This article presents a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough of the First Edition combat process, using a sample dungeon encounter to illustrate how surprise, initiative, spellcasting, movement, and combat resolution function in play. Where appropriate, notes identify the specific rulebook sections from which each procedure is drawn.

Combat is a central feature of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). Although the rulebooks present combat as an orderly, segmented procedure, the texts themselves contain gaps, ambiguities, and overlapping subsystems that can lead to confusion—particularly where movement, initiative, surprise, and spellcasting intersect. As a result, the practical conduct of melee combat is often left to inference rather than explicit instruction.

Combat is a central feature of every edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In a melee round, combatants jockey for position, missiles streak toward their targets, and spells are unleashed amid the chaos. The rulebooks present this process as orderly and well-defined.

As most players know, many rules in AD&D are notoriously difficult to grasp. The causes range from unclear writing to typographical errors to poor organization. This article sheds light on some of the game’s more arcane and perplexing rules, explaining how they function and, in some cases, the rationale for their inclusion. Often, multiple sources must be consulted to uncover the official answer. To facilitate this, page numbers are cited throughout the text.

Recently, knowledge of a heretofore unknown power native to the Lower Planes has come to light, discovered within the musty journals of Pluffet Smedger, the Elder, sage of the Royal University at Relmord. The sage spent many years unearthing information on the being he named “Eddie.” He had intended for him to be included in his masterwork, The Monster Manual, that ponderous catalog of strange and dreadful creatures. Unfortunately, the printer’s devil intervened, leaving Eddi

The classic First Edition module The Temple of Elemental Evil was one of the earliest mega-dungeon adventures published by TSR. In this sprawling mini-campaign, the adventurers encounter a mysterious pair of doors sealed with chains.

Psionics in First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) are an optional subsystem of mental powers drawn from the minds of creatures. Their inclusion adds a rare and unconventional dimension to a campaign.

Alignment is a founding tradition of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Present since 1974, it defines the moral compass of player characters, non-player characters, and monsters. By indicating who aligns with Good, Evil, Law, or Chaos — or who chooses Neutrality — alignment distinguishes heroes from villains and permeates the game’s cosmology.

This essay offers a comprehensive exploration of alignment in Dungeons & Dragons. It examines what alignment is, its purpose in the game, its meaning, and how it shapes both characters and monsters on individual and social levels.

Alignment is a cornerstone of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Its concepts of player morality and ethics are integral to many aspects of the game,

Gary Gygax’s afterword to the Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG) begins with the well-known quote, “IT IS THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME, NOT THE LETTER OF THE RULES, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.” The focus of this discussion is the intended meaning of the “spirit of the game.”

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) is a gloriously sprawling game, and with that scope comes more than a few puzzling, oddly phrased, or hard-to-find rules. Some of these quirks stem from old printing errors, some from vague wording, and others from information tucked away in unexpected corners of the books.

Leigh Brackett’s The Book of Skaith is a trilogy featuring her recurring hero, John Eric Stark, a human raised on Mercury by its native beings. Earlier Stark tales unfolded on Mars, but after a ten-year break, Brackett returned to the character, relocating him to the dying world of Skaith.

A brief look misrepresentations and untruths about Dungeons & Dragons from the past.

First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) is a wondrous game that has left an indelible mark on those who’ve played it — this author included. Yet its quirky, idiosyncratic rulebooks can be difficult to navigate, even for veteran players. Editing issues run throughout, leaving readers unsure of what the rules actually mean. Common problems include vague wording,

This article allows offers an alternate system for determining dragon size and attack damage for 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

What did J.R.R. think of Robert E. Howard's iconic barbarian, Conan?

Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax enjoyed sprinkling his writings with unusual and often archaic words, a habit that gave his rulebooks and adventures a distinctively arcane flavor. Rather than relying on familiar fantasy clichés, Gygax seemed to delight in language that felt half-forgotten, lending the game an almost scholarly strangeness that players found both puzzling and enchanting.

Most of the classic undead monsters in Dungeons & Dragons originate in mythology and folklore. Novice players, encountering the game for the first time, usually possess at least some knowledge of zombies, skeletons, ghosts, spectres, vampires, mummies, and other horrors drawn from countless books and films. But not every creature in the game has a folkloric basis.

This article explores the original sources that inspired one of the game's greatest antiheroes.