Editions of Dungeons & Dragons

Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game. Many D&D fans, however, continue to play older versions of the game and some third-party companies continue to publish materials compatible with these older editions. Parallel versions of D&D throughout its history and inconsistent product naming practices by D&D's original publisher TSR can make it difficult to distinguish between some editions of the game.

Contents

Time line

Dungeons & Dragons Version History
noting key rule publications
YEAR GAME
1974 Dungeons & Dragons (original white box edition with three booklets)

Men & Magic • Monsters & Treasure • The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures
1977 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition)

Monster Manual (December)

 Dungeons & Dragons (2nd version)

Basic Set (blue box) (levels 1–3)
1978 Players Handbook (June)
1979 Dungeon Masters Guide (August) Core rulebooks complete
1981 Dungeons & Dragons (3rd version)

Basic Set (magenta box)
Expert Set (light blue box) (levels 4–14)
1983 Core rulebooks reprinted with
new cover art and orange spines		 Dungeons & Dragons (4th version)

Basic Set (red box)
Expert Set (blue box)
Companion Set (teal box, levels 15–25)
1984 Master Set (black box, levels 26–36)
1985 Unearthed Arcana (a fourth "core" rulebook)
 		 Immortals Set (gold box, levels 36+)
1989 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition

Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master's Guide
Monstrous Compendium Replaces Monster Manual
1991 Dungeons & Dragons (5th version)

Rules Cyclopedia (levels 1–36)
1992 Wrath of the Immortals (levels 36+)
1993 Monstrous Manual Replaces Monstrous Compendium
1996 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition revised

Player's Handbook
Dungeon Master Guide
2000 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (three Core rulebooks)

Player's Handbook • Dungeon Master's Guide • Monster Manual
2003 Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition revised (v3.5)

Revised editions of the core rulebooks (compatible with 3.0 via errata)
2008 Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (three Core rulebooks)

Player's Handbook • Monster Manual • Dungeon Master's Guide
2009 Player's Handbook 2 • Monster Manual 2 • Dungeon Master's Guide 2
2010 Player's Handbook 3 • Monster Manual 3 Dungeons & Dragons Essentials

Fantasy Roleplaying Game (levels 1-2)
Rules Compendium • Heroes of the Fallen Lands • Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms • Dungeon Master's Kit • Monster Vault (levels 1-30)

Edition and version history

Dungeons & Dragons

The original Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) was published as a boxed set in 1974 and featured only a handful of the elements for which the game is known today: just three character classes (fighting-man, magic-user, and cleric); four races (human, dwarf, elf, and hobbit); only a few monsters; only three alignments (lawful, neutral, and chaotic). The rules assumed that players owned and played the miniatures wargame Chainmail and used its measurement and combat systems. An optional combat system was included within the rules that later developed into the sole combat system of later versions of the game. In addition, the rules presumed ownership of Outdoor Survival, an Avalon Hill board game for outdoor exploration and adventure (an unusual requirement, since Tactical Studies Rules was never in any way affiliated with rival Avalon Hill until two and a half decades later, when Wizards of the Coast – the purchaser of TSR's assets and trademarks – merged with Hasbro, which then owned Avalon Hill). D&D was a radically new gaming concept at the time, but the rules provided no overview of the game so it was difficult, without prior knowledge of tabletop wargaming, to see how it was all supposed to work. The release of the Greyhawk Supplement removed the game's dependency on the Chainmail rules,[1] and made it much easier for new, non-wargaming players to grasp the concepts of play. Ironically, the ambiguities and obscurities of the original rules helped D&D's success as individual groups had to develop their own rulings and ways of playing and thus gained a sense of ownership of the game. It also inadvertently aided the growth of competing game publishers, since just about anyone who grasped the concepts behind the game could write smoother and easier to use rules systems and sell them to the growing D&D fanbase (Tunnels & Trolls being the first such).[2]

Supplements such as Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes (the last predecessor of Deities and Demigods), published over the next two years, greatly expanded the rules, character classes, monsters and spells. For example, the original Greyhawk supplement introduced the thief class, and weapon damage varying by weapon (as opposed to character class). In addition, many changes were "officially" adopted into the game and published in the magazines The Strategic Review and its successor, Dragon.

