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Try a game using the new D&D2e ruleset licensed by SmiteWorks to challenge your gameplay
It’s well-known that the D&D5e ruleset is one of the most popular games around. It’s been spotlighted on television shows, like “Stranger Things,” and “The Big Bang Theory,” and of course there is the popular streaming series, “Critical Role,” that brings new players to the table every day. I have to admit, the 5e ruleset is a lot of fun to play, but, is it challenging enough? Face it, you can reach level 3 in no time, as only 900 experience will do it, so you could get that in just a few sessions of game time. How would you like to play a character that needed 2500 XP to reach level 2? That is the highest amount needed for a class. Yes, I said for a class. For, in 2nd edition, each class had a different amount of XP, and the Wizard had the highest number to reach level 2. However, if you played a Thief or a Bard, you needed only 1250 XP. Yes, I said Thief. There were no Rogues in 2nd edition. SmiteWorks has recently (as of the time of this article’s inception in May 2019) licensed the 2nd Edition ruleset. You can see the covers of the three Core Rulebooks below.
Leveling differences are just one of the things that sets the two rulesets apart. Another would be alignment. In 5e, while there are alignments that you need to choose to play your character, the need to really roleplay that alignment isn’t as essential as it was in 2nd edition, where all paladins had to be Lawful Good, and if they strayed from their alignment, they may anger their god, and their prayers would not be answered, thus no spells. So, they would then be just a fighter, and they’d have to work hard to earn their god’s approval in order to get back into their good graces. The third thing you’ll find that is very different between 2nd edition and 5e is THAC0. That stands for “to hit armor class 0.” In 5e, your armor class is better the higher the number, but in 2nd edition, you wanted a lower number. Here is what the D&D Wikia says about it:
“To calculate if a hit succeeds, the player rolls a 20-sided die, and adds or subtracts any bonuses or penalties. The player then subtracts that number from their character’s THAC0 value to find the strongest armor class (AC) the attack hits. In AD&D, armor classes range from 10 at the worst to -10 at the best, meaning a lower THAC0 value will yield better hits.” Dungeons & Dragons Wiki|
While I’m sure that love for the old ruleset and nostalgia will entice some players to want to play in games based in 2nd edition, I’m reaching out to newer players, who may have only played 5th edition D&D. If you’re looking for something a little bit different, or if you’re like me and you love to learn new things, I’d suggest searching for a 2nd edition one shot or campaign to see what you think. At Fantasy Grounds College we don’t have any classes available to teach character building, or One shots based on 2nd edition at this time (May 2019), but we are hoping to have some in the future. Maybe I’ll see you in a class or game someday soon? If you are interested in purchasing the three 2nd edition Core books, I will add links to purchase them from the Fantasy Grounds store below, along with links to purchase the first three Class-based handbooks:
We at Fantasy Grounds College are fans of the Fantasy Grounds program, and advocate its use in playing D&D and other RPGs online. We are not affiliated or officially endorsed by SmiteWorks USA LLC or Fantasy Grounds.
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