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

[Mannahnin]

I had that (3rd) edition of Chainmail once upon a time and an early OD&D booklet back when I was a teenager and someone older gave them to me. Unfortunately, I was a knucklehead who simply thought "out of date" and cast them aside and at some point amid family moving and then my own moving out to college got lost in some purge of "junk."

I got gifted a copy of Supplement I: Greyhawk which I read for inspiration and confused the hell out of me as a young'n, set beside my Mentzer 1983 Basic and Cook 1981 Expert sets. But I thankfully never lost it, and now I always have it handy when grownup me plays OD&D.

My copy of Chainmail, OTOH, is one I photocopied as a teenager after borrowing it from the King County library system, in Seattle.

 

[darjr]

We continue on our tour. While the OD&D boxes each contained 3 booklets - Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures - which are technically releases themselves, I want to pick up in 1975 with the supplements. Up today the 1st one - Greyhawk.

 

[darjr]

I love that image of the beholder. So alien but the human like eye makes it so familiar in a very bizarre way. Creepy.

 

[darjr]

Blackmoor!!

Bumping along on our tour of D&D goodies in The Gamehole, still in the year 1975. Up today is Supplement II for OD&D, Dare Arneson's Blackmoor. Here are a couple of printings including one of mine signed by Dave himself. Onward!

 

[darjr]

Leaving 1975 behind, it is time to explore the release year of 1976 by TSR. Up today is Supplement III of OD&D, Eldritch Wizardry. Here are my 4 copies. I am not sure what this cover has to do with eldritch things or anything wizardry related, but it was the direction they went.

 

[GreyLord]

4 copies of eldritch wizardry...wow.

I only have two copies of OD&D with the supplements. One set that I use in play these days (IF I decide to use it in play) and one set that is in storage.

 

[Stormonu]

Oddly enough, Eldritch Wizardry is the only OD&D booklet I've actually ever had my hands on. The old hobby shop I used to go to (which shut down some time in the 00's) had a copy for sale that was still in the shrink wrap, sitting right next to the regular D&D books (i.e., not protected in one of their many "collectables" display cases). Looking back, I'm amazed no one ever bought it.

 

[darjr]

The final TSR OD&D supplement released in 1976 was Swords & Spells. It is cool to see how they still refer to D&D as game with "miniature rules" as opposed to an RPG. Anyway, here are my two copies.

 

[darjr]

BTW if you enjoy these from Alex drop by one of his socials and let him know.

 

[Mannahnin]

The final TSR OD&D supplement released in 1976 was Swords & Spells. It is cool to see how they still refer to D&D as game with "miniature rules" as opposed to an RPG. Anyway, here are my two copies.

They don't, though. At least not on the cover as shown here. Swords & Spells literally is miniatures rules. It's a set of battle-scale miniatures wargame rules FOR D&D*, kind of the reverse of how D&D was partially based on Chainmail.

(*Though sadly, not a very good one. I recommend Dan "Delta" Collins' Book of War for anyone in need of a set of miniatures rules for resolving army-scale battles in OD&D).