During this era, there were also a number of unofficial supplements published, arguably in violation of TSR's copyright, which many players used alongside the TSR books. The most popular of these were the Arduin series. For the most part, TSR ignored these unofficial supplements, although a few of the innovations from the Arduin series eventually made their way into mainstream D&D play, including critical hits, and the two-axis alignment system (pre-Arduin D&D had only a law/chaos axis, not a good/evil axis). Until the brand unification of D&D and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in 2000, all of the "versions" of original D&D were referred to as editions; the Rules Cyclopedia represented the fifth (and final) edition of "original" D&D.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

An updated version of D&D was released as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). This was published as a set of three rulebooks, compiled by Gary Gygax, between 1977 and 1979, with additional supplemental volumes coming out over the next ten years. The AD&D rules are better organized than the original D&D, and also incorporate so many extensions, additions, and revisions of the original rules as to make a new game. The term "advanced" does not imply a higher level of skill required to play, nor exactly a higher level of or better gameplay; only the rules themselves are a new and advanced game. In a sense this version name split off to be viewed separately from the basic version below. The three core rulebooks are the Monster Manual (1977), the Player's Handbook (1978), and the Dungeon Master's Guide (1979); later supplements included Deities and Demigods, Fiend Folio (another book of monsters produced semi-autonomously in the UK), Monster Manual II, and Unearthed Arcana (which took most of its additional playing information from Dragon magazine). This was followed by a fairly constant addition of more specific setting works and optional rule supplements.

Differences from Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons, or the Basic Set and its sequels

While AD&D was still in the works, TSR was approached by an outside writer and D&D enthusiast, John Eric Holmes, who offered to re-edit and rewrite the original rules into an introductory version of D&D.[4] Although TSR was focused on AD&D at the time, the project was seen as a profitable enterprise and a way to direct new players to anticipate the release of the AD&D game. Sold with dice and a module as the Basic Set, the first edition of Basic D&D, published in 1977, collected together and organized the rules from the original D&D boxed set and Greyhawk supplement into a single booklet, which covered only character levels 1 through 3. The booklet featured a blue cover with artwork by David C. Sutherland III. The "blue booklet" explained the game's concepts and method of play in terms that made it accessible to new players not familiar with tabletop miniatures wargaming. The original Basic Set is notable in that it was intended as a bridge between the original D&D and the AD&D rules rather than a simple introductory version of the game. Unusual features of this version include an alignment system of five alignments as opposed to the three or nine alignments of the other versions. This Basic Set was very popular and allowed many to discover and experience the D&D game for the first time. Although the Basic Set is not compatible with AD&D, players were expected to continue play beyond third level by moving on to the AD&D version;[5] evidently the radical changes AD&D would make to the rules were not yet appreciated when the original Basic Set was produced.

Once AD&D had been released, the Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay, which was immediately followed by the release of an Expert Set (supporting levels 4 through 14) to accompany the Basic Set. With this revision, the Basic rules became their own game, distinct both from original D&D and AD&D. The revised Basic rules can be distinguished from the original ones by cover colors: the Basic booklet had a red cover, and the Expert booklet a blue one.[6]

Between 1983 and 1985 this system was revised and expanded by Frank Mentzer as a series of five boxed sets, including the Basic Rules (red cover), Expert Rules (blue), Companion Rules (green, supporting levels 15 through 25), Master Rules (black, supporting levels 26 through 36), and Immortal Rules (gold, supporting Immortals - characters who had transcended levels).

This version was compiled and slightly revised in 1991 as the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, a hardback book which included all the sets except Immortal Rules which was also revised and renamed Wrath of the Immortals. While the Cyclopedia included all information required to begin the game, there were also several editions of an introductory boxed set, including the Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game (1994) and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (1999).

Though often seen as simpler than AD&D, with the collection of all five boxed sets D&D players had access to rules for everything from interdimensional and interstellar travel to the cost of hiring an animal trainer, including areas such as domain rulership which AD&D did not cover.

It is widely suspected in some circles that the Basic Set was originally created for legal reasons, to give backing to the claim that original D&D co-creator Dave Arneson was not entitled to credit or royalty rights for the AD&D game. (See the Controversy and Notoriety section in the main article.)

