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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JamesM" data-source="post: 5657529" data-attributes="member: 2762">The Monster Manual's first printing was in December 1977. Though released under the AD&D banner, it is closely compatible with OD&D, since it uses a 0 to 9 AC system rather than the 0 to 10 system. Psionic abilities are those from Supplement III, Eldritch Wizardry. However, the book uses the fivefold alignment system introduced in the pages of Dragon.The Holmes-edited Basic Set was first released in late 1977/early 1978 and was intended as both a re-presentation of OD&D (with which it is largely compatible) and as an intro to the still-unpublished AD&D.The Players Handbook's first printing was in June 1978.A preview of the DMG's contents, including attack tables, was released in issue #22 of Dragon.The Dungeon Masters Guide's first printing was in August 1979. While it's true that Gary Gygax did promote the idea that OD&D and AD&D were different games with different target audiences, that didn't stop gamers -- of necessity at times -- mixing and matching between them. It's perfectly possible to play "AD&D" using only the MM and PHB supplemented with the LBBs for combat and saving throw charts, which is what many did in the time before the DMG or the preview of its contents were published. I think the notion that everyone just accepted TSR's stark division between the two is absurd on the face of it and contrary to what actually happened at the time. Heck, I didn't enter the hobby until shortly after the DMG was published and I still knew people who freely mixed and matched between OD&D and AD&D. Likewise, the level ranges of the published modules only seem odd if you see discontinuity between the two iterations of the game. Those modules might have been branded "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons," but they're quite usable with OD&D, with little or no modification. 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.</blockquote>

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