Poll for D&D enthusiasts

[PrinceofWands]

So thanks to the other D&D thread going around today I got to thinking about which method I preferred (for use in our custom edition of the game we're working on now).

I know that the modern combat system is much more logical, and easier on the fly...but there's just something magical about THAC0. Is it worth the trade-off just to ease the math?

 

[middlehead]

I still don't see why it was so hard to understand and calculate THAC0. THAC0 FOREVER.

 

[child of wonder]

Having started with AD&D 2nd ed THAC0 makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Whisper]

I just always liked saying THAC0 for some reason. The new system is definitely easier to work with and more intuitive, though.

 

[vi edit]

I grew up with D&D and before "version 3" so I'm very familiar with thaco. That said, "hit bonus" is just an easier to understand and work with system.

For me D&D was more about the gameplay and having fun rather than getting bogged down in numbers. Simple little things like that made it easier for more casual gamers to get into and understand, which is a good thing IMHO.

 

[rivan]

THAC0 came around after I stopped playing.

Back in my day, we calculated every roll, in our heads! Uphill, both ways!

 

[PrinceofWands]

BTW, I want everyone to know that the women of ATOT paid me to create this thread in order to create a compiled list of 'nerds too geeky to date'.

 

[Nitemare]

I'm sorry, but if you couldn't calculate THAC0, then you need to have your geek card revoked

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: rivan
THAC0 came around after I stopped playing.

Back in my day, we calculated every roll, in our heads! Uphill, both ways!

And the snow. Don't forget the snow.

BTW, I want everyone to know that the women of ATOT paid me to create this thread in order to create a compiled list of 'nerds to geeky to date'.

Nerds to date when they want to get geeky?

 

[MotF Bane]

I never even got to play the THAC0 system, didn't even hear of it until just now.

Has anyone seen the new character sheets though? They're basically designed for complete morons to fill out in a few minutes, without actually comprehending a damned thing about the book, or even opening the book almost.

 

[FallenHero]

Thaco FTW!

Of course, it never really mattered to me...I played mostly mages/priests.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I played under the AD&D first edition rules. Back then even THACO would have been considered too simplistic. The DM Guide was nothing but tables and modifiers.

 

[shortylickens]

I grew up with the THAC0, played old D&D and both AD&D's for many years.
It only took me a week to get used to the 3rd edition system.
3rd edition is better. If you brought in a newb with 3rd edition he would pick it up very fast.
If you asked him to transfer over to the old system he would wonder why the hell you make it deliberately complicated.

On that note, the new Saving Throw system is far superior as well. Much easier and having three saving throws that cover everything also makes them more useful.


The only thing I didnt like about the new system is the relatively limited number of feats. By level 20 your characters dont look nearly as impressive as they did in previous versions of the game.
But that is easily fixed by just allowing more feats. One every two levels instead of every third. Fighters still get their extra feats normally.

The only real downside is the lack of sourcebook material. No Mystara or Hollow World stuff for 3rd edition yet. But you could take the old junk and convert it with a minimum of fuss.

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
I played under the AD&D first edition rules. Back then even THACO would have been considered too simplistic. The DM Guide was nothing but tables and modifiers.

I never got to play under it, but I've got a set of 1E core books. Batshit crazy.

 

[alkemyst]

With our F schools, original AD&D rules are too difficult.

I remember writing things like character sheets and rollers on my Apple //e in the day.

 

[Eeezee]

Thac0 is fine, but anything where your scale can go negative in the game doesn't really make sense.

Zero should be the BOTTOM of the scale, in any case. If you have armor 0, it makes logical sense for you to be very, very easy to hit.

It's just like astronomers and their damn brightness scale... a star of magnitude 6 is brighter than a star of magnitude 20?! The moon has magnitude -12.6? To hell with that!

It would be like saying "I would like to be punched in the face 0 times" and then getting punched in the face 20 times. WTF

 

[alkemyst]

are you trying to be funny or simply don't understand THAC0

 

[Babbles]

I voted for THAC0 simply because that was how I rolled back in the day when I gamed.

I stopped playing around when the 3rd edition was released (for unrelated reasons). I thought THAC0 was pretty easy to use - didn't make the most sense in why they chose that system, but I never found it overly complicated.

 

[Fenixgoon]

THAC0 all the way.

and as proof... BG2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NWN