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition

In 1987, a small team of designers began work on the second edition of the AD&D game, beginning the most massive coordinated task ever undertaken by TSR to date, which would take nearly two years to complete.[7] In 1989, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition was published, featuring new rules and characters.[8] By the end of its first decade, AD&D had expanded to several rulebooks, including three Monster Manuals, and two books governing character skills in wilderness and underground settings. Initially, the 2nd edition would consolidate the game, with three essential books to govern Dungeon Masters and players alike. Periodically, TSR published optional rulebooks for character classes and races to enhance game play.

The combat system was changed. The minimum number required to hit a target uses a mathematical formula in which the defender's Armor Class (AC) is subtracted from the attacker's THAC0 (To Hit Armor Class "0") instead of 1st edition's attack matrix tables. Distances are based on in-game units (feet) rather than miniatures-board ones (inches). Demi-human races are given higher level maximums to increase their long-term playability, though they are still restricted in terms of character class flexibility. Critical hits are offered as optional rules.

Moreover, the release of AD&D 2nd Edition corresponded with a policy change at TSR. An effort was made to remove aspects of the game which had attracted negative publicity, most notably the removal of all mention of demons and devils (although equivalent monsters were later added, now renamed tanar'ri and baatezu respectively). Moving away from the moral ambiguity of the 1st edition AD&D, the TSR staff eliminated character classes and races like the assassin and the half-orc, and stressed heroic roleplaying and player teamwork. The target age of the game was also lowered, with most 2nd edition products being aimed primarily at teenagers. The 2nd edition art and marketing were also modified to appeal more to female players.

The game was once again published as three core rulebooks which incorporated the expansions and revisions which had been published in various supplements over the previous decade. However, the Monster Manual was replaced by the Monstrous Compendium, a loose-leaf binder in which every monster is given a full page of information, the justification being that packs of new monsters (often setting specific) could be purchased and added to the binder without the expense or inconvenience of a separate book. However, this idea was eventually dropped and the Compendium was replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual in 1993.

The concept behind the loose-leaf binder was it would allow updating the book. Originally this was considered for all the core rulebooks, based on the concept that had been used by Avalon Hill for Advanced Squad Leader. While eventually adopted only for the Monstrous Manual, it was abandoned because of the issues of wear and difficulties in keeping alphabetic order when many pages had been printed with more than one monster. Besides the formatting, the major change in the contents of the Monstrous Compendium is greatly increasing the power of dragons. This was done to counter the perception of the relative weakness of the game's "name" monster.

Critics of TSR have suggested that the 2nd edition was produced mainly to have a set of core rulebooks to sell which did not list Gary Gygax as the primary author, and thus deprive Gygax of royalties; certainly, few major changes to the rules were made, aside from the addition of non-weapon proficiencies (which were introduced in various 1st edition supplements) and the division of magic spells by group into Schools (for mages) and Spheres (for clerics) of magic. Gygax himself had already planned a second edition for the game, which would also have been an update of the rules, incorporating the material from Unearthed Arcana, Oriental Adventures, and numerous new innovations from Dragon magazine in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide and would have consolidated the Monster Manual, Monster Manual II and Fiend Folio into one volume.[9]

In 1995, the core rulebooks were slightly revised and a series of Player's Option manuals were released as "optional core rulebooks". Although still referred to by TSR (and later Wizards of the Coast) as the 2nd edition, this revision is seen by some fans as a distinct edition of the game and is sometimes referred to as AD&D 2.5.

In 1997, TSR considered filing for bankruptcy but was purchased by former competitor Wizards of the Coast.

Differences from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition

A major revision of the AD&D rules was released in 2000. As the Basic game had been discontinued some years earlier, and the more straightforward title was more marketable, the word "advanced" was dropped and the new edition was named just Dungeons & Dragons, but still officially referred to as 3rd edition (or 3E for short). It is the basis of a broader role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice, called the d20 system. The 3rd edition removes previous editions' restrictions on class and race combinations that were supposed to track the preferences of the race, and on the level advancement of non-human characters. Level advancement for all characters is greatly eased, allowing players to reasonably expect to reach high level in about one year of weekly play. Skills and the new system of feats are introduced into the core rules to encourage players to further customize their characters.

