Questions tagged [edition-comparison]
For questions comparing different editions of the same system.
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What was reset in the canon between Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red?
Cyberpunk Red starts with a little text from the author of original Cyberpunk, and it contains in a nutshell, why Cyberpunk Red is not just a continuation of Cyberpunk 2020 and that there are a lot of ...
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What are the major differences between the editions of Shadowrun and how relevant are they for a first-time GM?
I want to GM a game that has magic and cyberpunk stuff, and while I have never played it before, Shadowrun is the first that came to my mind. I first heard of it a long time ago, and it was described ...
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What are the design differences between Pathfinder 2E and D&D 5E? [duplicate]
(I do not believe this is a duplicate of What are the major differences in style and system between D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e? [duplicate] -- despite the similar name, the answer there just ...
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How many Wushu editions are there?
I'm lost in various Wushu editions. Here're what I've found so far:
Wushu
Wushu Black Belt Edition
Wushu Open
Wushu Open Reloaded
Wire-Fu, Pulp-Fu, etc.
What is the exact order in which they emerged?...
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Are Tucker's Kobolds scarier under 5e rules than in previous editions?
We all know and fear Tucker's Kobolds, a bunch of ragtag CR:1/4 things that hit the party only on a lucky roll but use clever tactics that make a bunch of 10 of them far outstrip their weight class. ...
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Which editions of D&D had Initiative rules like 5E's Speed Factor Initiative?
D&D 5E has a variant Initiative rule called Speed Factor Initiative which has two differences compared to the standard Initiative rule:
Initiative is rolled every combat round
In addition to ...
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What changed from HSD to HSD2.0?
I bought HC SVNT DRACONES some half a dozen years ago and never got to play it. I just now stumbled upon the fact that they published a second edition in 2019, branded HC SVNT DRACONES 2.0.
Did the ...
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What are the fictional differences between the original Iron Kingdoms and Requiem?
I played and really enjoyed the Iron Kingdoms campaign setting for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Now they’ve returned to Dungeons & Dragons with Iron Kingdoms: Requiem for the ...
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Why did 'Let it out' change so much from Urban Shadows 1e to 2e?
In my Urban Shadows 2e quickstart the basic move 'Let it out' reads:
LET IT OUT
When you let out the power within you, choose an ability from your playbook and roll with Spirit. On a hit, mark ...
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How does the critical hit positive feedback loop affect average damage?
In the One D&D Character Origins UA, it mentions that rolling a nat 20 on an attack roll grants inspiration. This can then be used to give the PC advantage on their next attack, giving them a ...
user77842
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In One D&D Character Origins Playtest how often will inspiration be awarded mechanically?
One D&D's UA 2022: Character Origins has introduced a concept of gaining inspiration without the DM awarding it. This is one of the biggest changes in One D&D so far, and I want to determine ...
user77842
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Have spaceships always cost about the same as putting armor on your horse?
With the release of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, the Spelljammer setting has come to 5th edition. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I can turn a regular boat into a spaceship for as little ...
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What are the differences between Labyrinth Lord and B/X D&D (Moldvay)?
Aside from small things like layout, art, and the exact wording of rules, what are the major differences between the D&D retro-clone Labyrinth Lord and its primary inspiration, the 1981 D&D ...
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Differences between 5e and 3.5e [duplicate]
I'm thinking about playing a game of 3.5e with some friends, but I've only played/DM'd 5e games. So, what's the primary differences between the two, just so I'm not jumping in completely haplessly?
...
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How does Pathfinder 2e compare with D&D 4e?
I am one of those rare players that strongly prefers 4th edition D&D to all other editions. I love the lack of ambiguity in combat rules, I love playing on a grid, I love the balance between ...
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Is the name of Earth's Master Mage spelled "Eldrich" or "Eldritch"?
Someone on the Discord asked this question, and I was surprised to find that the answer didn't seem clear.
In the 1e Freedom City book, Adrian Eldrich was introduced as Earth's Master Mage, who goes ...
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How does Urban Shadows: Second Edition differ from the original?
Urban Shadows: Second Edition is currently only available as a quickstart PDF on DriveThruRPG. As I wait for my physical copy to arrive, I'm wondering:
What significant things were specifically ...
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What are the differences between the two Ghostbusters RPG systems?
I'm trying to ascertain exact differences between these two editions (the '86 edition subtitled A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game and the '89 edition subtitled International), mostly to see if I ...
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How have the various planes changed over the different editions of D&D, including changes of terminology? [duplicate]
Dungeons and Dragons has been around for a long time now, and whilst there are a lot of questions and some very good answers covering a lot of the mechanical and lore-related differences between the ...
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What are the differences between the first and second editions of Mouse Guard?
I have the hardcover first edition of Mouse Guard, and I’ve been trying to determine what differences there are in content between the book, the box set and the second edition versions of both. ...
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How does the Rokugan timeline diverge between the 4th and 5th editions of L5R?
L5R 4th edition was very big on offering the whole empire timeline as a playing field. However, while I am getting myself a treat of the 5th edition core book commented on, it became apparent quite ...
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When transitioning from SR5 to SR6, what are the main changes we have to consider?
My group played multiple SR5 runs spread out sporadically over the years, and we are all not experts of the system, so we thought that we might as well transition to SR6 for the next run.
When ...
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What spells didn't exist in 3.5 but exist in 5e?
What are the spells that exist in the Player's Handbook of D&D 5e but that didn't exist in D&D 3.5 core books?
I'm not so much interested in renamed/merged spells but in spells with wholly new ...
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When were Orcs changed from lawful evil (as in AD&D 2e) to chaotic evil (as in D&D 5e)?
