Character Creation

About 2015/16, a year after 5e was out, I mastered a round AD&D for the nostalgia.

All my players and I were fine with the 5e afterwards, because the new edition had streamlined rules. But the feeling between 2e and 5e was similar.

No one forces you to take anything of the 5e of the last five years or - more strictly - anything after the Sword coast guide.

To me, AD&D is nostalgia and it's the reason I play it, but the rules are awkward.

I don't disagree.
The rules have definitely been streamlined and made easier to remember/handle. Especially the proficiencies.

But I don't want to blend or mix anything. I like to run several games at a time, and I want to be consistent, so I'm drawing a line. A self imposed line, but a line none the less.

The kid who cuts my grass is WAY into Magic the Gathering. And I offered to DM a D&D game for him and his friends to see where all the cards actually come from. They were a lot more interested than I expected to play the "OG" game. And I thought OG? OK, and got out my original books. It went really well and I'm glad their first time was OG.

It felt like re-reading your favourite book and I was hooked.

(the kid is now at university and in the D&D club there. His little sister cuts my grass, and has NO interest in RPGs at all)

That, and I love used book stores. So I've spent the summer nosing around for 2e books I don't have.

I'll have a look and get back to you, especially in terms of how FG&G handles non weapon proficiencies. As a general rule, I am accommodating but I do align with what you mentioned about being involved in several games at the same time and wanting to keep things to the core rules to avoid confusion. I do however expect my players to do their share of bookkeeping with their abilities, loot, XP etc so it's really down to how much extra rules this adds and who bears the onus of tracking them.

While wer're at it, I began with the 3e starter kit myself, even if I was already familiar with ad&d mechanics through the Black Isle videogames trilogy (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Planescape:Torment) and was snubbed by 2e ad&D "OGs" at the time, so even though I'm not a fan of 5e (especially post-SCAG) I'm always cautious to not be *that* person in voicing my POV.

Thanks.

I'm "old school" so the DM's word is law to me. I'm just looking to really get into gnome culture for my own interest. I can do that inside any set of rules.

I forgot some rolls for Theobald...