AD&D Publication Timeline -- weird

[ExploderWizard]

It's also vital to remember that modules were a strange innovation at the time. Most referees made their own adventures, so there was no perceived "need" for a lot of adventures covering a wide range of levels. As I recall, TSR wasn't sure modules would even sell at first. After all, who'd pay to have someone imagine for you? Once it was clear money could be made in this fashion, they changed tacks and the rest is history.

This bit is worth thinking about. The game was popular and rapidly spreading despite an absence of modules for 4 years.

These days the common consensus is that a new game will "die" fairly quickly without sufficient support.

 

[john112364]

The other thing to understand about this is that TSR was actually late in coming to the module market: Judges Guild had already published a ton of material (and it was the success of that material that convinced TSR to start publishing modules). So TSR's product line is not the totality of D&D/AD&D product at the time.

You know the thing I remember best about Judges Guild was that incredible insane city that they came out with! (I can't remeber it's name. Someone help me out ) They had encounter tables for everything! And they didn't care about what level you were.

"What's that? You randomly roled a Type VI Demon!"

As one friend said to me "It's just like real life. Sometimes you meet something you can't fight. That's when you run your ass off and hope that it stops for a shopkeeper snack."

Good times. I wish I could find a copy of that. (Though I'd probably have to morgage the house to buy it. )

 

[Crazy Jerome]

Now wait a minute: Nobody here is suggesting that people actually enjoyed a game with some disjointed rules, poor release roadmaps, inconsistent communication, and unclear product delineation, are they?

It is funny, but it was one of those things that cut both ways. That is, I think sometimes we enjoyed the game because it was wacky, and we had to fix it (the fixing being fun), and that rather strange joy when understanding set in on a poorly worded rule. And then there were other times when you finally understood how something was meant to work, and you thought to yourself, "I'm only 15, but I believe I could have said that more clearly and saved somone a lengthy annoyance."

Main problem in discussing it now is that the things that affected me either way--were not the same things that affected you or the other guy. My trash really was someone elses' treasure and vice versa.

 

[MerricB]

In '79 when AD&D is a completed ruleset, you get an introductory product.

Albeit one that wasn't designed for AD&D, despite Gygax's retrofitting of the rules and text to make it seem so.

Looking back on the early releases of OD&D and AD&D, and then taking into account this interview with Rob Kuntz, I become more awed at Gary Gygax's achievements. To a large extent, you have TSR flailing about and trying to work out what it has. (It's worth comparing to Wizards when they first published Magic; the first expansion was planned to have different coloured backs!, only to be changed at the last minute. The first several sets are weakly developed in comparison to what came later).

Original D&D is "make up your own stuff", very much so. AD&D combines the disparate expansions to OD&D into a semi-coherent whole, but the motivations are confused further by the TSR-Arneson feud. (I'd say Gygax-Arneson, but when I read posts by Tim Kask, I expand it to TSR).

If D&D had remained as RJK wanted it, it'd be dead now.

Part of Gygax's genius was recognising things that worked and incorporating them into the master plan.

"The actual philosophical change occurs when someone, I forget whom, sent Gary Gygax a copy of a pre-made adventure, Palace of the Vampire Queen. Many of us looked at it—I even picked up a copy for myself-- in a mode of perplexed inquiry. The majority of us were vocal about why anyone would want someone else creating things for them and their campaign worlds whereas all of the resources in primary and supportive categories were available to them to create their own material." - RJK

From here, TSR move to produce adventures. There's a small gap between the 1976 printing of PotVQ and the 1978 printing of G1. The original ones on hand are the tournament adventures for Origins (G1-3), and - if I have it correctly - they premiered for sale at the convention. The gap is probably mainly because TSR is so amazingly small. For the largest part, we're talking mainly about Gary Gygax when it comes to D&D - and he's somewhat distracted pulling together the notes for AD&D, as well as running TSR.

In the early history of D&D, there are three figures that stand out for me:

Gary Gygax, for creating a large part of it and shepherding the game into its AD&D form and its initial adventures.

Tom Moldvay, for editing the Basic D&D set of 1981, which brought the game into a form that new players could understand.

Tracy Hickman, for showing what was possible with the adventure module.

Cheers!

 

[Beginning of the End]

You know the thing I remember best about Judges Guild was that incredible insane city that they came out with! (I can't remeber it's name. Someone help me out ) They had encounter tables for everything! And they didn't care about what level you were.

They produced several. City-State of the World Emperor, AFAICT, is almost impossible to get your hands on. City-State of the Invincible Overlord (which is the one you're probably talking about), however, can usually be found for reasonable prices due to ubiquitous reprinting. It's also available for PDF purchase here.

Looking back on the early releases of OD&D and AD&D, and then taking into account this interview with Rob Kuntz,

That interview is... interesting. His attempt to show utter disdain for publishers who sell adventures while simultaneously trying to explain why he hasn't published anything except adventure modules since 1980 is fascinating.

 

[Bullgrit]

I had not so much as heard of Judges Guild before the mid 90s. And then my only exposure to it was finding an odd booklet in a comic book store's D&D-stuff box. I looked at the booklet, harumphed at a company trying to slip in on TSR's gig, and tossed it back in the box. I wanted real D&D material, not a cheap knock off. (That was my thinking then.)

Since that one find, I've never seen anything JG, anywhere. It amazes me how often the company name and material gets mentioned around here.

Bullgrit

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

1980 marks the year when Gygax got swamped with D&D explosive growth following the Egbert incident, and thus others were writing for the system.

Egbert incident?

 

[JeffB]

James Dallas Egbert III (October 29, 1962[1] – August 16, 1980) was a student at Michigan State University who was incorrectly alleged to have disappeared into the school's steam tunnels for reasons related to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).[2][3]

Egbert was indeed a player of D&D, but it was later revealed that his entry of the steam tunnels was unrelated to the game.[3] At the time, the 16-year-old child prodigy was struggling with depression, was under intense academic pressure from his parents, and was battling drug addiction. In addition, his young age, advanced intelligence, and other issues had made it difficult for Egbert to make friends on campus.[4] Egbert entered the steam tunnels on August 15, 1979 with a bottle of methaqualone intending to end his life. The suicide attempt was unsuccessful and when he awoke the next day he went into hiding at a friend's house.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I had not so much as heard of Judges Guild before the mid 90s. And then my only exposure to it was finding an odd booklet in a comic book store's D&D-stuff box. I looked at the booklet, harumphed at a company trying to slip in on TSR's gig, and tossed it back in the box. I wanted real D&D material, not a cheap knock off. (That was my thinking then.)

Since that one find, I've never seen anything JG, anywhere. It amazes me how often the company name and material gets mentioned around here.

It was ubiquitous in my D&D community in the early 1980s. Citadel of Fire and Dark Tower are as iconic to me as anything TSR did -- more than any of their 2E modules, for instance, that's for sure. Both were redone for 3E by Goodman and are available from RPGNow and worth a look, IMO.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

James Dallas Egbert III (October 29, 1962[1] – August 16, 1980) was a student at Michigan State University who was incorrectly alleged to have disappeared into the school's steam tunnels for reasons related to the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).

Oh, that guy.