for munchkin / min-Max style players. Having a ton of fun with OSE and AD&D (by the book) though, especially the latter. It’s been mind blowing!

A voice of sanity. You are totally right, my favortite version of D&D is Runequest. [yes i know, but the point is still valid]. Please keep in mind that for many players, other TTrpgs are the best version [for them]. Keep an open mind, because you may be surprised that another edition [of D&D], or another ttrpg, is actually the best game for you.

There is too much I dislike about 5th edition, ranging from monster HP bloat, the inconsistency of the CR system, how mind-bogglingly high-magic and low risk the game's systems tend to be among many other things, for me to consider it the best. For me, the sweet spot was 2nd Edition AD&D. Not everyone had access to magic, monsters were scary but didn't feel overly bloated and all the classes felt very different from one another. It'll always be what I prefer to play. I respect 5th edition. I love that it's brought so many into the hobby, but I don't enjoy the game itself.

Great concept. Keep going. 😊

Haven't played all the version but have books from them all except original d&d, know most the mechanics. . . Personal I think 2nd edition is the best. It has by far the most content but I also like how the books presented themselves. Each campaign setting had so much depth as they really took the time to flesh out what they had started on in 1st. . The player customization and equipment that was/is available if you are still playing it 😂. 3rd was alright but mostly rebrand and sling products in a cash grab, which I feel is still kind of happening. Much like magic I feel there's been a power creep which takes away from the role playing aspects in the lower level. Although level progression was different I always felt it was justified as a fighter is going to learn his trade a lot easier then a magician who in later levels, gathering components, can be the basis for an adventure. Even with characters at high levels, a beholder is just as terrifying or at least possesses a much bigger threat. Just my opinion.

I tend to play all editions similarly, ignoring rules that get in the way of the fun and adding things from other additions that I liked.

I started with AD&D, have played pretty much everything since at least once. Not something that some people are likely to agree with, but my favorite is and remains D&D4. As far as I am concerned, any claims that 4 somehow impedes "real" role-play is a monstrous steaming pile of BS. Role-play is about the referee and the players, NOT the system. A major reason I like it is that spell-casting in most, if not all, other D&D versions is more bookkeeping exercise than anything else. In 4, it is basically FUN, imo. Not liking specific D&D versions or aspects thereof is a personal thing. Putting down other people for THEIR personal choices is a lousy thing to do.

BX for the simple reason that's what I grew up playing later I got the players handbook and just combined rules

I liked the summary of all the editions.

3:33 the greatest irony of the satanic panic is that Gygax considered himself a Christian

Ive played on and off since 1984. I prefer 4th and 5th. What I like about 4th is what everyone else hated...more wargame type mechanics less role playing theatrics. To ME it did remind me more of how my group played 1st edition....we were all about encounters and battles. I like 5th for hooks and all...stories have gotten better so I still dont use a lot of theatrics.....shut up and roll dice....lol ....thats what i prefer.

Huh. A rational, reasonable video. We need more of these, so you earn a sub. Technically my favorite edition is the B/X set, but in all fairness, I recently switched the Shadowdark RPG- which feels (to me) like the best combination of B/X vibe with modern 5e d20 rules, simplified. Best of luck with your channel. I hope your rational voice cuts through some of the usual noise.

I started on 3.5E then went to 4E, 1E and at last 5E. With my players we keep going back to 4E because that the edition that we enjoy the most, but it’s true all edition has cons and pros, and the best part its to apply what you really like from other editions to the edition that you play.

I like 4th edition a lot. It gets a bad rap. Sure it isn’t like the others but there are some really good things about it and a good game master can make any edition shine. My favorite edition due to nostalgia is 1e. Yep I’m old lol

I found the 1st edition AFTER all the other editions (except second which I´m yet to try) And I find it to be the best. I agree everyone can play however they want. But if they´ve never tasted the beauty of advanced/Basic (OSR) taste, I believe they´re missing out. Gold for XP, and low HD really does make a difference. It´s a completely different game. One that doesn´t require a new player to write a backstory for a character of a race they don´t understand, in a setting they know nothing about. Procedural gaming is the way to go; Before that I didn´t get as much enjoyment out of DMing. Now I love it. TLDR; OSR is awesome and everyone should at least give it a serious try.

