In Praise of TSR's Awkward Child

I have a soft spot for awkward kids -- likely because I was one myself. So perhaps it's not entirely surprising that I naturally gravitate towards Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. I have the impression that, of all the older versions of the game, 2nd Edition seems to receive the least love overall from the gaming community. (It's possible I'm wrong in this perception, but this seems to be the impression I'm left with.)

Of all the versions of D&D that fall into the category of "classic" or "old school," 2nd Edition was key. It was...an important step in the game's evolution towards where it is today. It was the first real attempt at both advancement (in terms of offering new system sophistication and complexity) and revision (in terms of trying to correct the awkward mechanics of previous editions). Firm traditionalists may argue that the earliest editions represent some purer expression of a perfect game that grew flawed after, say, 1974 or 1981, but I beg to differ.

There were a few major improvements that 2nd Edition introduced. It attempted to mitigate the need for to-hit tables with THAC0. While a less elegant a solution than ascending armor class, at least it was trying to create a simpler mechanic. Writing down a formula template and dropping in a few values seems easier for a DM to manage than looking up a host of tables every time a fight breaks out.

Also, the character class hierarchy made a lot of sense to me -- broad groups with distinct differences, each of which contained classes with slightly similar characteristics, each of which, in turn, contained kits with very nuanced differences between them. This resolved the awkwardness surrounding 1st Edition's sub-classes, which always struck me as arbitrary and indistinct in their design.
Lastly, 2E introduced a formal skill system for both combat and non-combat situations. While it was possible to resolve these situations in earlier editions with, say, an attribute check, I like that the mechanic exists as it gives the option for more nuanced play.

2nd Edition represented a consolidated D&D that seemed to know the gaming experience that it wished to present to players and was very effective in bringing about that experience mechanically. It's not surprising to me that 5th Edition draws a lot from 2nd when it attempts to recreate the essence of D&D while still improving the system with modern sensibilities.

Like anything, 2E had its flaws. It was TSR's mistake to try to excise the darker aspects of the game's nature -- such as grittier character classes, like the assassin, and the presence of devils and demons. Also, during 2E's proliferation of supplemental "splatbooks," it lost its focus and introduced a ridiculous number of class kits (many of them poorly conceived and utterly pointless) and optional mechanics that crossed the line into (I'm lookin' at you, Player's Options). And, while its secondary skill system was well-designed, the ultra-detailed proficiency system fell prey to the same bloating that occurred with the kits and optional powers. In the end, 2E overindulged and produced supplemental material that was too great in quantity and too lacking in quality. So it goes...

But all hope is not lost! With a little effort, editing, and elaboration (be kind, reader -- if you're going to create an alliterative series, it's got to be a series of three; I'm committing here) the well-designed engine of 2E can still deliver a great campaign. This potential can be seen in For Gold & Glory -- a 2E retroclone RPG. For Gold & Glory took 2nd Edition, distilled it down to everything that worked really well and left behind what didn't, all while leaving the core mechanics unchanged. It's a really great game; it's become a personal goal to someday run a campaign using it. The only thing that it didn't include was the concept of character kits and some of those grittier, missing elements.

From time to time, I might  try to add in a few of these missing elements. Impose my unsolicited and half-baked suggestions. Push my homebrew creations at you with all the finesse and delicacy of that obnoxious kid who sat behind you in elementary school, kicking the back of your chair and prodding you in the back of your neck with a sharp pencil. As I mentioned already: awkward child.