Monte Cook, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams all contributed to the 3rd edition Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions.[10]

The d20 system uses a more unified mechanic than earlier editions, resolving nearly all actions with the same type of die roll. The combat system is greatly expanded, adopting into the core system most of the optional movement and combat system of the 2nd edition Players Option: Combat and Tactics book. Third edition combat uses a grid system, encouraging highly tactical gameplay and facilitating the use of miniatures. The wizard class is divided into Wizards and the new sorcerer class, and in later books such as the Complete Arcane further classes such as warmage are added. The thief is renamed rogue, a term that 2nd edition uses to classify both the thief and bard classes. Third edition also presents the concept of prestige classes, which characters can only enter at higher character levels, and only if they meet certain character-design prerequisites or fulfill certain in-game goals. Later products included additional and supplementary rules subsystems such "epic-level" options for characters above twentieth level, as well as a heavily revised treatment of psionics.

The d20 system is presented under the Open Gaming License, which makes it an open source system for which authors can write new games and game supplements without the need to develop a unique rules system and, more importantly, without the need for direct approval from Wizards of the Coast. This makes it easier to market D&D-compatible content under a broadly recognizable commercial license. Many other companies have produced content for the d20 system, such as White Wolf (under the Sword & Sorcery Studios label), Alderac Entertainment Group, Malhavoc Press, and Privateer Press.

Differences from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition

Dungeons & Dragons v3.5

In July 2003, a revised version of the 3rd edition D&D rules (termed v3.5) was released that incorporated numerous rule changes, as well as expanding the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual.

Differences from Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition

This revision was intentionally a small one (hence the name change of only "half an edition"), small enough so that the basic rules are nearly identical and many monsters and items are compatible (or even unchanged) between those editions. In fact, some players, disliking some changes v3.5 made, use some 3rd edition rules as house rules. Official errata for many of the most popular books are available for download as D&D v.3.5 Accessory Update Booklet.[11]

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition

On August 15, 2007, Wizards of the Coast created a countdown page for a product called 4dventure, suspending all other D&D articles on their site. IVC2 announced on August 16, 2007, that this was the announcement of D&D 4th edition. Unlike 3rd edition, which had the core rulebooks released in monthly installments, the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide were all released in June 2008.[12]

Slashdot reported anecdotal evidence of "anger" from some players and retailers due to the financial investment in v3.5 and the relatively brief period of time that it had been in publication;[13] However, the 4th edition initial print run sold out so quickly due to preorders that Wizards of the Coast announced a second print run prior to the game's official release.[14] In December 2007, the book Wizards Presents: Races and Classes, the creation of 4th edition, was released. This was followed by a second book in January 2008 named Wizards Presents: Worlds and Monsters.

Unlike previous editions with just three core rulebooks, 4th edition core rules includes multiple volumes of the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual that are released yearly, with each new book becoming a part of the core. They include core classes, races, monsters, powers, feats, paragon paths and epic destinies not present in the first Player's Handbook and Monster Manual.[15]

Differences from Dungeons & Dragons v3.5

Specific changes in moving to the 4th edition include:

Dungeons & Dragons Essentials

This product line debuted in September 2010 and consists of ten products. Essentials uses the D&D 4th edition rule set and provides simple player character options intended for first-time players.[19][20] Many of the new player character options emulate features from previous editions of the D&D game, such as schools of magic for the wizard class.[21]

The Essentials line contains revisions to the ruleset compiled over the past two years, in the form of the Rules Compendium, which condenses rules and errata into one volume while also updating the rules with newly introduced rules changes.[22][23] The player books Heroes of the Fallen Lands and Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms contain rules for creating characters as well as new builds for each class described in the books.[24] Future releases will revisit classes from earlier Player's Handbook releases. Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell will provide Essentials characters with cleric, fighter, rogue, warlord, and wizard rules,[25] while Player's Options Heroes of Shadow will add rules for such classes as assassins, hexblades, and necromancers.[26] On January 12, 2011, Wizards announced that Class Compendium: Heroes of Sword and Spell had been removed from the 2011 release schedule, without indicating that the book had been canceled entirely.[27]

International editions

The D&D franchise was translated and published in many languages around the world.

