Hi everyone

I have 1st edition and 2nd and while we have a conversion pack from 1st to 2nd. Is there any one who has converted 2nd edition monster for play with 1st edition game. Is this even possible.

I also own everything from D1e and D2e, but I am not sure why what you are asking for is even necessary. Save for 1 or 2 monsters, everything that exists for D2e is already in D1e.

Now, if you are talking about converting the D2e monster abilities to D1e, then that is something else entirely ...

I have played 2nd edition once and then revisited 1st edition some months later and I think I prefer 1st edition rules, Do you think it would work to play 2nd edition quests using first edition rules and monsters where avalable or is this simply just not going to work. I hadn't realised that 2nd edition has the same monsters as the 1st. Does that apply to all of the 2nd edition expanion sets as well?

I have played 2nd edition once and then revisited 1st edition some months later and I think I prefer 1st edition rules, Do you think it would work to play 2nd edition quests using first edition rules and monsters where avalable or is this simply just not going to work. I hadn't realised that 2nd edition has the same monsters as the 1st. Does that apply to all of the 2nd edition expanion sets as well?

Playing second edition with first edition rules doesn't work well mostly because second edition in large part because campaigns rely on the shared information between heroes and OL about quest rules, and because hero knockdown works very differently in second edition.

There are several variant rule sets that have been developed by community members to allow for a more 1E-like experience. The 'Legendary Play Variant' comes immediately to mind. Many of the second edition monsters (base game and boxed expansions) are original to the second edition. However, FFG has been releasing "hero and monster packs" with four monsters each- almost all of the first edition monsters have been remade for the second edition, and as a whole, they make up a large percentage of the total monsters available for 2nd edition.

I have played 2nd edition once and then revisited 1st edition some months later and I think I prefer 1st edition rules, Do you think it would work to play 2nd edition quests using first edition rules and monsters where avalable or is this simply just not going to work. I hadn't realised that 2nd edition has the same monsters as the 1st. Does that apply to all of the 2nd edition expanion sets as well?

There would definitely be some work involved in converting 2e back to 1e rules, but where there's a will, there's a way. Converting monster abilities, for example, would be a lot of work, but should be doable. Keep an eye out for situations where a "new" 2e ability could be thematically replaced with an existing "old" 1e ability (potentially with a slightly different thematic explanation of the mechanics.) That would save you time on writing and balancing rules.

The first problem would be dealing with the way heroes are KO'd and revived in 2e, as mentioned. That would be solved simply enough - assign a CT cost to being KO'd and you're basically back to 1e rules. Better, even, since you don't have the problem of corpses teleporting back to town.

The second problem would be dealing with how to reveal areas, if you want that exploration aspect back. 2E quests are all written on the assumption that the whole map is revealed from the start. Dividing up the map into Areas is possible, but it would seriously hamstring the OL by preventing him from using monster groups in "unrevealed areas." Since the quests were written assuming everything is in play, denying the OL the ability to activate certain groups from the start would hamper his ability to achieve his goals for the quest. Dividing the quest into area would also mess with what information the heroes should know and when.

It's probably best not to alter the quests at all, short of translating mechanics from 2e to 1e as required. Having done a similar thing myself in the past (converting 1e quests to 2e rules,) it's surprising how quickly you can end up rewriting the entire quest from scratch if you aren't careful. At that point you're not converting 2e quests so much as making up your own quests with a similar theme.

The third problem would be hero classes. The easiest solution is to throw them out entirely and allow the old 1e ability system to be used as-is. If you're up for more homebrewing, you could make new 1e-style abilities out of class skills that don't already have a 1e counterpart. I would strongly recommend abandoning any ideas about keeping skills tied together by class, as that would just add a new layer of complexity to an already pretty complex 1e game engine.

Actually converting 2e heroes to 1e is just a matter of translating their Hero Ability (or Heroic Feat - whichever one you like better) into 1e mechanics and deciding if the hero should be 3/0/0, 2/1/0 or 1/1/1 on attack dice.

I Can see what you are saying the rules are quite a bit different. As I only slightly prefer 1st ed over 2nd I might just play 1st edition with 1st edition rules and 2nd edition games with 2nd ed. Rules and not try to mix. Thanks for the help and info from everyone.