Post by Azalin on Feb 24, 2004 16:22:06 GMT -5
A timeline of the core Dungeons and Dragons books 1969 Chainmail uses lead miniatures to reconstruct historical battles or construct new battles. It consists of a codified a set of rules for conducting both individual and group combat. These rules were originally published through Guidon Games in 1969
1970 Dave Arneson created a scenario in which a group of adventurers had to sneak through a dungeon into a castle and open the gates from the inside, only to discover that many of the castle defenders were inhuman, fantastic monsters. Thus started the Blackmoor campaign.
1971 Gygax and Arneson pooled their efforts to create a game specifically intended for fantasy adventuring. The concept of character advancement was added, via "experience points and levels of proficiency" in combat and spell use, as well as a few other refinements. Individuals could grow in character and power.
They called it The Fantasy Game, and took it around to all the game manufacturers. Every single company turned the game down, usually because it seemed too open-ended, without a way to "win".
1972 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson wrote a "Supplement to Chainmail." This was a 50-page manuscript detailing new rules to use Chainmail as a role playing game.
1973 Tactical Studies Rules formed (named after a local wargaming club, the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association) to market their "fantasy wargame to be played with paper and pencil", renamed Dungeons & Dragons. The game first appeared at the 1973 EasterCon
1974 The first print run of Dungeons & Dragons, 1000 copies, was officially released in January. It sold out within the year.
The original D&D set released by Tactical Studies Rules contained three booklets
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 1, Men & Magic, '74
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 2, Monsters & Treasure, '74
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 3, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, '74
Plus a Reference Sheets booklet (unstapled, loose sheets) and one errata sheet (the errata sheet is only present in the Second and Third prints). It was also recommended that owners get a copy of Chainmail as well as the Avalon Hill game Outdoor Survival.
There were three classes: Fighting Man, Magic User, and Cleric. Magic users must memorize spells daily and once cast, the spells are erased from the magic user's mind and must be rememorized. There were also four different races: human, dwarf, hobbit, and elf.
"Hobbit" was changed to "halfling" later on. Humans could be any class, and could attain any level of proficiency. Dwarves and hobbits were limited to being Fighting Men, and were restricted in the levels they could reach. Elves could alternate between Fighting Man and Magic User, but could only switch classes at the beginning of an adventure.
There were three alignments: Law, Neutrality, and Chaos. The original intentions of the game equated "law" with "good" and "chaos" with "evil".
1975 Gygax and Arneson decided to publish some of the details of their campaigns, along with some expansion rules for the game.
Supplement I: Greyhawk®, '75; 2003. This is a general rules expansion, with new combat rules, additional character classes (paladin and thief), as well as notes on magic, monsters, treasure and more.
Supplement II: Blackmoor®, '75; 2004. A adding underwater rules, two new character classes (monk and assassin), and hit location rules. www.acaeum.com/Library/Blackmoor.jpg
1970 Dave Arneson created a scenario in which a group of adventurers had to sneak through a dungeon into a castle and open the gates from the inside, only to discover that many of the castle defenders were inhuman, fantastic monsters. Thus started the Blackmoor campaign.
1971 Gygax and Arneson pooled their efforts to create a game specifically intended for fantasy adventuring. The concept of character advancement was added, via "experience points and levels of proficiency" in combat and spell use, as well as a few other refinements. Individuals could grow in character and power.
They called it The Fantasy Game, and took it around to all the game manufacturers. Every single company turned the game down, usually because it seemed too open-ended, without a way to "win".
1972 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson wrote a "Supplement to Chainmail." This was a 50-page manuscript detailing new rules to use Chainmail as a role playing game.
1973 Tactical Studies Rules formed (named after a local wargaming club, the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association) to market their "fantasy wargame to be played with paper and pencil", renamed Dungeons & Dragons. The game first appeared at the 1973 EasterCon
1974 The first print run of Dungeons & Dragons, 1000 copies, was officially released in January. It sold out within the year.
The original D&D set released by Tactical Studies Rules contained three booklets
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 1, Men & Magic, '74
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 2, Monsters & Treasure, '74
D&D 1st edition, Vol. 3, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures, '74
Plus a Reference Sheets booklet (unstapled, loose sheets) and one errata sheet (the errata sheet is only present in the Second and Third prints). It was also recommended that owners get a copy of Chainmail as well as the Avalon Hill game Outdoor Survival.
There were three classes: Fighting Man, Magic User, and Cleric. Magic users must memorize spells daily and once cast, the spells are erased from the magic user's mind and must be rememorized. There were also four different races: human, dwarf, hobbit, and elf.
"Hobbit" was changed to "halfling" later on. Humans could be any class, and could attain any level of proficiency. Dwarves and hobbits were limited to being Fighting Men, and were restricted in the levels they could reach. Elves could alternate between Fighting Man and Magic User, but could only switch classes at the beginning of an adventure.
There were three alignments: Law, Neutrality, and Chaos. The original intentions of the game equated "law" with "good" and "chaos" with "evil".
1975 Gygax and Arneson decided to publish some of the details of their campaigns, along with some expansion rules for the game.
Supplement I: Greyhawk®, '75; 2003. This is a general rules expansion, with new combat rules, additional character classes (paladin and thief), as well as notes on magic, monsters, treasure and more.
Supplement II: Blackmoor®, '75; 2004. A adding underwater rules, two new character classes (monk and assassin), and hit location rules. www.acaeum.com/Library/Blackmoor.jpg