D&D General A tour of each and every TSR/D&D release

darjr · Nov 1, 2022

I was never a fan of Geomorphs. Till I tried them with dice and wow! Dungeon on the fly was cool with them.

Here is the last of my backtrack into 1976 TSR releases before diving into 1977. Up today is Dungeon Geomorphs, Set 1. Here are my 1st printing and 2 3rd printing sets, all in original shrinkwrap. Next up, 1977!

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darjr · Nov 1, 2022

more geomorphs! How do I wan't them now. Though I could easily print out ones. It would be awesome if WotC made dice with them on it or licensed them out to the folks that do that.

Okay. We are back on track on our TSR/D&D release tour. Up today from 1977 is Set Two of the Dungeon Geomorphs - Caves & Caverns. The Dungeon Geomorphs were TSR's first commercial attempts at selling playable maps. Here are my original shrink copies, one 1st and two 3rd printings

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darjr · Nov 1, 2022

OK two more geomorphs in a row and I'm going to put them in one post.

first lower dungeon geomorphs

My TSR/D&D product tour got interrupted by some Red Wizards last week, but we are now back on track. Next up from the year 1977, Dungeon Geormorphs, Set Three Lower Dungeon. Here are my 3 original shrink copies, one 1st printing and 2 x 3rd printings

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And then a breath of fresh air.

We remain in the year 1977 on our TSR/D&D tour. Up today is the final and considered the most rare of the Geomorphs series - Outdoor Geomorphs. Pictured are my 1st print in shrink, my second print in fabulous condition, and my 3rd print in shrink. Until tomorrow!

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darjr · Nov 2, 2022

I held a set of these, multiple copies, in my hands, in 2007? I didn't know what they were and the store owner quickly wisked them away. The clerk was about to sell them to me for a mere $5 a piece which at the time I thought was a bit of a gouge. Had I been just a little quicker.

In 1977 TSR released a new series of D&D products - the Monster & Treasure Assortments. Here are my copies of Set One: Levels One-Three, a 2nd and 3rd printing respectively.

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These also were among those above. I wonder if the store still has them?

What else did TSR release in 1977? I am glad you asked! They released the next version of their Monster & Treasure Assortment - Set Two: Levels Four - Six. Here are my two copies of the 4th printing, one in original shrink and one open.

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darjr · Nov 2, 2022

No wonder this next one is so rare. I would have used that up.

Our final stop on our D&D/TSR release tour for the year 1977 is an ultra rare. The very first set of Character Record Sheets by TSR were released in 1977. There are three sets known to exist and below is my copy. You can distinguish this ultra rare by the stock number F 1009.

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Mannahnin · Nov 3, 2022

darjr said:
more geomorphs! How do I wan't them now. Though I could easily print out ones. It would be awesome if WotC made dice with them on it or licensed them out to the folks that do that.

Didn't Dyson Logos do a set of them years ago? You could probably find them secondhand.

David Howery · Nov 3, 2022

Swords and Spells is the oldest D&D thing I own, apparently, although I think my copy is a later printing, as it doesn't have the lizardman logo...

darjr · Nov 6, 2022

The release of the PHB seems to me to mark a profound jump in the slickness and quality of the physical product from TSR. I would love to know more of the details in how that came about. I wonder if Alex knows? This is one of his copies, formerly owned by Kevin Blume!

Let's turn the calendar to the year 1978 on our TSR/D&D tour. Up today is a big one. This was my first ever D&D purchase. I did not by my copy (an 8th printing) until 1982. Depicted is a lovely 1st print, my 8th, and Kevin Blume's personal copy (look to the upper left).

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The D&D historian has a bit that I think is relevant now and will probably forever be.

What a Difference an Edition Makes: The Controversy. There's a lot of disagreement over whether AD&D is a minor revision of OD&D — gathering together all of its supplements and articles — or whether it's something bigger. This controversy started in Dragon #26 (June 1979) when Gygax rather shockingly said, "there is no similarity (perhaps even less) between D&D and AD&D than there is between D&D and its various imitators produced by competing publishers." In other words, he was claiming that OD&D was more like Tunnels & Trolls (1975) and RuneQuest (1978) than AD&D! He was very clear in saying this: " It is neither an expansion nor a revision of the old game, it is a new game."

Some folks disagreed, most notably Richard Berg who reviewed the Players Handbook in Strategy & Tactics magazine and said that it was a rewrite of the OD&D game. Gygax took extreme umbrage of this claim in Dragon #22 (February 1979), stating:

"Under the circumstances, one can only wonder why Mr. Berg took the time to write on a subject of which he obviously knew so little. Perhaps it is personal or professional jealousy, as the success of D&D and now AD&D has certainly set the rest of the gaming hobby industry on its collective ear, but that is speculation."

The fans had the ultimate word: when you examine the RPG magazines of the late '70s and early '80s that most of them didn't differentiate much between OD&D, AD&D, and BD&D. Instead, magazine articles were usually written for "Dungeons & Dragons" generally. In the present day, most people would probably still agree that Berg was more correct than Gygax … but it all depends on what you're measuring.

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Players Handbook (1e) - Wizards of the Coast | AD&D 1st Ed. | Rules | AD&D 1st Ed. | Dungeon Masters Guild

Players Handbook (1e) - The 1st Edition Player's Handbook is back! No more searching through stacks of books and magazines to find out what you

www.dmsguild.com

darjr · Nov 6, 2022

It always amazes me how small this adventure is but how large it hits. Fitting I guess. I think this print keeps up the enhanced upgraded physical quality of TSR books and I think it mostly only improves after that.

Now that we are into the watershed D&D release year of 1978, let's enjoy the first ever module released by TSR. Up today from the year 1978, the first ever TSR module, G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. Here are shrink copies of a 3rd print, a 4th, the GDW, and AUS versions.

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The D&D historian goes into probably why they were such a big deal.

The Original Adventures. When the parts of G1-G3 were originally published as three separate modules, they were a big deal. They were the first adventures ever for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game (which wasn't even complete at the time), and they were also TSR's first foray into adventure publication. Like other early adventures, the G-series modules originally had simple monochrome colors (brown, blue, and orange - all appropriate for the giants contained within). The original adventures were also among the shortest adventures that TSR ever published at 8, 8, and 16 pages, respectively.

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darjr · Nov 6, 2022

Oh G2

Now that we are into the release year of 1978, let's keep it rolling with another module release. Up today is the famous G2 The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. I have attached my shrink copies of the 1st - 4th printings of this one. (Sorry about the flex, not sorry

).

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And G3

In 1978, TSR released their first 3 modules, the giant series. Up today is the final of the 3, G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King. For you enjoyment, here are my copies of an original shrink 1st print, a 4th print, the Game Designers Workshop printing (UK) and the Australian printing