Which edition would you most prefer your Birthright with?

[JakobLiar]

I'm considering working, yet again, on setting up a Birthright PBeM and would very much like to know what edition of Dungeons and Dragons (or possibly Pathfinder) people would mostly prefer to play with. Go with the normal 2nd Edition AD&D, 3rd, 3.5, 4th, 5th, Pathfinder?

[Swashbuckler]

I tend to favor the 2nd edition rules as originally written, but as I like D&D 3.5/Pathfinder for most other RP'ing, I'm certainly not opposed to that rule set either. I have a pathological hatred for 4th edition, and as of yet, I haven't touched 5th (despite hearing a number of good things about it).

That's me, in a nutshell.

Now ... how do I get out of this nutshell? :rolleyes::cool:

[AndrewTall]

I played a lot of 2e and 3e and liked them both, 4e killed me as a RP'er almost completely - I lurk on BR.net and that's all nowadays :(

[JakobLiar]

Despite the fact that I am currently playing a lot of 5E, I've been taking a huge look at 2E again and trying to remember how it all works.

[JakobLiar]

I know this is probably something easily answered, but I am curious as to how one goes about dividing sections of maps up to become provinces, and how to devise what initial stats (Province Level / Magic (whatever the second one is) ) a province has prior to colonization? I am going to use part of an Adurian map (assuming that Rich Baker doesn't mind me using his map of Aduria).

[AndrewTall]

In theory for all holdings except sources I would follow local racial and political divisions to create provinces, sub-dividing where required to get consistent size (so for example: north spiderfell, south spiderfell and the heart of the fell for the spiderfell).

For sources the key is the natural landscape, swamps, forest, mountains etc should be distinct provinces.

In practice most political and racial borders follow natural boundaries (rivers for example), the only real problem in the two approaches is mountains (each political faction claims 1 side which is fine for landed holders but cripples wizards), swamps (usually only a notional border of course but again it may be split).

Underdark and shadowworld provinces are slightly problematic as there are no 'standard maps'. As a practical solution I used the 'normal world' name and just mapped the provinces to the alternate realms, so Rivenrock deeps, Rivenrock spirit world and Riven rock shadowworld would all be deemed to follow the same boundary as Riven rock to avoid the need to draw multiple maps. If you aren't using those realms then of course it gets a bit easier.

[JakobLiar]

Understood.

[Rowan]

On the map question, how have people created maps with color-coded provinces for online Play-By-Post games? I've seen some where you can even highlight, click, or select the actual provinces.

I really wish we could create an interactive map of Cerilia. I can do a little programming and database work, but I've never been able to figure out how to build anything like an interactive map that could be put up on a web page. Let alone something fairly easy to create and edit (to change which provinces are within which realm boundaries, and change stats on the provinces, etc).

I've long felt that PBEMs could get a revival out of a good interactive communal map.

[wolfenstin]

I want to down load the birthright computer game does any one know a link to it or where I can get it from

[Arius Vistoon]

i prefer the D20 version of birthright, but 2nd (black border) of D&D and may be 5th edition (seems very nice but i don't have time to mastering it)

[Mikal]

I'm considering working, yet again, on setting up a Birthright PBeM and would very much like to know what edition of Dungeons and Dragons (or possibly Pathfinder) people would mostly prefer to play with. Go with the normal 2nd Edition AD&D, 3rd, 3.5, 4th, 5th, Pathfinder?

Personally I'd think your best bet would be 2e or 3.5, if only because it has the most information available for the setting. I'd personally love to play with either edition :)

However, I'd also recommend using some roll20 or even irc for live sessions once in awhile. While the domain level can be PBEM/PbP easily, there should be some time for adventuring and such, and that doesn't really work well with a PbP type format IMO.

[Rowan]

I much prefer 3.5 BRCS as promoted from this community to the original AD&D 2E. I think there are many improvements. Many PBEMs have also improved upon that, and I have my own significant changes -- there are better ways of doing it all. But as for a standard, I think 3.5 BRCS is best. The best PBP version I've played, IMO, was the Empire's Twilight game run on the Legacy Of Blood site and forums several years ago.

