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Message: <blockquote data-quote="johnsemlak" data-source="post: 1911923" data-attributes="member: 7233">Here's a few more notes:OD&D -- OD&D is a term is loosely applied to the original white box and it's later supplements  (Called Supplement 1-IV, and they were named Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and ELdridge Wizardry (I forget the other one); note that Greyhawk and Blackmoor here had very little to do with the settings--tehy were just supplementary rules.  The white box was introduced in 1974, with the supplements coming later.The rules in these sets were rather disorganized and incomplete.  Originally, you could play three classes: Fighting-men, Clerics, and Magic users.  You could play 4 races I believe: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings.  Most of the other classes of the game were introduced in the later supplements.THe rules were primarily focused on dungeon crawls--there was less information covering wilderness adventuring.  In a lot of areas, DMs had to make judgements on the spot in places where the rules were incomplete.OD&D is also often used to denote the various incarnations of the Basic D&D ruleset (which saw at least three similar but distinct versions released between 1978 - 1983) and the follow-up rulesets called the Expert Set (sold in a famous blue box), the Companion set, and the Masters set.  All these rulesets were always sold as boxed sets untill they were all rolled into on book, the Rules Cyclopedia.Though often referred to as OD&D as well, these rules were rather different than the earlier versions of D&D in the white box.  One key difference was that races and classes were not separate. You either played a human (of one of four classes: Fighter, thief (rogue), magicuser, or cleric) or a demihuman.  Each demihuman race was considered a class. Dwarves were basically fighters (i.e. a dwarf could only be a fighter), Elves were fighter/magic users, and halflings were (strangely) fighters.The Basic set covered rules for levels 1-3.  The D&D Expert set expanded rules for characters 4-14.  Teh Companion set then continued with levels 15-25, and the Masters set provided the conclusion at 26-36.  The Rules Cyclopedia rolled all the rules into one hardback book (btw, the Rules Cyclopedia is frequently cited as one of hte best value RPG products ever made).A few other traits of D&D in the Basic-Expert-Companion-Masters rulesets: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">  There were only three alignments: Law, Neutral, and Chaos</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Level advanceemnt was from level 1 to 36.  After that, you could become an immortal, and there were rules for attaining immortality and playing an immortal.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There was no way in the rules to change classes.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There was no way in the rules for monsters to have character levels, though some later supplements offered material on this.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Gnomes, half-elves, and half-orcs didn't exist as playable races.  Gnomes were NPCs only and didn't have character levels at all.  Half-elves simply didnt' exist, and Orcs/Half-orcs were monsters only.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The was no Bard class (several fan-created versions exist). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Originally there was no monk, though a 'mystic' class was introduced in the Masters set (basically a  monk).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">There was no Ranger.  The Companion set introduced Paladins.  Paladins were lawful fighters who became Paladins at 9th level.  There was an anti-paladin class called the Avenger.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Druids were neutral Clerics, and only became a class as such at 9th level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">No psionics.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The official monster list for Basic-Expert etc D&D was rather small.  There was no 'Monster Manual' as such, though there was a supplement of new mosnters released much later.  Most monsters came from the monster chapters in the rulebooks, and were really very limited.  Several iconic D&D monsters (Mind Flayers, Drow) had no official equivelent for Basic/Expert.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The default setting for this version of D&D was called Mystara, and originally called the Known World.  (Nearly) all modules were set in it by default, and the game was written pretty much from the assumption that the world would be used (though the DM's chapters did give advice on creating their own worlds).  Some classic modules of the setting include X1--The Isle of Dread; X2 - Castle Amber, X4-5 -- The Desert Nomad's series, B10 -- Night's Dark Terror, and X9 -- The Savage Coast, which spawned it's own subsetting called Red Steel/The Savage Coast.  B2 The Keep on the Borderlands is another classic module from the D&D line but it was setting neutral.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The cosmology was rather different from the standard D&D.  It was only described in the later Companion and Masters sets, and was pretty much ignored in the Basic and Expert sets.</li> </ul>THe D&D Basic set (generally known as the 'red box', though it was originally in a blue box) was a very common entry point for younger people to D&D, and I think you'll find a lot of 30-something people on these boards who started D&D with one of the red box versions.  However, most of these people probably moved on quickly to AD&D.AD&D was introduced in 1977 with the Monster Manual, in 1978 with the PHB, and in 1979 with the DMG.  These were sold in hardback format (a departure form the boxed sets sold earlier).  I think trainz adequately described AD&D above.During the 80s, there were two distinct lines of D&D: AD&D, and Basic/Expert/Companion/Masters D&D (called simply (O)D&D at the time).  Both were supported with modules and supplements, and articles in Dragon and Dungeon magazines.  One of my favorite D&D product lines of all time was the Gazateer Series, offering setting information on Mystara, as well as a number of new rules like a skill system, additional classes, options for spellcasting Dwarves, PC Orcs and Humanoids, specialized schools for wizards, etc.In the early 90's the (O)D&D line (as opposed to the AD&D line) was pretty much discontinued.  The Mystara setting was converted to AD&D 2nd Edition, and saw a few 2e releases.</blockquote>

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