“Stephen’s delightful memoir makes you want to travel upstream to your own formative D&D headwaters, dig out your old graph-paper maps and worn dice, and rediscover the gateway to what the author calls ‘the fantastic path.’” —Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms
“A celebration of dice, maps, friendship, and, above all, imagination—the very stuff from which the hobby of role-playing is made.” —James Maliszewski, author of Grognardia: Musings and Memories from a Lifetime of Roleplaying
Warning: Reading this book will make you want to play D&D!
“…the participants can then be allowed to make their first descent into the dungeons beneath the ‘huge ruined pile, a vast castle built by generations of mad wizards and insane geniuses.’”—Gygax and Arneson, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Men & Magic
Some say Ludwig II was a genius. For others, the king was mad. The vast castle he built is yet far from ruined. Though when the time comes, the pile will be huge.
“And the dungeons beneath?” a friend asked after I posted yet another photo like the one above on social media. Since I left the Isle of Myth a year and a half ago, base town is across the river from Bavaria’s most famous castle. In reply I recited a local legend:
An old man lives outside the village in the castle’s shadow. He is blind and frail, so doesn’t often leave his hovel. But if you bring him a bottle of single malt and tell him stories of daring adventures of youth, he’ll tell you to go, on a winter’s day, to the bridge behind the castle. Bouncing planks take you high above a gorge. Cool mist rises from a laughing cascade below. It brings an odor of pine and earth. The sun at its zenith reaches deep between two central towers. There, dazzling rays reveal to the keen observer a cavernous portal of unknown depth, into which few have ventured and from which none have returned.
“MISCELLANEOUS WEAPONS: Those with bonuses of +1, +2 or +3 gain a bonus of equal merit on damage scored, except as noted below” (Monsters & Treasure, 31).
Like most of us, I have read the above line maybe a hundred times. Every time, I have interpreted “of equal merit” to mean equal to the hit bonus. Reading it today, though, I see no obvious reason to believe that to be the case. “Of equal merit” might refer rather to the aforementioned “bonuses of +1, +2 or +3.” The text “noted below” does not further elucidate the issue. Meaning that the magic bonus of miscellaneous weapons (except magic bows and arrows) is applied only to damage, not to the attack roll.
Am I missing something? I’m sure I’m missing something. What are your interpretations or other clarifying text in OD&D?
Interviewed for the Raised on DnD podcast, I talk with Nick Cardarelli about old-school editions of D&D, a little about how they differ from newer editions, but mostly about how I love all the editions and how D&D is good for us.
Click the image to listen on Spotify.
Raised on DnD podcast helps enrich your family’s gaming experience by bringing you interviews with parents, educators, game designers, and influencers. Join us as we delve into the many ways tabletop role-playing games inspire creativity, develop communication skills, and create lasting bonds among players.
FOREWORD FROM THE ORIGINAL EDITION (Basic D&D, 1977).
From the map of the “land” of the “Great Kingdom” and environs — the territory of the C & C Society — Dave located a nice bog wherein to nest the weird enclave of “Blackmoor”, a spot between the “Giant Kingdom” and the fearsome “Egg of Coot”.
—Gary Gygax, from the FOREWORD FROM THE ORIGINAL EDITION, Basic D&D, 1977.
The Giant Kingdom
The words conjure a rugged land. Humans traverse with difficulty. Its inhabitants live in clan groups, each giant kind—stone, frost, storm, etc.—in its proper niche. Clans are led by chieftains. Several clans are ruled by jarls, whose power may reach far along mountain ranges. From floating castles high above, cloud and storm giants vie for the Giant Crown.
Another Holmes Uniquity
Compare the original “Forward” to D&D in Men & Magic (below) to the FOREWORD FROM THE ORIGINAL EDITION in Holmes Basic D&D (above). In the original, the Great Kingdom serves as the territory of the C&C Society as well as a border of Blackmoor, opposite the Egg of Coot. In Holmes, it is the Giant Kingdom that borders Blackmoor.
The “Forward” to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS by E. Gary Gygax (Men & Magic, 1974).
The “Forward” to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS by E. Gary Gygax, dated November 1, 1973 (Men & Magic, 1974).
In the FOREWORD FROM THE ORIGINAL EDITION, I read a mysterious fairy tale. It began with “ONCE UPON A TIME, long, long ago . . .” and turned quickly esoteric. There were castles, crusades, and societies. There was a character named Dave Arneson and a map of a “Great Kingdom” and its “environs.” There was a bog and, in it, a “weird enclave” called “Blackmoor” in “a spot between the ‘Giant Kingdom’ and the fearsome ‘Egg of Coot.’” There were medieval fantasy “campaigns,” which were more than just a game. Blackmoor was one, another was Greyhawk.
The place names were unfamiliar, as were many of the words. They all came together in my mind like pieces of an insolvable jigsaw puzzle. . . .
The last Sunday in January. That’s when D&D historian Jon Peterson marks the anniversary of the game’s release: January, from a 1975 fanzine article by Gary Gygax; late in the month, from the co-creator’s recollection in the 1999 Silver Anniversary edition, and Sunday, because that’s the day “Gary invited the world to drop by his house, at 1:30 PM, to have a first experience of Dungeons & Dragons.” According to Peterson’s reckoning, on January 28, 2024, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of D&D.
Another date must have been an important milestone to Gary Gygax. The foreword is often written last. When it’s done, the author’s work is complete. The manuscript now goes to typesetting, layout, proofreading, and, finally, to the printer. As he punched out “1 November 1973” on typewriter keys, Gygax must have felt, at the same time, great satisfaction in having completed the game and hopeful trepidation about its reception by the wargaming community. These emotions may have clouded his vision such that he didn’t catch an error in the title.
