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My First Edition Rec

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I'm pleased that you're enjoying your 1st ed experience.

I began with the Holmes boxed set, which was


something of a bridge between what's now called OD&D (the original, Zero Edition if you like) and
AD&D (the first edition, of course). Then I played in a combo game incorporating elements from both
OD&D and the released-one-bit-at-a-time 1st ed AD&D (as we all had to do, back in the day).
Eventually all three 1st ed books were out, and that's what I used from then on.

In those days, products couldn't come out fast enough for us. As you probably know, at this point TSR
divided their products into AD&D, and the new Basic D&D. From what I understand this was to avoid
paying Arneson for the "new" AD&D line. As consumers, if an AD&D DM wanted additional
materials, we would use modules from the Basic D&D line. Sure, it took a little conversion work (if
you bothered at all), but if the product blurb sounded good, you went for it.

In any case, while I've explored other game systems, I still play 1st ed AD&D. I never accepted post-
Gygax TSR's decision to re-write the game for a second, and subsequent, versions. Such a concept has
no appeal for me. On the other hand, in those early days I played or ran some of the other games that
began to spring up, and I continue to play many of those old games to this day (also in their older
editions). But I've put the greatest number of hours into 1st ed AD&D.

I'd like to say that I applaud your intention to run the game using all the rules, as written. Many people
did that, but many other people also felt just as free to drop sections, or house-rule. This was already a
time-honored tradition in roleplaying, and something I don't hesitate to do today. I just produce a
house-rule pamphlet for my players.

I know you'll hear many different opinions about what to include or exclude from your gaming
experience, so I'll toss my fedora into the ring. I would suggest that you stick to the original Players
Handbook, Monster Manual and DMG for a good while. Then I would recommend that you look
through Unearthed Arcana. It's one of my favorite books. Some people don't like all of the new classes
and races, but you should feel free to choose what you like or make modifications at that point. There's
also tons of useful supplemental information included. I also like the Oriental Adventures book,
although I leave its artificial mechanical Honor system out (I prefer Honor to be handled in roleplay).
The other books: Dungeoneers, Wilderness, Manual of the Planes, Greyhawk and Dragonlance, are
safely ignored (but feel free to mine them for info if you've a mind to). The Fiend Folio and Monster
Manual II are of mixed quality, but if you're looking for variety you'll find some use for them. Deities
& Demigods (aka Legends & Lore) serves a purpose, but can also be safely ignored.

Now I'll say up front that I'm not a huge fan of the modules you've listed on your future playlist. I'm
going to make some alternate suggestions for you. And my list includes some Basic D&D products. By
"Basic D&D" I mean the BasicExpertCompanionMasterImmortal series of rules, rewritten and
condensed in the Rules Cyclopedia. The major difference between that rules set and AD&D is the use
of 'race-as-class,' ie Halfling is a character class. You can't be a Halfling Fighter or a Halfling Thief,
you're just a 1st level Halfling. Some DMs even allowed both types of characters in the same game.
Nowadays I either use the products as-written, or make minor modifications.

B1 In Search of the Unknown: The first module I saw/read/played. It was originally included in the
Holmes boxed set. Do-it-yourself module population, never the same twice.
B4 The Lost City. Similar theme to I1 below, a cool lost city adventure.
X1 Isle of Dread: beats the pants off of WG6 Isle of the Ape.
X2 Castle Amber: If you like crazy humor in your game. Includes an amazing trip somewhere else (and
I won't write a spoiler here but it's a classic).
I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City: Can't say enough about this open-ended, pulpy sword-and-sorcery
lost city.
I3, I4, I5, later known as the Desert of Desolation series: pyramids and stuff.
I6 Ravenloft: If you don't know what this is, just buy it. One of the very best, ever.
OA1 Swords of the Daimyo: adventures and a setting for that Oriental Adventures book that you know
you want to use. Includes a way to move Western characters to the Orient a la Shogun.

B1, B4, X1 and X2 are part of the Basic D&D line. If you want to see some of the best settings ever
written, you might want to look up their Gazetteer series, set in the Basic D&D world of Mystara. Each
includes tons of story hooks, along with optional rules. I heartily recommend GAZ3 Principalities of
Glantri as the best of the bunch. It's like a microcosm of Europe. It's also a bit tongue-in-cheek as
written. That's something that was much more common back then than it is today, but you can ignore
that if you like. Includes campaign ideas and a setting for playing students in a school of magic, pre-
dating Hogwarts by years! A word of caution, not every Gaz is to everyone's taste. Also there were a
couple of boxed settings in the line that I recommend, Dawn of the Emperors (sort of like Rome vs
Atlantis) and Hollow World (Burroughs eat your heart out). I'll also point out that I don't recommend
the first gazetteer, Grand Duchy of Karameikos. While it has its fans, my observation is that's at least in
part to its being the first-published of the line. Therefore it got the most exposure, and holds that special
nostalgic place in some people's hearts. Objectively though, I don't find it inspiring at all.

If you know your history, you also know that a company called Judges Guild was the first company to
make non-TSR D&D accessories, including some of the greatest modules and settings. The company
started out in the OD&D timeframe, then moved to producing AD&D products when that edition was
released. Finally, TSR yanked their license, so their products became generic. Although they're still
around, I recommend the ORIGINAL editions, as follows.

OD&D Products
Setting: Wilderlands. Start with JG0048 Wilderlands of High Fantasy. I ran a campaign there for 20
years. Is that endorsement enough? The first published D&D setting.
City: JG0062 City-State of the Invincible Overlord. Centerpiece of the Wilderlands. The first published
D&D city.
Modules:
JG0027 Tegel Manor. Doesn't get more old-school than this. Warning, this is really chaotic, and what
modern gamers would call 'unbalanced.' Pfah. Not for beginning DMs though.
JG0052 Thieves of Fortress Badabaskor. This one is kind of hard for younger players to imagine. It's a
fortified, inhabited and defended bandit lair on top of a wild dungeon. In the days when your character
had a troop of hirelings following him around, it would be normal for you and your fellow PCs to
storm such a place and fight your way down. You might lose tons of flunkies on the way, stepping up to
challenge the "bosses" yourself. You great hero, you. See also Arneson's Temple of the Frog, as written
in the OD&D manual Blackmoor (Supplement II), for the same kind of situation. It's really an amazing
read, even if you can't see yourself running it as-is. You could always mine it for ideas, or have players
infiltrate, join up, etc.
JG0063 Citadel of Fire. One of the first modules I played in, tons of fun, not complicated to run.
JG0102 Caverns of Thracia. One of the classics of the industry. My favorite module of all time. Run
out and buy this now.

AD&D Products
JG0088 Dark Tower. Another classic of the industry, fiendish and high-level. Better than Ravenloft.
Buy now.
JG0114 The Maltese Clue. One of my favorites, but seems to be relatively unknown these days.

I will confess that I've made room in my campaign for a 2nd edition concept: Spelljammer. The very
concept is too cool to ignore. I use 1st ed rules, of course...

So there you have it. If I can help in any way, let me know. Have a blast!

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