Games - Editions of Dungeons & Dragons

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	Games - Editions of Dungeons & Dragons

Over the years, there have been a number of different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy role-playing game, all of which are still played.

Edition and version history

Dungeons & Dragons has gone through several revisions. Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions.

Original version

The original Dungeons and Dragons was published as a boxed set in 1974 and featured just a few character classes and monsters, as well as only three alignments: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. The rules assumed that players owned and played the miniatures wargame Chainmail
and used its measurement and combat systems. An optional combat system was included within the rules that later versions of the game went on to use a variant of. In addition, they presumed ownership of "Outdoor survival" an Avalon Hill game for outdoor exploration and adventure. They were also an editorial mess, with many ambiguities and contradictions. Ironically, this helped its success as individual groups had to develop their own rulings and ways of playing and thus gained a sense of ownership of the game.

Supplements such as Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes, published in the next two years, greatly expanded the character classes, monsters and spells. In addition, many changes were "officially" adopted into the game and published in the magazines Strategic Review and its successor Dragon Magazine. The original "Greyhawk" supplement introduced many features to the game such as the "Thief" class and weapon damage varying from weapon to weapon, which are now considered standard features of Dungeons & Dragon games.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

These changes were compiled and edited to be released as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (officially E. Gary Gygax's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™, but almost universally known as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and abreviated to AD&D) was published between 1977 and 1989, collecting rules from the original version and the supplements into three volumes, and extensively revising the system.

Basic and expert sets

Dungeons & Dragons was a simpler, often considered "introductory", version of the game. This edition saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay, which also coincided with the release of an Expert Set to accompany the Basic Set. Between 1983 and 1985 a new edition, by Frank Mentzer, was released in a series of five boxed sets, including the Basic Rules, Expert Rules, Companion Rules, Master Rules, and Immortal Rules.

Simultaneously, TSR hired an outside writer to produce an "introductory" version for AD&D. This was published in 1977 as a Basic set. The original Basic set was very popular and allowed many folks to discover and experience the D&D game for the first time. The original Basic Set was notable in that it was more of a bridge between the original D&D and the AD&D rules than a simple introductory version of the game. Unusual features of the original basic game included an alignment system of five alignments as opposed to the 3 or 9 alignments of other versions. The Basic set was not compatible with AD&D and was revised into another "Basic" set and later a parallel set of games that bore the original D&D name. This line was extended with Expert, Companion, Master and Immortals sets, which were mostly summarized in the late 1980s in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. It is widely suspected in some circles that the Basic set was originally created for legal reasons, to give backing to the claim that Dave Arneson was not entitled to credit or royalty rights for the AD&D game. (See the Criticism and Controversies section in the main article.)

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition

In 1989, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition was published. By the end of its first decade, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had expanded to several rulebooks, including three monster manuals, and two books governing character skills in wilderness and underground settings. Initially, the second edition would consolidate the game, with three essential books to govern Dungeon Masters and players alike. Periodically, TSR published optional rulebooks for character classes and races to enhance game play.

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