I see a lot of good in 5e and they achieved the goal they had set for it: to make it more accessible to new players. 4e feels like a different type of game but my main quarrel with it is a lot of the lore revision that happened during its time. and while 3.5 was sometimes overly complicated (especially when compared to 5e) and thus unable to easily attract new people towards a player base that would eventually die out with their exclusivity, I do like the numbers crunching to an extent and the much more gritty realism the game had back then. where 5e was too simplified (e.g. Perception, Dis-/Advantage) 3.5 provided too many tools to perform essentially the same task (e.g. Slight of Hand, Open Lock, Escape Artist, Use Rope) but it also had a progression system that felt more natural than 5e's Proficiency Bonus. After much back and forth with some of my friends and players, I finally decided to create my own version of the game. I made my own character sheet, started rewriting a bunch of the existing rules and called it 3.9 ; we have a blast with it still (:

I loved AD&D, not second edition so much, but 3.5 was the version I played most, and in fact still play.

have played since the basic box set, always really enjoyed 2nd and loved skills and powers rules, but played all versions apart from 4th, we moved to pathfinder and stuck there but have played 5e, and Pathfinder 2e as well, favs are Skill and Powers 2e AD&D, 3.5, and Pathfinder 1e, but all are fun

Great beard/mustache! My first TTRPG was the Holmes D&D blue book too 👍. For me the best games are those that do not bog one down with a rule for every situation, simpler mechanics that rely on the Gamemaster to adjudicate the situations. When I was younger, I used to pompously argue🎓 🤓 that skills based games were the best, the more complicated the better because: 'realism'. Thanks to the hoary crown of wisdom and Professor DM over on DungeonCraft, I now view optimizing fun as the primary goal for any game. I now prefer 'rules light' d20 games with blended elements from OSR & New Skool. So I agree, the best edition of D&D is the one you enjoy playing most!

My favorite edition is 3.5/Pathfinder, but I really do think that 5E is the best edition ever. WotC really showed that they learned from the 4th/Pathfinder debacle. It is a good blend of the best parts of all the previous editions. It has customization without being overwhelming like 3/3.5. It has simplicity without being too bare bones like early editions. It has class balance without being boringly homogenous like 4th. There are some great things about 4th Edition; it was easier to be a DM planning battles in 4th.

I started with the pamphlet boxed set, and Basic, and the AD&D Player's Handbook. (Incedently, it was the dice that roped me in.) We merged them to suit our needs (until the AD&D DM's Guide and Monster Manual were out) and that has been my mantra as a DM ever since. Every game, every GM, every campaign is different. House rules, variations, rule sets come and go, but the core of rollplaying remains. As long as something improves, streamlines, or simplifies play without detriment, rule changes are welcome. Were I to actually pick a rule set for D&D-like play, it would either be 3e, Pathfinder, d20, Dungeon Crawl Classics, or a subset of the Compendium. Those are all my main inspirations, and I have tailored my game much more heavily than with just those. But that's all behind the scenes stuff for the GM. The players need a simplified view so only choices and basic rolls should interfere with their immersion. And avoiding death is a big part of the game.

I love 5e, it was the edition I sterted with and will probably be the one I stay with. But learning about other editions and seeing what makes them unique helps me understand WHY things are done they way they're done in 5e, I even take rules from those editions and incorporate them in my regular games.

You left out the BECMI set, but that is forgivable, since it is basically just B/X plus more. heh Oh man... your story about your friend's mom burning his stuff happened to a guy in our group too. It was right after 60 Minutes did that segment on D&D that was extremely poorly researched, sadly. Pretty sure it was in 1985. The Mazes & Monsters movie didn't help, either. Anyway, he still came over my house and we still played D&D, but he just told his mom we were doing other stuff to soothe her and not have her worry. He even ended up buying another PHB and just kept it on a shelf at my house where we played. Crazy times. Oh... and as for what version I love... it's basically an amalgam of B/X and AD&D 1e. It's where we started and we took bits from each version that we liked most. We still play that version to this day. heh Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy is about as close as I have seen to what we already do, so I had to buy those books just for fun and to read. :-) Excellent stuff!

