For me, I grew up with 2Ed. So that is naturally going to be my favorite. I really enjoyed that you had to choose a profession and stick to it (mostly). Wizards were Wizards. Thieves were thieves (not Rogues), etc...
I do admit that 3Ed brought in the possibility of more than a highly specialized class. I almost liked the ability to have some variability, but only to a point. And I really hate the whole increase to stats every 4 levels. That means that you will never create a unique character at level 1. At least not in the Stat department. You can never create a character that is "Unnaturally strong" because every single strength based character will have you beaten by level 8 (almost) guaranteed. And the fact that a "Normal" human can be as strong as a Giant through normal advancement just seems off to me.
As a side note, I once loaded up the 'fix' for BG2 converting the items to 3Ed. it totally broke the experience (IMHO). Just one of the problems was when I picked up the "Gauntlets of Ogre Power". I had Viconia put them on to offset (one of) her particular weaknesses. it gave +2 to Strength. It was a total miss-match. And pretty much, unless you had a 16+ STR, they were useless (even considering the bonus you get to carrying weight).
Having played RPGs, both PnP and computer for about 20 years give or take, I thought I'd put forth my thoughts on this issue since I find myself unable to select one of the options in the poll. Over the years I've played many systems: AD&D, AD&D 2ed, D&D 3ed, D&D 3.5, Gamma World, Stormbringer, and Hackmaster 4ed. For the sake of full disclosure, I should point out that I only got to experience Gamma World in a single session in the early to mid 90s with my AD&D group. They each have their charm, so I have a hard time picking a single system. AD&D and 2ed are solid systems, but lacks variety. D&D 3ed and 3.5 have variety, but with so many extra books, we began wanting a computer to keep track of things. Stormbringer has an elegantly simple rule set for the most part, and handles combat quite well, but seemed hollow in some ways. I think the rule set that stands out in my mind most is Hackmaster 4ed. Hackmaster 4ed has much in common with AD&D and AD&D 2ed, but with all the little things it adds, the sessions I played it are some of the most memorable, most fun times I've had playing an RPG. Lots of the little things it adds are quite lethal to players, but quite often they are so funny that you don't mind that you've just lost your third character. I don't think any of us ever got close to reaching 5th level in the time we played it.
Comments
I do admit that 3Ed brought in the possibility of more than a highly specialized class. I almost liked the ability to have some variability, but only to a point. And I really hate the whole increase to stats every 4 levels. That means that you will never create a unique character at level 1. At least not in the Stat department. You can never create a character that is "Unnaturally strong" because every single strength based character will have you beaten by level 8 (almost) guaranteed. And the fact that a "Normal" human can be as strong as a Giant through normal advancement just seems off to me.
As a side note, I once loaded up the 'fix' for BG2 converting the items to 3Ed. it totally broke the experience (IMHO). Just one of the problems was when I picked up the "Gauntlets of Ogre Power". I had Viconia put them on to offset (one of) her particular weaknesses. it gave +2 to Strength. It was a total miss-match. And pretty much, unless you had a 16+ STR, they were useless (even considering the bonus you get to carrying weight).
Maybe it is nostalgia, but 2Ed for me any day.