A particular challenge was the word dungeon, which in standard English means a single prison cell or oubliette originally located under a keep. Some languages, like Spanish, Italian, Finnish, and Portuguese, didn't translate the title of the game and kept it as it is in English: Dungeons & Dragons. In Spanish-speaking countries the 1983 animated series was translated in Hispanic America as Calabozos y Dragones and in Spain as Dragones y Mazmorras (calabozo and mazmorra have in all Spanish-speaking countries the same meaning: a dungeon). Still nowadays this brings great confusion amongst Spanish-speaking gamers about the name of the game, since all Spanish translations of the game kept the original English title. In gaming jargon, however, a dungeon is not a single holding cell but rather a network of underground passages or subterranea to be explored, such as a cave, ruins or catacombs. Some translations conveyed this meaning well, e.g. Chinese 龙与地下城 (Dragons and Underground Castles, or Dragons and Underground Cities). Some translations used a false friend of "dungeon", even if it changed the meaning of the title, such as the French Donjons et dragons (Keeps and Dragons). Other languages adopted a more liberal translation to keep the alliteration, e.g. Swedish Dunder och Drakar (Thunder and Dragons).[28] In Hebrew, the game was published as מבוכים ודרקונים (Labyrinths and Dragons). Additionally, some translations adopted the English word "dungeon" as a game term, leaving it untranslated in the text as well.

Notes

  1. ^ Pulsipher, Lewis (February/March 1981). "An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons". White Dwarf (London, England: Games Workshop) (23): pp. 8–9  "Chainmail was needed to conduct combat...." "Greyhawk introduced a new combat system...."
  2. ^ Pulsipher, Lewis (August/September 1977). "Open Box: Tunnels and Trolls". White Dwarf (London, England: Games Workshop) (2). ISSN 0265-8712 
  3. ^ Turnbull, Don (December 1978 – January 1979). "Open Box: Player's Handbook". White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (10): 17. 
  4. ^ Holmes 1981.
  5. ^ Gygax & Arneson (1977) p. 6. states "...experience levels that high are not discussed in this book and the reader is referred to the more complete rules in ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS"
  6. ^ "D&D Clones!". White Dwarf (Games Workshop) (24): 29. April/May 1981. 
  7. ^ "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_History.asp&date=2008-10-04. Retrieved 2005-08-20. 
  8. ^ "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2FDnDArchives_FAQ.asp&date=2008-10-03. Retrieved 2008-10-03. 
  9. ^ Gygax, Gary. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: The Future of the Game". Dragon Magazine, #103, November, 1985, p.8.
  10. ^ "Profiles: Monte Cook". Dragon (Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast) (#275): 10, 12, 14. September 2000. 
  11. ^ a b D&D v3.5 Accessory Update Booklet
  12. ^ http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?s=b861f70f4f16a0a212ffd95c4aa5bbc5&p=3832899&postcount=26 http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?s=b861f70f4f16a0a212ffd95c4aa5bbc5&p=3833168&postcount=32 http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20071019
  13. ^ Zonk (2007-08-22). "Gen Con 2007 In A Nutshell". Slashdot.org. http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/22/1847207. Retrieved 2007-08-23. 
  14. ^ ICv2 - D&D 4E Back to Press
  15. ^ "So, one of the things that I thought a lot about when I was first putting together the outline for this book... this is not the core Monster Manual.... So, there are some monsters that I very intentionally left out of this book so that when they appear in Monster Manual II, that will help communicate, "Hey, look, this is a core Monster Manual." You don't have frost giants if you don't have Monster Manual N". At the 1:57 mark, or 1:38 of chapter 2. Dave Noonan, Mike Mearls, and James Wyatt "Episode 16: Monsters, Monsters, Monsters!" D&D Podcast, Wizards of the Coast, 2007-10-05.
  16. ^ Design & Development: Elves
  17. ^ David Noonan's Blog - Page 2 - Wizards Community
  18. ^ D&D Podcast: Episode 16 (October 2007)
  19. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dramp/2010July
  20. ^ http://critical-hits.com/2010/01/29/dd-xp-2010-dungeons-dragons-essentials/
  21. ^ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/writersroom/8115-Complete-Mike-Mearls-D-D-4th-Edition-Essentials-Interview
  22. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dusg/2010September
  23. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drfe/20100809
  24. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dramp/20100806
  25. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/343580000
  26. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/280880000
  27. ^ http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.aspx?x=dnd/dramp/2011January
  28. ^ Dunder och Drakar on Swedish Wikipedia

References

External links