AD&D 1st edition
The earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons saw Gary Gygax run many people through his Greyhawk campaigns, including a young Rob Kuntz. Rob, being something of an inventive sort, soon became a Dungeon Master himself. He DMed Gary through a number of games – giving the creator of D&D a chance to play the game he’d invented rather than just running it. One particular adventure … Continue reading AD&D Review: Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure
I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons for a very long time. Not for as long as some out there, but for most of my life. I’m not entirely sure which year I began, it’s been so long. It’s somewhere in the range of 1982 to 1984, however. Which means I’ve been playing for over 32 years now – three-quarters of my life! And there’s still … Continue reading Old School, New School: Thoughts on Adjusting D&D
There are certain adventures that are not regarded well in the community. Some are quite decent adventures that, nonetheless, are written in a style that doesn’t match the tastes of the time. Others are just plain bad. The view of the community on what makes a good adventure can change over time. And sometimes an event takes place that brings an otherwise forgotten adventure to … Continue reading Adventure Review – N2: The Forest Oracle
Including monster statistics – stat blocks – in adventures is a challenge. The earliest adventures – the Giant adventures by Gary Gygax – listed the name of the monster and its hit points and nothing else. It’s a little hard to tell if this was an aesthetic choice or one born from the fact that the rules were still somewhat in flux (the AD&D Monster … Continue reading A Short History of Monster Stat Blocks
I was still in my very early years of D&D when I first read Dragons of Hope. It’s hard to remember the exact year, but I’d say it was about 1986 or 1987, which puts me in my mid-teens. The beginning of the adventure sees the players escorting the refugees rescued from Pax Tharkas through a desolate, snow-covered landscape towards the dwarven realm of Thorbardin, … Continue reading AD&D Review – DL3: Dragons of Hope
Two of my favourite Dungeons & Dragons books got posted on DNDclassics.com this week: The AD&D Players Handbook and 3E’s Stronghold Builder’s Guide. Here’s a quick look at both of them. Continue reading A couple of interesting releases on D&D Classics…
One of the best adventures of the original AD&D line is UK4: When a Star Falls. Here’s my review of this exceptional adventure. Continue reading AD&D Adventure Review: UK4 When a Star Falls
A recent question was asked on Facebook about why AD&D dragons had so few hit points. In fact, the original D&D dragons had even fewer hit points but, compared to PCs, they were god-like creatures. The history of dragon statistics in D&D displays the changing balance between players and monsters. The game began in 1974 with all characters rolling d6 for hit dice. Although we … Continue reading The Original Dragons of Dungeons & Dragons
One of the more interesting Kickstarters currently running is that for an adventure: The Lost Dungeons of Xon: The Crucible. Burning Yeti Studios plan to release three versions of their adventure – for 1E, 5E and Pathfinder – but its most intriguing feature is its presentation: as an interactive pdf, optimised for use on tablets. I’ve been provided with a review copy of the Pathfinder … Continue reading Adventure Review – The Lost Dungeons of Xon: The Crucible
In July 1984, DL2: Dragons of Flame was published. Written by Douglas Niles, it was the second adventure in the Dragonlance Saga, an ambitious fourteen-part series of adventures that told a story about dragons returning to the world. Dragons of Despair, the first adventure in the series, had been a spectacular success. This wasn’t the case with this adventure. It took a great story idea … Continue reading AD&D Adventure Review – DL2 Dragons of Flame
