D&D General Evidence from the Arneson vs Gygax court case, including early draft of D&D with notes

[Alzrius]

Cunning looks like it would have been the Dex equivalent to me.

Cunning is cited as the "prime requisite" for clerics.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Cunning looks like it would have been the Dex equivalent to me. Intelligence is its own thing, and terms like "cunning rogue" and "cunning mechanism" show up frequently as cognates of "thief" and "trap" in the specific fiction being cited as something the game hoped to emulate.

I think Cunning is mentioned as needed for Clerics. So Im guessing it was a catch all for "dex and wisdom"

 

[Yaarel]

In his formative D&D, Arneson innovates the concept of "abilities". There are five:

• Health (→ Constitution)
• Strength
• Cunning (→ Wisdom)
• Intelligence
• Appearance (→ Comeliness, Charisma)

3d6 ("3 six-sided dice") determines the number of each ability.

Each class has a particular ability as its "prime requisite". Intelligence for Magic User, Strength for Fighter, and Cunning for Cleric.


The species ("players") are Elf, Dwarf, and Human.

The "classes" are Magic User, Cleric, and Fighter. The notes of Arneson use the term "Fighting Man", but also the term "Fighter" occurs.

• Elf is only Magic User.
• Dwarf is only Fighter.
• Human can be Magic User, Fighter, or Cleric.


Likewise, the assemblage of the concepts of experience points, hit points, levels, advancement, class features ("advantages"), spells, gold pieces, equipment, armor class, magic items, nonplayer characters (non-real players), monsters, treasures, maps, and adventures, all derive from Arneson.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Cunning is cited as the "prime requisite" for clerics.

 

[Yaarel]

Basically, Arneson invented D&D. However, the form in which it was published is mainly Gygaxs version of it.

 

[Alzrius]

"The risk of death is one of the most stimulating parts of the game."

I can't recall if this quote is in the published version, but either way, Gary tells it like it is here.

 

[Yaarel]

"The risk of death is one of the most stimulating parts of the game."

I can't recall if this quote is in the published version, but either way, Gary tells it like it is here.

Arneson said he was trying to move the game away from a "heavy body count" and an over-reliance on "booty".

D&D − since its origin − has included both combat and noncombat.

 

[Alzrius]

I've heard people talk about the dungeon as a "mythic underworld" in Original D&D, with doors that shut themselves and subdued monsters spontaneously losing their ability to see in the dark, but some of the stuff in this draft makes that sound tame compared to how crazy the rest of the world can be! Gary writes:

"Fluxes in the reality of the world will make many things uncertain. Riding over the terrain of the world surrounding the underground labyrinth will always be different. For example, there can be "gates" through which players will enter the primordial past, the world of Barsoom, Lankhmar, or a fantastical moon peopled by whatever creatures you desire. How about Pelucidar? Again, once in such places, how are the players to return? There must be a way somehow, but that is up to the referee to determine and the players to discover. (And who says space is airless in this world?)"

So the terrain around the dungeon will "always" be different? Random gates to far-flung worlds in the middle of the countryside? Man alive, talk about the "wild and woolly" days of gaming!

 

[Alzrius]

Arneson said he was trying to move the game away from a "heavy body count" and an over-reliance on "booty".

D&D − since its origin − has included both combat and noncombat.

What page of this is that on? I'm only a few dozen pages in, and this PDF isn't searchable.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I've heard people talk about the dungeon as a "mythic underworld" in Original D&D, with doors that shut themselves and subdued monsters spontaneously losing their ability to see in the dark, but some of the stuff in this draft makes that sound tame compared to how crazy the rest of the world can be! Gary writes:

"Fluxes in the reality of the world will make many things uncertain. Riding over the terrain of the world surrounding the underground labyrinth will always be different. For example, there can be "gates" through which players will enter the primordial past, the world of Barsoom, Lankhmar, or a fantastical moon peopled by whatever creatures you desire. How about Pelucidar? Again, once in such places, how are the players to return? There must be a way somehow, but that is up to the referee to determine and the players to discover. (And who says space is airless in this world?)"

So the terrain around the dungeon will "always" be different? Random gates to far-flung worlds in the middle of the countryside? Man alive, talk about the "wild and woolly" days of gaming!

Seems it was a way for players to bring their characters to any game despite what world it's set in. "All worlds are D&D and in flux." sort of thing