Author Archives: David Hartlage

The Plight of the Unfrozen Dungeon Master

Posted on November 27, 2018 by David Hartlage

If you play Dungeons & Dragons in game stores, you will meet an unfrozen dungeon master. Fifteen years ago, I was one. The first surge in the popularity of D&D started in 1977, when I found the first Basic Set, … Continue reading →

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Why Gary Gygax Added Unrealistic Hit Points, Funny Dice, and Descending AC to D&D

Posted on November 20, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 1972, Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson introduced his Blackmoor campaign to co-creator Gary Gygax. The campaign stemmed from Gary’s Chainmail rules, but Dave’s game transformed the rules for miniature-figure battles into something new and irresistible—something that broadly resembled … Continue reading →

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The Tangled Origins of D&D’s Armor Class, Hit Points, and Twenty-Sided Die Rolls To-Hit

Posted on November 13, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 1977, when I first read the Dungeon & Dragons basic rules, the way armor class improved as it shrunk from 9 to 2 puzzled me. Shouldn’t higher numbers be better? Players just used AC to find a row on … Continue reading →

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Event-driven D&D Adventures Aren’t About Events; They’re About Villains

Posted on November 6, 2018 by David Hartlage

The plot of every vintage James Bond movie resembles a role-playing scenario based on an investigation and events. A hook like the theft of an atomic bomb sets Bond into motion. In an investigation, he chases leads from one situation … Continue reading →

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Dungeon Masters, Instead of Plots, Prepare Secrets, Clues, and Leads

Posted on October 30, 2018 by David Hartlage

Planning a Dungeons & Dragons game around encounters and plots leads to trouble. In my last post, I explained how preparing encounters proves less flexible than preparing situations. Situations can take dungeon masters far. Every D&D adventure published before 1982 … Continue reading →

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Dungeon Masters, Don’t Prepare Plots and Encounters—Do This Instead

Posted on October 23, 2018 by David Hartlage

Every dungeon master sometimes throws characters into a combat encounter, and then sees players do something unexpected. We never expect a peaceful dialog. Later, the characters reach a mountain outpost stocked with perfectly crafted encounters and the players show ingenuity … Continue reading →

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The Game-Design Trends That Turned D&D Into a Game Gary Gygax Disliked

Posted on October 16, 2018 by David Hartlage

The second edition of Dungeons & Dragons that reached gamers probably stayed close to the edition co-creator Gary Gygax might have designed. But later, Gary would say, “In my estimation second-edition AD&D began to lose the spirit of the original.” … Continue reading →

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How Much Would Gary Gygax’s Second-Edition D&D Have Differed From the Version That Reached Gamers?

Posted on October 9, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 1985, Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax shared his plans for a new, second edition in Dragon magazine. Even as his column reached print, Gary was forced out of TSR, ending his work on D&D. This left D&D fans … Continue reading →

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Gary Gygax’s Thwarted Plans for Second-Edition Dungeons & Dragons

Posted on October 2, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 1985, D&D co-creator Gary Gygax wrote a column for Dragon magazine describing his plans for a second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. “This task does not preclude later supplements, changes and yet new editions (a Third, perhaps a … Continue reading →

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The Best Ways to Track Initiative in Dungeons & Dragons

Posted on September 25, 2018 by David Hartlage

In my last post on tracking initiative, I surveyed every tracking technique I knew, from apps to combat pads. Five years later, I feel ready for a stronger statement: If you don’t use card stock tents to track initiative, you … Continue reading →

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