Clik here to view.
5 role-playing products that shaped how I play Dungeons & Dragons 1978-2000
Tomb of Horrors (1978) In the early days, I enjoyed plenty of time to create my own adventures, so I had little interest in playing the published ones. But I still drew inspiration from them. Nothing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
XP Started as One of D&D’s Breakthrough Ideas. Now the Designers Don’t See...
When Dave Arneson ran a session of his Blackmoor dungeon for his Dungeons & Dragons co-creator, Gary Gygax’s biggest impression came from two innovations: (1) the dungeon expedition and (2) how...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Ways Magic the Gathering Changed the Rules of D&D
Magic the Gathering designer Richard Garfield rates Dungeons & Dragons as the most innovative game of all time. Nonetheless, in any ranking of influential games, Magic’s revolutionary design...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Arduin Grimoire: The “Coolest RPG Book Ever,” also the Book Gygax Mocked...
When creators dream up imaginary worlds, they can go in two directions. They can build their world from a curated set of ideas, and then fit these pieces together into a logical and consistent manner....
View ArticleClik here to view.
How D&D Got an Initiative System Rooted in California House Rules
Some groups playing first-edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons might have run initiative by the book, but with the incomprehensible rules text, no one knew for sure. Besides, the full rules proved...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meet the Woman Who by 1976 Was the Most Important Gamer in Roleplaying After...
In 1976, after Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, the most important person in roleplaying games was a Los Angeles woman named Lee Gold. She still contributes to the hobby and still runs a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dungeons as a Mythic, Living Evil
In 1974, dungeons tried to kill you. More than just the creatures inside, the walls and stone wanted to murder you. Dungeons changed when you looked away. Page 8 of the original, brown book, The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
4 Ways D&D’s Creators Tried and Failed to Balance Classes
The classes in today’s Dungeons & Dragons game are balanced to make sure that when players leave a session, everyone feels like their character contributed to the party’s success. No player should...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Roleplaying Products That Shaped How I Play Dungeons & Dragons 1977–1978
Holmes Basic Set (1977) The blue box of the 1977 Holmes Basic Set introduced me to D&D. To 99% of Dungeons & Dragons players, the edition that introduced them to the game stands as their most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Roleplaying Products That Shaped How I Play Dungeons & Dragons 1978-2000
Tomb of Horrors (1978) In the early days, I enjoyed plenty of time to create my own adventures, so I had little interest in playing the published ones. But I still drew inspiration from them. Nothing...
View Article
