AD&D 2e

>>54715233
>What are differences someone who has only played d20 in the form of 3.PF and 5e expect?
Better fighters, faster combat, less hit points, less options - which actually opens your mind and imagination into coming up with your own shit. The system actually works and isn't terrible.

>Any modules you recommend, or should I homebrew all of it?
I've always found the Village of Hommlet to be a damn near perfect introductory model. It's got a bunch of traps and secret doors that you can practice proper searching (i.e. not just perception rolls) on, a few tough fights to get around in imaginitive and tactical ways, and an instant death or two to teach the players to always look up. Have everyone roll up two characters. Can't go wrong with it.

>What's your favorite setting?
I like Wilderlands of High Fantasy, though I tend to plug up plenty of other shit on top of it.

>>54715233
I'm a 5e player and I recently read 2e books (didn't play it yet)

>What are differences someone who has only played d20 in the form of 3.PF and 5e expect?
The first thing you will notice is that classes don't have a bunch of abilities: fighters just get a bonus to hit and extra attacks, thieves get better at thieving, wizards learn and cast more spells.

THAC0 is a little confusing at first and might take a time for you to get it right.

>Are there any traps to avoid as a GM?
Take a good look at every kit before allowing them.

>What's your opinion?
It feels different from newer editions, I really want to give it a try soon

>What's your favorite setting?
Council of Wyrms (playable dragons!) and Dark Sun

>>54715233
I played the retroclone "For gold & glory" after playing one session i just want to modify a lot of things in a good way, but i really liked the feeling of the game, you know that if you change something you wont kill the balance

>>54715828
>THAC0 [...] might take a time for you to get it right.
Only the referee needs to manage Thac0.
The players just need to report their roll and get told if they hit.

ALSO: Note each players Thac0 somewhere really visible to you. Maybe even on your screen.

I have played through "The Night Below" and am part way through "The Rod of Seven Parts" and "The Temple of Elemental Evil".

I would strongly recommend all of them.

2E has very little in the way of the attempted top-down "balance" of later editions. There are no encounter-balancing mechanics, no wealth-per-level guidelines, different classes have their own different XP tracks and individual XP rewards. Likewise, many splatbook options (specifically the kits from the "Complete ______" series of books and some campaign settings) are not in any way "balanced" against each other. This is both a blessing and a curse, since while on paper the lack of "balance" may seem hard to work with, the whole game is set up to be a lot more ethereal in terms of what you can and can't do. There are far fewer hard modifiers flying around, so what might seem like a large disparateness in different classes or kits or ability scores actually has a far less strict and tangible effect on the math side of the game.

While generally speaking, over time D&D has progressed more and more to defined abilities and strict class roles, 2E is somewhere in the middle of that transition. "If it's not on your character sheet, you can try it anyway" is still a good rule of thumb, even if you are playing with non-weapon proficiencies/secondary skills (a somewhat-analog to later editions' skill systems, but which doesn't fulfill the same role as the mediator for character actions).

>>54716247
Really would love to play a more refined 2e system, or something that captures the same feel of "heroic but you can still die"

>>54716283
I would love to play a modernized 2E that keeps all the original spirit of 2E and the relative freedom and openness to interpretation of the edition, but with some of the glaring internal imbalances fixed.

>>54715233
Has anyone tried using 2e for a scifi campaign?

>>54716283
>>54716408
While I can't name any such system on top of my head, you could go and ask /osrg/ about it: they might have something.

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>>54715233

>Differences?
Less bonus inflation, less number bloat, less balance (and more shameless about it), less mercy. It's less merciless than 0e/1e, but it's generally the sort of game that kicks your ass and makes you like it.

It still has plenty of upsides, as alluded by >>54715667--combat is slick, and there's ton of optional things for arbitration, like attacks/round, Knockdown Values, Speed Factor, "sticky" combat, and so on. There's a lot of freeform opportunity, and with the restrained numbers things don't escalate nearly as much.

There are more one-off rules and specifics to certain mechanics. It can be a lot to take in, but the result is perhaps a less "linear" or "swingy" feel to some rolls.

Non-Weapon Proficiencies might seem a bit odd at first blush. Remember that D&D wasn't really a skill-based system, so NWPs may help strike middle ground.

Casters are generally weaker (or rather, they scale agonizingly slowly), but remain indispensable. The "middle ground" where Martials/Casters achieve parity takes a while to develop, but lasts a decent while.

Fighters are incredibly good for the "consolation prize" class.

Kits are like Prestige Classes but not. There's shitloads and they're a lot of fun with a grain of salt. Some are just blatantly overpowered (off the top, Myrmidon is memorably strong), but they add a great deal of colour.

Generally speaking, the system is more player-unforgiving than player-hostile. It won't bite, but it's not going to play nice.

>Traps?
Give THAC0 a twice-over. It looks complicated on paper, but once it clicked our group actually found it rather hard to go back from it! Keeping it hidden at the beginning of an encounter and having the players suss it out over their turns feels pretty natural.

Avoid ramping, for lack of a better word. AD&D takes its sweet time reaching the "heroic" apex, and parties will have plenty of challenges at the bottom level. Let your story adopt a slow burn.

>Recommendations?
Al-Qadim

>>54716826
Alternity sorta was that, as was Spelljammer sorta.

>>54716899
They dont, there are two retroclones but they dont fix the game, you can look for a gritty heroic system tho

>>54715233
>Are there any traps to avoid as a GM?
For fucks sake do not use the expanded "phase" initiative system. In fact, probably avoid everything in the combat book altogether except maybe the additional weapon mastery rules and attacks of opportunity if you want them. As hilarious as having 30 different crit tables sounds, in practice it removes all drama from "big hits" as combat stops dead to consult the book.

Everything is optional. Every. Single. Thing.
Most rules stand alone and do not rely on anything but the very core of the system itself, and can therefore be removed or altered without a knock-on effect. Do not be afraid to remove options and tell players what they can and cannot use.

The green "historical" books and the Player's Options series both need to be heavily vetted and players should not be allowed to use them without guidance.