I play basic 1 and 2 edition I also play chivalry and socery 2 edition plus others have you played chivalry and socery it's chunky but alot of fun yah I remember kids at my church just stared I was like God knows it's a game you should too lol anyways like your channel keep up the good work

My favorite version of D&D is Fantasy Hero

Best is that mustache!

Truth. The best edition is the edition you and your friends have fun playing.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Which ever one you enjoy is the best.and we found house rules invaluable to our gaming...2nd edition is best by the way 🤣🤣 🤘😁🖖🇨🇦

2nd AD&D and a good DM.

I think you forgot to mention the 2.5 refresh, which is the version I started with. I have since then played 1e, 3.5 and 5e. As you mention house rules become their best versions. We settled on 2e with modern AC instead of thAC0.

The answer is basic/expert.

Great take.

1st edition AD&D

Question: “Which edition really is the best?” Answer: “… whichever edition you play, whichever edition you get the most enjoyment from.” Me: Partly correct. Partly incorrect. Background: I, too, am a long-time gamer. I started in mid-February of 1977 with the 3-book boxed set (used to own a copy of Chainmail as well, but lost it somewhere over the years). Played through to A2e. I’ve also played a large number of other RPG game systems over the years - over a hundred of them; so many, in fact, that I’ve developed the skill of being able to read the rules of a system and tell whether my gaming group and I wound enjoy it. When TSR tanked and WotC bought up the game, I was very skeptical that they would (or even could) maintain the integrity of the game as it had been played to that time. When they released what is now 3rd Edition, I borrowed a copy from someone I knew who had already bought it. After reading it, my first reaction was to say, “They comic-booked the game.” And I wasn’t wrong. Not wanting to seem overly ‘elitist’, I decided to try that version anyway. I used that friend’s books and ran a rather extensive pre-fab module. The results were disappointing and did little to change my opinion about the ‘comic book’ feel to the new rules. I continued running A2e. When 4th Edition was released, I did the ‘read it first’ test again. This time my comment was, “Now they’ve video-gamed it.” I detected major flaws and conflicts that, I was sure, would render that game unplayable in the not-too-distant future. 4th was released in June of 2008, and 5th hit the shelves in July of 2014, a mere six years. That was longer than I had expected, but the level of ‘cratering’ that version experienced is now ‘legendary’. All too many people look back on 4th Edition and say, “We don’t talk about that anymore.” I stayed with A2e. I ignored the release of 5th edition because WotC had already proven to me that they were incapable of producing a quality product that would interest myself and the group I regularly gamed with. We were all quite satisfied with staying with A2e. Then Covid hit. I was forced by circumstance to ‘upgrade’ to VTT play just to keep playing and - by association - to 5th edition rules because no VTT site supports A2e with even minimum adequacy. As a play aid, VTTs are acceptable, but far from necessary, and they cost money that I tend to resent paying. I have everything I need to play A2e in hard copy and hadn’t spend a penny on game materials in almost 25 years until I had to start shelling out money for online subscriptions and digital copies of rule books. I currently play 5e - because I can’t get good support for A2e in the digital world - but the version that I “get the most enjoyment from”, the ‘best’ version, is still A2e. I won’t get into particulars about what I see as 3e, 4e and 5e failures as a game system, especially when compared to older D&D versions. Does 5e ‘suck’? Sort of, but nowhere nearly as badly as 4e. So that’s a ‘win’… ish..??? Now that Covid is ‘over’… and WotC is bent on destroying its customer good will by the job lot (major MTG backlash, the whole D&D OGL debacle, et al), I’m seriously considering setting my VTT sub(s) expire and a) return to running A2e for good, or b) spending just a small amount more and getting physical copies of the digital books I bought for those VTTs and see if I can squeeze out another 25 years of not paying for my game play. I get the point and sentiment of the vid creator’s comments… but they’re just far enough of the mark of ‘100% correct’ (despite his assurances), that I had to speak. Not everyone is satisfied with what they’re playing, but have few good options to change.