When I played AD&D 1e and 2e Orcs were listed as lawful evil in the Monster Manual. Lawful Evil as their alignment was consistent with other similar races like Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears. ...
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What are the significant changes between GURPS Lensman 1st and 2nd editions?
What are the significant changes between GURPS Lensman 1st and 2nd editions?
Were there any rules improvements or useful errata or other major reasons to prefer one over the other?
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How do I address a player's complaint that Vancian spell preparation is too restrictive to make Wizards worth playing?
I'm a DM for a fifth edition D&D campaign. After discovering Pathfinder 2e earlier this year, I've been eager to give it a try with my regular group of players. I like the action economy and ...
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Do "editions" of White Wolf products across product lines correspond to one another?
White Wolf has published a variety of product lines. Each product line has multiple editions. Do the editions of various games line up intuitively?
For example, I have a smattering of books from both ...
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Applications of Will in Condensed vs. in Core
Some months ago, I noticed a difference between the Core and Condensed editions in the way the Will skill is described. I would like to know whether this is an intentional change between editions (or '...
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Scope of Character Aspects and Hostile Invocations
Core of the Problem
Reading Condensed, I'm unsure of what scope of Aspects is supposed to be covered by the term 'Character Aspect' (officially described on page 23, but not without ambiguity; see ...
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When did Monks make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity continues after asking When did Rangers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions? Also, see about Druids and Artificers. This series of question is ...
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When did Rangers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity continues after asking When did Druids make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions? Also, see about Artificers. This series of question is based on the ...
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How did the role of animal companions change between different editions of D&D, and which classes had access to them?
In D&D 3.5, druids had animal companions. In D&D 5e, only the Beast Master ranger subclass seems to get one. This made me wonder about the history of this feature in general.
Which classes ...
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When did Druids make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity continues after asking When did Artificers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions? based on the initial question regarding Warlocks by aaron9eee:
...
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When did Artificers make their first appearance in D&D, and how do they differ between editions?
My curiosity arose after reading When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions? by aaron9eee:
A quality answer would have more than just a release ...
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When did Warlocks make their first appearance in D&D and how do they differ between editions?
I'm gathering lore about Warlock class origins in D&D.
A quality answer would have more than just a release date, and would ideally cover what makes each edition's version different from other ...
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What are the major differences in style and system between D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e?
I know this is abit of a "wide net" question. I am currently switching over to 5e from years of activity (after 4e was released) from 3.5e..
The mechanics of 5e seem secondary while the role-...
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Which editions of D&D used these various cosmologies as their default?
There seem to be multiple ways to arrange the planes in D&D. There's the Great Wheel cosmology, the World Axis cosmology and the World Tree cosmology.
The D&D 5e PHB (Appendix C, p. 303 ...
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What is the difference in complexity between Shadowrun 3e and 6e?
My group have played Shadowrun 3e once, and we all agreed that this system is very realistic, but very complex. Too many options for our liking.
We are considering options to switch edition, and as ...
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How are the Action Economies of Pathfinder 1e and D&D 3.5 Different?
I’m going to be GMing a Pathfinder Adventure Path with PF1e rules, but with some D&D players (who are familiar with 3.5 and 5e rules). This’ll be their first foray into PF so I wanted to explain ...
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How to use skills — did this change between editions and how?
It seems the role of rules1 was changed throughout the history of D&D. For instance, as this answer says, there was an explicit destinction between "crunch" and "fluff" in ...
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What are the differences between DC Adventures and 3e M&M?
DC Adventures is a version of 3e Mutants & Masterminds, released in advance of the core 3e books. In the course of answering someone's question on the Ronin Army forums about the legality of the ...
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What are the main rules differences between Zweihander and WFRP 4e?
Considering these two sets of rules were inspired by WFRP 2e and came out recently, how do they compare?
From what I understand they both heavily use d10’s and have dark themed settings. They both ...
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Does Pathfinder 2e have more in common with D&D 5e than it does with Pathfinder 1e?
Pathfinder 2e came out more recently than D&D 5e, and there may be some similarities or influences that 5e has had on Pathfinder.
Is the new Pathfinder edition more similar or less similar to D&...
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What are the main differences in the druid class between 5th edition and 3.5 edition?
What are the main differences between the Druid class in 5th edition vs. the Druid class in 3.5?
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Is Pathfinder 2e compatible with Pathfinder 1e, and D&D 3.5 and 3rd edition?
Pathfinder 1e was completely compatible with D&D 3.5 and to a lesser degree 3.0. Most mechanics and statistics can be used in the other systems without major modification.
Is Pathfinder 2e ...
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What are the difference between Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk Red?
Cyberpunk Red is the new update to Cyberpunk 2020 after the 4th Corporate War. Currently, only the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit is available.
What are the main differences from the previous edition?
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What Lore Changed Between Editions?
Now that the second edition of Eclipse Phase is out, I would like to know what bits of lore are different in second edition. I know most of it was meant to stay intact, but that doesn't mean that ...
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What are the major changes between Pathfinder first and second editions?
The Second Edition of Pathfinder came out today. As a long-time player of Pathfinder, what changes should I expect to see when I play the second edition? What are the major points that have changed?
...
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Does 5e follow the Primary Source rule?
In D&D 3.5, there exists a hierarchy of sources as a rules concept so that if something in one text contradicts a passage in another one of the sources may officially take precedence. An ...
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What are the major differences between Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd and 4th edition?
Since its release in 2005, the second edition of WFRP has accumulated a large body of official and third-party material, and a large, active, and loyal community.
Since the 4th edition's release in ...
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