Runescape has two capital official versions, Runescape 3 (the avant-garde adaptation that's had alive development aback 2001) and Oldschool Runescape (A angle from the 2007 codebase that's been accepting new agreeable added from 2013 since). Both amateur accept the aforementioned amount artisan of "train altered abilities by cutting on OSRS gold things, annihilate things, and complete agreeable quests" but they accept absolute altered focuses.
Runescape 3 is added focused on bound training your abilities to top levels to participate in end game, amateur vs monster combat. This is done through a abundant added alive and agreeable activity arrangement that relies on assorted abilities and an adrenaline arrangement that builds as you fight. It allows for added altered bang-up mechanics, but has abundant added adeptness creep, as it has been about for abundant longer. There is abundant added in agreement of arduous agreeable as able-bodied because of the 6 year gap as able-bodied as above dev aggregation (this aswell leads to abundant added "dead" agreeable that players acquisition to be not annual accomplishing because of inefficiency, but it's up to you to acquisition what you anticipate is fun). Micro diplomacy are present but can for the a lot of allotment be ignored.
Oldschool Runescape is acutely abundant added dated, but it has a lot of agreeableness from some of the quirks. While it may not accept assertive above of activity appearance such as the toolbelt (a affection of RS3 that allows you to abundance your accomplishment training accoutrement on you at all times, so you don't allegation to backpack them with you if you train) this makes accomplishments feel a lot added deliberate. Because of the abridgement of adeptness bend the accomplishment acquaintance ante are slower as well, giving best times to akin up and putting added of a "journey rather than destination" feel. The activity and training is abominable for accepting "click and wait" but there is hasty abyss through added appearing gameplay such as manipulating bold ticks.
There is aswell a absolute alive and above Amateur vs Amateur activity association that is artlessly not present in Runescape 3. A lot of agreeable is fabricated with a bigger focus on amateur ascribe through amateur polling than RS3, which tends to abandoned poll user assessment on baby things, although this seems to accept been alteration afresh with acclamation in RS3 about above updates.
To counterbalance your options artlessly I'd say:
RS3:
+: Faster Gameplay, Significantly Added Content, Avant-garde Amenities and Graphics, Lots of PvM Agreeable (solo and group), Above Updates.
+/-: Association hyper-focused on efficiency.
-: No PvP, "Overcomplicated" to some, Microtransactions.
OSRS:
+: Oldschool feel (tougher, bound affiliate community, Homesickness if present), No Microtransactions*, lots of PvP, lots of livestreams.
+/-: Oldschool graphics, assurance on association acknowledgment (changes fabricated to the bold yield abundant best to go through, as they crave cogent association support).
-: Abate dev team, "Over simplistic" to some, some accede association to be added toxic, abounding added bots.
*(Oldschool has no Micro diplomacy added than Bonds, which aren't annual answer adapted now, but are present in both amateur and are about universally agreed to be a acceptable thing, even by bodies that abhorrence MTX, as they acquiesce you to buy paid associates with in bold gold).
I will not acquaint you which bold is better, because that's a best you'll accept to make, so I say play both amateur and alpha off as f2p just to get a feel for how they both play. Personally, I adopt RS3, but I like to lurk on the oldschool subreddit and apprehend about what's new in Oldschool. If you accept any questions feel chargeless to ask, and if you end up arena either bold you should add me, my RSN is mithviper76 (One annual can play both games, but you'll accept a abstracted appearance on each, so stats and items are not shared. You can babble with me no amount which bold you choose.)
For you, Nerdzilla, specifically, if you've not played aback 2007, rs3 will be an in actuality altered bold with almost annihilation you'll remember. This is for bigger or worse, though, because it'll be a absolute beginning experience, even if you don't accept nostalgia. It's annual giving both amateur a try in f2p if you're starting fresh. RS3 adeptness accept a bit cutting at aboriginal but it all makes faculty appealing quickly, abnormally if you acquisition a association that can admonition you out.
If you are just planning on "dabbling" afresh I adeptness angular you afterpiece to OSRS aback RS3 is added focused on the endgame content, cheap RuneScape gold but it in actuality all depends on what you enjoyed about runescape in the past, I think.