Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition refers to an edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game rules released by TSR between 1977 and 1989. It is commonly abbreviated AD&D 1e, or simply 1e.
Despite its name, it was not the first ever version of Dungeons & Dragons released; that honor goes to Original Dungeons & Dragons, which preceded AD&D and consisted of sourcebooks first published from 1974 to 1976. AD&D 1st edition was succeeded by Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition in 1989.
Features[]
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was designed to be a more detailed, more complex set of rules than its predecessor, Original Dungeons & Dragons.
Race and class are clearly defined as separate concepts. However, all races except human have limits as to which classes they may take, and how high character level they may progress in those classes. Multiclassing is possible.
Races do not grant bonuses to ability scores. Rather, races and classes have minimum and/or maximums in certain ability scores which are necessary to qualify for that option. Exceptional strength allows fighters with 18 Strength to roll for higher strength, but controversially, female characters have a lower maximum.
Alignment appears on a two-axis system: lawful/neutral/chaos, and good/neutral/evil.
Development[]
Goals[]
The development of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was spurred by a number of factors.
By 1976, player feedback suggested that the Original Dungeons & Dragons rules suffered from ambiguities and contradictions, especially between the original rulebooks and the first two supplements. Many DMs lacked the confidence to adjudicate these differences themselves, and sought official clarifications. The need for a product to resolve this was recognized prior to the publication of Eldritch Wizardry (1976).[1][2]
At the same time, there was a desire to diversify the game to appeal to younger demographic.[3] The result of this would be the Basic Set (Holmes) (1977), which was intended to be less scary for children and easier for new players.[4] At the same time, Gygax sought to develop Advanced D&D himself.
According to Kask, another major impetus for producing AD&D was to produce an edition which was sufficiently different to OD&D that TSR could avoid paying royalties to OD&D co-creator Dave Arneson.[5] A subsequent legal settlement saw Arneson paid royalties on OD&D and subsequent D&D editions (e.g. B/X, BECMI) but not on AD&D.[6]
The name "Advanced" was added to distinguish it from the original, less complex D&D.[7]
Planning[]
The initial planning session AD&D began one Monday morning, following the completion of editing on an issue of The Dragon. Gary Gygax and Dragon editor Tim Kask held a crunch period lasting seven or eight workdays, in which it would be decided which D&D rules would go into Holmes' Basic revision and which would appear in AD&D.[8][4]
Multiple copies of the original D&D box set and the four supplements were cut up and attached to cork boards, in a process which took around two days. The cork boards were taken from other parts of the TSR offices specifically for the project, while the rulebooks were the most tattered copies, making additional photocopies when they ran out of these. Most of the first day was spent dividing the rules into categories. The next step was to examine the rules for inconsistencies, illogical rules, contradictions, loopholes and balance issues.[9]
The pair also considered articles appearing in Strategic Review and The Dragon for inclusion in AD&D. By the end of the first week, the pair had decided which of the rules would appear in Holmes' Basic set. The project continued into the following week, where the content which would appear in AD&D would be decided.[10]
Following this period, Kask did not work on the core rulebooks again until the Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979), where he contributed some editing and suggestions.[11]
Production[]
- See also: Monster Manual (1e)#Development, Players Handbook (1e)#Development, Dungeon Masters Guide (1e)#Development
For financial reasons, was deemed impractical for all three hardback rulebooks to be written and published simultaneously. Both TSR and their printer were unfamiliar with hardback printing, which led to some uncertainty.[10] Gygax would write all three books himself.
The Monster Manual (1e) (1977) was selected as the first book to write, for several reasons. Firstly, it would be the easiest and quickest to produce, as Gygax had already written up many statblocks for new and existing monsters. Secondly, it was expected that existing OD&D players could most easily integrate the new monsters into their games, which would in turn whet the appetite of DMs for the upcoming AD&D rulebooks.[12]
The Players Handbook (1e) (1978) was produced next. Following the Players Handbook, Gygax took a break to write the G-series of adventure modules: G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (1978), G2 The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl (1978), and G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King (1978).[13]
The Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979) featured a greater amount of input from other staff at TSR.[14]
Announcement and release[]
- See also: Monster Manual (1e)#Release, Players Handbook (1e)#Release, Dungeon Masters Guide (1e)#Release
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was announced in View From the End of the Telescope Wondering Which End is Which, Dragon #11 (Dec 1977), p.5, an editorial by Gary Gygax. The Monster Manual was announced by name, with the subsequent two as-yet untitled rulebooks estimated to be released in the summer of 1978.
The next update came from From the Sorcerer's Scroll, Dragon #14 (May 1978), p.20, which noted that the Monster Manual had been scheduled for Christmas 1977, but suffered delays primarily due to the printers. Gygax was working on the final manuscript for the "player's book" at this point, with a rough outline of the "referee's volume", both still scheduled for release in summer 1978.
