Tag Archives: Rob Kuntz

Time Pressure, Wandering Monsters, and D&D’s Social Contract

Posted on July 25, 2017 by David Hartlage

In 1980, Dungeons & Dragons players at my high school traded stories that confirmed Tomb of Horrors as the HARDEST DUNGEON EVER. Then someone told me how to beat it. Just hire a bunch of guys with shovels to excavate … Continue reading →

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How much description should a dungeon key include?

Posted on November 21, 2016 by David Hartlage

The conventional Dungeons & Dragons adventure includes a dungeon key describing numbered locations on a map. When D&D co-creator Gary Gygax created his first dungeon under Castle Greyhawk, he usually wrote a 1-line note for each room. These notes served … Continue reading →

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The Dungeons & Dragons spells Gary Gygax never meant for players

Posted on July 18, 2016 by David Hartlage

Dungeons & Dragons first supplement, Greyhawk, raised the game’s highest level spells from 6th level to 9th. None of Gary Gygax’s players had reached the level required to cast the new spells. Tim Kask remembers that as he and Gary … Continue reading →

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Tomb of Horrors tests patience, but still ranks as Dungeons & Dragons’ best villain

Posted on January 20, 2016 by David Hartlage

In his notes to the dungeon master, author Gary Gygax promises that the Tomb of Horrors “is a thinking person’s module.” He warns, “If your group is a hack and slay gathering, they will be unhappy.” To back his claim, … Continue reading →

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Why Dungeons & Dragons players stopped exploring megadungeons

Posted on November 11, 2015 by David Hartlage

In my last post I wrote about how Dungeons & Dragons creators Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax built their campaigns around huge dungeons that grew and changed. These megadungeons enabled Dave and Gary to run campaigns for dozens of players. … Continue reading →

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When megadungeons ruled Dungeons & Dragons

Posted on November 5, 2015 by David Hartlage

In the early 70s, as Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons, he played the game seven times a week. He wrote, “As I worked at home, I did not schedule play sessions, but when a gamer or two dropped in … Continue reading →

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Dungeons & Dragons fifth-edition Basic Rules, an annotated page 1

Posted on July 4, 2014 by David Hartlage

Wizards of the Coast has released the Dungeons & Dragons basic rules as a free download. I have yet to read past the first page, but even that invites comments. The July 3 basic rules are labeled, version 0.1, but … Continue reading →

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