2e Bard: What is your experience with this class?

[sgtslag]

I have had only one player run a 2e Bard, back in the mid-90's.  He was a passive player, so I could not gauge the class based on his play of it.  My current players consider it weak, so they avoid it.  What has been your experience with this class?  Good, bad, ugly?

I play in a 2e game, but I don't believe the DM would know what to do with a Bard.  The class does not appeal to me much, personally, so I have never played one, either.  I think it has tremendous potential, with a DM willing to play it up, handing the character background information (lore, history, etc.), as well as be willing to play up the social networking it should have.  Granted, this background stuff would be taxing on the DM, but I believe it could be quite fun, if the DM has developed his societies to the point where he could play this stuff up properly.  Thoughts?  Experiences?  Your views?  Cheers!

[longfoot]

Well, for what it's worth, I had one person play a 2e Bard back in the 90's (I was DM).
But he didn't really play it too much like a bard, more like a rogue but with the benefit of casting spells.
As I remember, he was a variation of the character, Face, from the A-team. To be honest, I don't think the player really knew how to play a bard like a bard.
He was the smooth talker of the group, was the one to go find out info. I don't remember the instrument he had, but he ended up being more like a thief/mage than anything else.
That group was a lot of fun, and at the end of the day, that is the goal of D&D. But to say it was a Bard was a pretty loose interpretation.

[Loma]

I was in a group with a 2e bard for a while. He was a rakasta, he played the violin and he had this spell where he played Jaccob's Ladder, passed it to a victim and they got all tangled up in it. He also had a "Flying Leap" spell, which was a variant of Jump, except it was only for jumping into combat and he got a charging bonus. He also had a high Rope Use skill, other spells that had things to do with string and he could play a few other stringed instruments that he didn't have to play with his claws. He was even named "Nyare."

[sgtslag]

Thank you, both, for your replies.  It would seem that Bards have not been overly popular as a class.

I recently found some YouTube videos which are collections of sailor songs, likely from the Renaissance period; few have instruments accompanying them.   After listening to them for a while, I realized it would not be terribly difficult to change the words, to come up with campaign-specific lyrics to use as a Bard player.  I could learn around six songs which I could then change the lyrics on, and sing.  I might even get the other players to join in for a chorus, after they learned the tunes.   

Not everyone would care to sing at the gaming table, period, but it intrigued me.  I've performed singing, before, even an acapella solo, so that part would not bother me.  It was coming up with relevant lyrics, and a tune (acapella, as I don't play any instrument).  Still, it would be difficult, aside from the singing parts, as I don't really find the class very interesting.  It would require a DM who would go along with my antics, as well...     Cheers!

[DMMike]

Pretty much as you state. The 2E Bard is weak and if BTB their abilities are second rate to Thieves...sorry, "Rogues".

One thing I do like about the 5E game is how they handled Bards. My wife Liz ran one for a while and just loved their "Vicious Mockery" ability. :lol:

DM (Good at Bardic avoidance!) Mike

[Loma]

I don't know. It seems to me that players who think of characters as lists of powers and attacks would probably not want to play a Bard, but people who really love to roleplay seem to be drawn to that kind of character. And that player was always over the top with his roleplay. That Bard suited him well.