AD&D 1e publications[]
- For a full list, see Category:AD&D 1st edition publications or Template:Navbox books 1e.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition remained the current edition of D&D until 1989, with the release of 2nd edition. TSR released at least 139 AD&D 1e publications, as well as numerous magazine articles using the rules system. Among the most notable works of this edition were:
- Unearthed Arcana (1e) (1985), Gary Gygax's influential book of variant D&D rules.
- Manual of the Planes (1e) (1987), which would later inspire the Planescape setting.
- The Fiend Folio (1e) (1981) and Monster Manual II (1e) (1983).
- Setting sourcebooks and several support works for major campaign settings: World of Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Oriental Adventures, and Dragonlance.
- Deities & Demigods (1e) (1980), reprinted as Legends & Lore (1e) (1984).
- A prodigous number of adventure modules, including S1 Tomb of Horrors (1e) (1978), GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders (1986) (itself collecting seven classic modules), N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God (1982), T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil (1985), and the controversial parody WG7 Castle Greyhawk (1988).
- Several articles, beginning with Dragon #22 (Feb 1979), p.33, and Dungeon magazine issues #1 to #17. A 1e adventure module also appeared in Dungeon #215 (Jun 2013).
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
In 2005, Gary Gygax said that while he still ran AD&D games on occasion, he never used the weapon speed, weapon vs armor type, or psionics rules.[15]
In 2008, TSR's Tim Kask expressed regret that AD&D's focus on specific rulings created a generation of rules lawyers.[16]
Influence on later works[]
AD&D 1st edition was the basis of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, released in 1989.
References[]
- ↑ From the Sorcerer's Scroll, Dragon #14 (May 1978), p.20.
- ↑ "There were a few contradictions; we heard about them continuously. "Which one is right?" was an oft heard plaint. No matter what I wrote in the Forewords, we kept hearing this. No matter how often Gary and I preached what is the last line of my signature, we heard this. ... We had long discussed the confusion surrounding the supplements, as well as the problem of finding a younger market. Both of us had made copious notes detailing the contradictions; Gary had a whole Expandafile full of them while I had a folder full of scribblings." Q&A with Tim Kask, page 35. Dragonsfoot, May 22, 2008.
- ↑ "Gary and I, and probably Gary and others, had often discussed how to broaden our market. I had told Gary all of the Deathless Bob stories, and how he had other young teen friends that would have liked to come play with us "college guys". The problem with the younger set seemed to be that while there was no lack of willing potential new players, there was an absolute dearth of young DM wannabes." Q&A with Tim Kask, page 35. Dragonsfoot, May 22, 2008.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Q&A with Tim Kask, page 35. Dragonsfoot, May 22, 2008.
- ↑ "Advanced was an attempt—ill-fated and short-sighted—by Brian Blume and Gary Gygax to find a system that they wouldn't have to pay [Dave] Arneson any royalties on." Curmudgeon in the Cellar #348, 34m 20s. Tim Kask, YouTube. 2025.
- ↑ Q&A with Frank Mentzer Part 2, page 54. Dragonsfoot, November 26, 2011.
- ↑ Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 85. ENWorld, Nov 22, 2003.
- ↑ Curmudgeon in the Cellar YT5, 39m 20s. Tim Kask, 2017.
- ↑ Q&A with Tim Kask, page 36. Dragonsfoot, May 23, 2008.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Q&A with Tim Kask, page 36. Dragonsfoot, May 24, 2008.
- ↑ Q&A with Tim Kask, page 36. Dragonsfoot, May 24, 2008.
- ↑ "I decided to create the MM as the initial part of the new AD&D system because it would be usable by all the D&D players, and the entry information in the book would whet appetites for the new rules. It was also the easiest one to put together, since I had been doing penciled-in new system stat sheets for all the old monsters, as well as writing up a lot of new ones. I had a box in my office, and I'd toss the rough stat sheets into it each day. Mike Carr would collect them and type them up--or have someone else do it, so in no time at all there was sufficient material for the MM even as I was developing the whole of the material for the system, beginning on the PHB." Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 91. ENWorld, Jan 25, 2004.
- ↑ "As a matter of fact I took a "break" from rules writing between the PGB and the DMG to write the G series, and after the D series modules." Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 45. ENWorld, Feb 26, 2003.
- ↑ Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 91. ENWorld, Jan 25, 2004.
- ↑ Q&A with Gary Gygax, page 155. ENWorld, Apr 2, 2005.
- ↑ "We shot ourselves, altogether unknowingly, in the foot. We had no idea that we were corrupting the original players into a flock of nit-pickers and rules lawyers. It was our own fault, although I don't think any of us could have seen that far into the future and foreseen it." Q&A with Tim Kask, page 35. Dragonsfoot, May 22, 2008.