I love all editions (not really played the first though) as I've had great memories of each. Whichever edition came out, we relished and made the best of it. I guess I have more fondness of the products of 2nd edition. 3rd edition was great fun, especially with Oriental Adventures, as it was the first time I got involved in a gaming group at a games store. Fourth edition was good to play, although it was very board-gamey and despite having plenty of action choices, it limited imagination. Also it marked a major change in its style and character choices as it clearly was designed to appeal to the Warcraft crowd at the time. Now 5th edition was great during the first half of the decade of its release and I still think it is decent as the rules are more streamlined and simple, but PCs ended up becoming over-powered too quickly and the increasing number of options for players is getting too overwhelming for its own good. I've stopped being a DM for D&D 5th edition for various reasons. However I did discover a 5th edition OGL for Middle Earth and its safe to say that I think it's the best version of the game (to me at least) because it had restraint.

Ad&D 1 st Ed. The Only One

My favorite D&D editions are 3.5 and BECMI, I don't have much interest in any of the others.

Depends. Are you talking price? Or Design. Or how many books you will need? Rules Cyclopedia is the best way to score early D&D. I'm a fan of 1edition AD&D, the OSRIC manual is likely a better idea than 3.5. but to be honest, Shadowdark leaves everything 2nd edition onwards chocking on dust. I think D&D whored itself out for sales after 1st Edition. Books for the sake of books. 5th is a waste of shelf space. 4th is only good for wargaming. and 3.5 is just a power gamer's wet dream.

You definitely put it well and ARE 100% correct, but I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't include what makes people think a certain version is better than the others, which really is the core of this (although most of the dislike for 5e is due to the company's inane decisions and disregard for players, rather than the ruleset itself): * 1st edition is the most "hard-core", where even surviving a single adventure can be difficult due to a vast array of save-or-die mechanics * 2nd edition is the best for lore, where many of the expansions focused more on the deep lore of various locations, creatures, and NPCs, while also providing in-depth and amazing settings including Planescape, Spelljammer, and Dark Sun * 3rd edition (and by extension 3.5 and Pathfinder) is the best for the stereotypical "nerd", allowing for the building of meticulously min-maxed characters through the vast number of rulebooks * 4th edition is D&D for people who'd rather be playing a videogame, with a greater focus on balanced gameplay and an utter disregard for all the lore that came before * 5th edition is the best for "normies" - long-term character survival is much easier, while a much greater focus is on the roleplay aspect than mechanics So for someone getting into the game for the first time, knowing this can be the difference between creating a lifelong player and someone who'll drop it after a few sessions.

I have never seen so many people have so many probelms running games since 5th I started with 1st edition, had the player book and DMG and was running games, even before I diacovered modules and Dragon Magazine, and though we made a few technical errors, we had no problems I have been a forever GM since 78,lol In my opinion, 5th is unweidlly, bloated and so full of power jumps, if I wanted to run a Conan on steroids, there are better systems I only run 5th, to snare new players and introduce them to other systems,

A bit of a cop out video to be honest,but i get your point,ive played basic D&D up to 5E,i like you missed 4th :-] i think 2nd ed was the best in my opinion

2e

4e and 5e player hehe

There is only one edition, exalted be the AD&D, honored be the name of Gygax.