The milestone is also important to many fans, who, like myself, found so much wonder in that single half-size page. In the opening citation, I describe my fascination when I first encountered the text in the 1977 Holmes Basic edition. By now I’ve read it countless times. It is with the same fascination, the same wonder, that I read it again today—and maybe once more.
If the last Sunday in January is the anniversary of its birth, November 1 marks the advent of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.
In the years since, I learned all the place names from the mysterious fairy tale and all the words, too. I learned about the Castle & Crusade Society and their Chainmail fantasy wargame rules. I learned that Dave Arneson and the FOREWORD’s author, Gary Gygax, invented the game, of which the “original edition” was published in the previous decade. I have adventured in Greyhawk and Blackmoor and set scenarios for my own medieval fantasy campaigns in those worlds. And although now I know its origin and character, in my mind, the Egg of Coot remains fearsome.
In a short review of Jon Peterson’s triptych of D&D history, I allude to “The True Impact of D&D,” which, Peterson speculates in the closing of Game Wizards, after almost 50 years “has yet to be felt.” Since then, I’ve been thinking more about the game’s impact on my own life and how I see its effect on others’ lives. I have also been searching the information network for ways in which the game’s more forward-thinking proponents are, today, using DUNGEONS & DRAGONS as more than just a game. So exploring, one discovers a meta-dungeon stocked with obstacles and monsters, populated by heroes and wizards.
The wizards are those who work the game’s magic to help dungeon explorers overcome obstacles and defeat monsters. I don’t mean dungeon obstacles, like heavy portcullises and bottomless chasms. The dungeon is real life, and its obstacles are emotional, like autism and social isolation. And not fantastic monsters, either, like hobgoblins and trolls. I mean more fearsome monsters, like anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and post-traumatic stress disorder—dragons encountered in our daily lives. The heroes are those explorers who, through their experience in the game, emerge from the dungeon an improved version of themselves.
We also find treasures in the meta-dungeon. They come in many forms: anecdotes about making life-long friends at the game table, accounts of personal transformation aided by playing RPGs, and documentaries about the game and its impact on human lives.
One such treasure, recently unearthed, is Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga. Produced for Time Studios by Douglisio DiMuccio, Rob D. Miller, and Aaron Pagniano, this 40-minute documentary was released last month. It emphasizes the importance of D&D and reveals, through multiple interviews, recurring themes in the D&D play experience.
Notable interviews include Luke Gygax and Peter Adkison, among other game designers, a host of actors, and several school children. The children participate in therapeutic game programs, at which point we discover another treasure:
Also interviewed are Game to Grow founders, Adam Davis and Adam Johns. Game to Grow, a non-profit organization, uses D&D and Minecraft for therapeutic, educational, and community growth. Of their game therapy program, Davis says, “A lot of our kids are so burnt out on therapy, and they’ve been in social skills training programs that haven’t really helped them… This is more important than learning how to make eye contact or learning how to shake hands effectively. This is an opportunity for your child to care about being around other people” [17:10].
Heroes and wizards agree: D&D is a powerful tool to inspire, educate, and motivate. It’s a treasure.
I’m thinking to open the scope of this blog to talk about D&D’s larger impact on society. I know little about using hashtags, less about making new ones. On social media lately I’ve been tagging appropriate posts with #TrueImpactOfDnD. Some more savvy social media maven might suggest better.
Click or tap the image to watch the full documentary on Time.com.
“SWORDS: Among magic weaponry swords alone possess certain human (and superhuman) attributes, Swords have an alignment (Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic), an Intelligence factor, and an egoism rating (as well as an optional determination of the their origin/purpose)” (Monsters & Treasure, 27).
It’s a little known fact that all magic swords in D&D’s original edition are intelligent. In 1974, we determine a magic sword’s intelligence with a d12 roll. An intelligence of 7 or higher grants the sword an increasing number of primary and extraordinary powers and the ability to communicate.
A roll of 1 to 6, however, gives us a sword with intelligence yet unendowed with any powers or any means to communicate. It is also denied an ego, for “Only those swords [with an] Intelligence of 7 or more will have an Egoism rating” (29). Such a sword may signal its condition only to characters of a differing alignment, who take damage from a touch.
Maybe the co-creators did not intend to manufacturer such an item. An asterisk denotes that “Although the sword cannot communicate it will endow its user with the powers it has, but these will have to be discovered by the user” (28), while the Mental Powers column makes it clear the sword has “None endowed.” Perhaps “the powers it has” refers to the sword’s magic powers, such as has a sword +1, +2 vs. Lycanthropes or a sword +2, Charm Person Ability?
As written, if we obey the dice, half all OD&D’s magic swords suffer this fate. Considering that it is usual for a magic sword to have been created in some long ago time and that such weapons tend to be nigh indestructible, we might say it is a fate worse than death.
In B/X D&D, Moldvay, Cook, Marsh save magic swords from this cruelty by replacing the straight up d12 roll for intelligence with a d20 table. A sword is intelligent on a result of 15 or higher. A 14 or less results in a null intelligence score.
I mention in the preface to Blue Flame, Tiny Stars that several articles or parts of articles from Anecdotes and Old Games are omitted from the text, as they are impertinent to the memoir. Because they may be of interest to old-school role-players and fans of Holmes Basic D&D, I include an index to the orphaned articles on the book’s web page under the heading Bonus Material.
The Story Continues…
After my initiation to the game with the Holmes edition, I happened upon Moldvay, Cook, and Marsh’s D&D Basic and Expert Sets: “A Craft Store Discovery.”
