What's Your Favorite Edition to Play?

[Senkusha]

I own all four versions (five if you include Anime 5e), okay, 6, if you include d20 of Big Eyes Small Mouth.  I haven't actually had an opportunity to play the first edition of the game, since I started out with the Revised Second Edition.  (I've also played around with the Tenchi Muyo and Tenchi Universe Resource Guides, but never an actual game using the Guides.

I liked Second edition because it was a real unique experience from the other types of game systems that I've played up to that point.  It has a really simple mechanic, only using three Stats, and has a ton of special abilities, called Attributes, that really gives the game that anime specific setting.

When Third edition came out, the mechanic changed from a roll under to a roll over [Target Number] mechanic, and added more Attributes to the system, which I liked.  However, there were a few ethical things about the game system that lead a lot of fans to abandon the system.  As a Game Master, I have had a difficult time generating the Target Numbers and have found that the characters are either over powered, or I have have a hard time coming up with appropriate foes that the characters can battle.

In both Second and Third edition, I have found that the lack of Spells to be troublesome.  Don't get me wrong, I love the ability to create whatever weapon and/or spells that I need (one of the many improvements that Third edition solved).  I also have found that giving Advancement Points is difficult to gauge how much is enough/too much.

I have yet to actually play the Fourth edition, however, I'm loving all the extra material that is available for it.  I've purchased all the additional books that I were available when I made my purchase, and I've got a lot of material to learn.  I also need people who actually want to play.

I don't know if my issues that I know of with the previous versions have been fixed yet (I need to sit down an actually read all the books that I've purchased), but I'm hoping at the very least there is a Book of Spells that is published, to at least give us players something to work with, and base our creative pursuits on.

One thing I have noticed while playing Third edition, is that most of the people that tried the game system (having come from D&D), expect their characters to level up.  However, I've come to think that we design the characters, just like they are in the anime we watch, there isn't much for actual progression, is there?  For example, if I want to play as Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon), I'm going to recreate the character as best I can based on the anime.  (If I can locate my copy of the Sailor Moon Resource Guide, then I only have to convert from the Second edition to the Fourth edition.

Anyway, what's your favorite edition to play?