A few weeks ago, I might've just agreed with you out of hand: Play what you like, be it an existing edition or an upcoming one. Makes sense, right? The company's recent behavior … changes that for me. I'm still all in on people playing whatever they've got, including fifth edition! But if you don't already have something in hand? Maybe it's time to look elsewhere. Definitely play what you've got and have fun, absolutely. But if you're looking to buy something new, consider other alternatives. There's a lot of them: - Old-School Essentials is perfect if you like classic B/X D&D. - Basic Fantasy RPG is similar substance without the style, and it's a free download. - OSRIC is a no fuss AD&D 1E recreation. Free again. - For Gold and Glory if you loved AD&D 2E, this is your game. - Pathfinder everyone knows, it's your D&D 3.5 option. Printed books are getting harder to find. - Pathfinder 2E, less math, better encounter balance right up to lv 20. I'll still include it here. - Tales of the Valiant (Black Flag) is shaping up to be the Pathfindering of 5E. - Swords and Wizardry feels somewhere between 1E and 2E There's at least one other 5Eish option that doesn't immediately come to mind, and I'm doing everyone a disservice for not remembering what it is immediately because it's _out_ already. That's just the directly D&D-based things. Things that started there and did their own thing - Cairn is ridiculously easy to pick up and play, and it's free (and short!), Into the Odd based. - Into the Odd is freaking great in its own right. - Dungeon Crawl Classics is a massive tome and needs extra dice, but $35 makes it hard to beat. - Shadowdark is 5E-style mechanics played a bit old-school and a personal favorite - Index Card RPG … a beautiful mess. Almost more (essential!) toolbox than the game. Warp Shell ❤. - Blades in the Dark is THE heist game. Just check it out. - Dread. Run a horror movie. No dice. Do things by pulling from a Jenga tower. It falls, you die! - Lamentations of the Flame Princess … good, but something here will offend you. (Think South Park) - Mörk Borg is great for one-shot or short campaign. Comedic levels of Swedish death metal vibes. - Mausritter (similar to Cairn, also Into the Odd based), adorable-play it with kids (8 or 80.) - TinyD6 games, also kid-friendly. The worlds are great! Lots of dinosaurs and whatnot in TinyDungeons. - Fate Core is kinda misunderstood, but once you get it, You Get It. - Reign … just have a look. - Age System games (DragonAge etc) use probably my favorite d6 system. Again there's so much more I didn't bring up. And this says nothing of Traveller, or if you LOVE you some crunchy crunchy math, there's GURPS, Rifts, Shadowrun, etc. There's a world of really cool things that aren't D&D. Check 'em out, conscript a few friends and try a one-shot, see what you think. I'm mixing and matching currently. I'm using Index Card RPG to pull from several TinyD6 worlds to convert them to something I can run with Shadowdark's engine because it's easy enough for kids and complex enough for me. If you ever saw the 60s cartoon The Herculoids … that's the world I'm aiming for: A post-post-apocalyptic world with barbarians and swords, dinosaurs, wizards, aliens, and the occasional robot. Pockets of civilization slowly rebuilding in a wild world full of mystery, adventure, things to (re)discover, and maybe a few best forgotten. Planned for ages 8-14, we'll see.

Well, I hate to say it, but in light of all the recent incidents, this video is "which edition *was* best" because Hasbro and WOTC are dead to me, and I really don't care what they do in the future. So the only D&D that counts is what we've already got, which is honestly all we ever needed in the first place. I've only played 1e and 3e, and I have to go with 3, if only for the d20 system, which fixed so much of what was broken.

From 3e it's been a spiral down dive 😢

You bought Holmes basic in 1977? Okay Mr. Vampire

5th because of modularity. The Basic Rules are basically the old school version with its 4 classes. You can play add or remove Variant rules to make it any previous edition.

I am going to say the best is, GURPs

Even I'll admit that Fake D&D....um...I mean...Fourth Edition...had its interesting tidbits. And nothing's perfect. What I wish that WotC would release is a conversion manual...from any edition, to any edition. Sure, it would be a lot of work, debugging the numbers, but who wouldn't look at the D&D library, and see that there are good parts (...and...admittedly...bad ones...) in every edition...including parts that did *not* make the leap from Edition Whichever to Edition Whichever Else.

2E, obviously. 😛😛😛

Apples and oranges, they all do different things

Nice video, I've played and liked all editions except 4th. I think 5th is doing a lot that is good, not perfect but neither was any edition.