Of course, there are two different tiers of play: Domain level and Adventure level. I don't know of a really good way of integrating Adventure level play into a PBP, unless everyone has time for the detailed, extended back and forth of narrative play.

As for a system for the detailed, traditional tabletop Adventure-level experience, I like all versions of D&D (yes, even 4th), but I think 5e has become a clear stand out as best. But in PBP, a very streamlined version like used in most of the Legacy of Blood games seems to work better. It boils characters down to just a few skills and then relies on narrative structure and GMs who are very fair, creative, and skilled at the Art of being a GM and storytelling.

[gregdman]

I'm considering working, yet again, on setting up a Birthright PBeM and would very much like to know what edition of Dungeons and Dragons (or possibly Pathfinder) people would mostly prefer to play with. Go with the normal 2nd Edition AD&D, 3rd, 3.5, 4th, 5th, Pathfinder?

Any is better than none. My order of preference is:
Pathfinder/3.5
5th
2nd

[Lord_Johnny]

Personally, I like the Pathfinder system. It is about as good as the DnD 3.5 stuff, a little better skill wise, but the Fighter class is actually worth while unlike a lot of systems.

[nickgreyden]

I personally like 3.5/Pathfinder but am not adverse to 2e. After 2e, D&D starting to streamline and simplify the product. 3.0/3.5 seemed to be an improvement in the foundational system and you could easily drop in the lore. 4E was D&D the MMO. And I haven't even bothered with 5E beyond the player's handbook as it didn't do much better imo.

As for maps, I believe in the 3E book created by people here there is a section on general max population/source based on the terrain of the area. I'd have to check again to be sure. There is also a thread in the Royal Library section that contains a high resolution map of the default continent with only a few minor spelling errors (mostly rivers) and I think 3 provinces with known pop/sources left blank, all of which are in the far north. Download V1.1 and page 5 of this thread contains all the known errors. http://www.birthright.net/forums/showthread.php?28280-Hi-res-map-of-Cerilia-recreated

[LordWotziznutz]

For me and those I DM for, 2e was the last "official" version of AD&D...;) We've always said that we successfully made our saving throws from the illusion of later versions.

Still occasionally buy prepared modules and convert them, and would definitely buy more Birthright content if any were ever published.

[Mirviriam]

I know this is probably something easily answered, but I am curious as to how one goes about dividing sections of maps up to become provinces, and how to devise what initial stats (Province Level / Magic (whatever the second one is) ) a province has prior to colonization? I am going to use part of an Adurian map (assuming that Rich Baker doesn't mind me using his map of Aduria).

This is a pretty decent way of going about making a google map... https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/?csw=1#CustomMapTiles

[Lee]

2nd
5th
Pathfinder, in that order, I think.

[Arentak]

I'd like 5th, because it normalizes the power between classes quite a bit.

On the downside, source holders are kinda meh in power possibly because wizards are so OP if using tabletop rules for 2E.

You obviously have to like..ban bards and sorcs, and decide on some flavor(Azrai has no clerics, he has warlocks, muahahaha, only elves or 1/2 elves can be eldritch knights...)

[Fizz]

I have been considering this question myself. I'd like to get back into a game (should grad school give me a few spare moments at some point... heh).

One of the things i like about Birthright is the feel. For instance, the role of magic: it's rare and not normal. So any new version i use has to respect that (not just magic, but it's the best example).

I'd like to give 5E a try, but it seems that more classes use more spells than any other version. Rangers, paladins, bards, warlocks, sorcerers. All of these provide more ways to cast spells and use magic than originally defined. So using 5E from the book worries me a bit, because magic would lose that specialness.

So perhaps one could use 5E as a base and modify the classes. That would require some work though.

Or i could keep doing what i have been- using Castles & Crusades. It's a simple fast system and easily converts from 2nd Ed without too much trouble. (And its Knight class is a nice fit for Birthright.)

So i don't know what to do either... heh.


-Fizz

[DM-Isaelie]

2e, but seriously - whichever version the DM can last more than d4-1 turns in.