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Message: <blockquote data-quote="R_Chance" data-source="post: 8177021" data-attributes="member: 55149">Given that there were only a thousand copies of D&D in that first print batch (1974) and as I understand it they took a year to sell out, I doubt there was a massive infusion of anyone playing the game. I knew about 12-15 players and there were three boxed sets among us. I don't think they had any distribution outside of hobby channels at the time. Some of the guys I played historical miniatures with (even medieval) just didn't go for fantasy too. I was busy absorbing every fantasy and science fiction book I could get my hands on myself <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> If you were talking later in 1975 when the next couple of print runs were done or 1976 when the white box was produced in fairly large numbers I might agree. At least I'm pretty sure there was only one printing of D&D in '74, but I might be wrong. Those years kind of melt into a haze of high school / gaming / college <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> I am occasionally amazed that I managed to graduate from high school and wonder on into college. Still, the evidence I have is only anecdotal, my memory is subject to error, ad this is for two groups I played with in one town. So, can't say anything for sure.And I wish I still had one of the originals. We literally wore them out and some booklets were misplaced / borrowed and boxes destroyed by time and casual abuse while playing. One guy moved out of town with a bunch of our stuff. That was annoying. The oldest we (me and my brother) have left is, I think, a third printing woodgrain box set, ? 1975. I have a white box set too, 1975-6 probably. There were things added to the 1977 white boxed cover iirc. As for house ruling board wargames, for some games we altered rules and used spare counter to produce units, etc. We were producing other nations navies for use with the Jutland game / rules for example and doing our own strategic maps etc. That game was half way to a miniature set though. Played it later with 1/2400 scale miniature warships. Most of the house rules were miniature rules though. It was easier to find a RAW board game group, although interpretations of the rules might vary. A lot in some cases <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Judges Guild was the first "third party" D&D support I remember and that was 1976 (iirc). There were APA 'zines too, and probably a lot of stuff made that didn't see wide distribution. The Strategic Review / The Dragon, and the D&D supplements were out but that's not third party. I'm not sure what year White Dwarf dropped just off hand, but post 1976 I think. I have a couple of the Arduin Grimoires volumes boxed around here somewhere. Not sure when they came out.Most of the "add on" content we used was what we home brewed. It was as good as anything else we were likely to find (I think). And creating it was fun. OK, I am having a massive nostalgia attack here <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /> A sure sign of advancing old age...</blockquote>

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