Category Archives: Role-playing game history

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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Would Dungeons & Dragons Play Better If It Stayed Loyal to How Gary Gygax Awarded Hit Points?

Posted on August 7, 2018 by David Hartlage

In a typical fifth-edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure, characters will reach every battle with full hit points. Healing comes too easily to enter a battle at less than full health. Above level 10 or so, spells like Aid and Heroes … Continue reading →

Posted in Role-playing game design, Role-playing game history | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

How the Dungeon Powered the Success of D&D and the First Role-Playing Games

Posted on July 31, 2018 by David Hartlage

When home computers seemed like rare gadgets, a killer app was a program so compelling that people purchased the computer just to run the application. VisiCalc became the Apple II’s killer app, and then Lotus 1-2-3 drove customers to the … Continue reading →

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D&D’s Designers Can’t Decide Whether Characters Must Rest for Hit Points and Healing, but You Can Choose

Posted on July 17, 2018 by David Hartlage

In the original Dungeons & Dragons game, ordinary monster attacks inflicted just 1d6 damage. Yet characters still died, frequently. Clerics gained far fewer spells and much less healing than today, so most damage took a trip out of the dungeon … Continue reading →

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The Unintended Consequence That Ruined Fourth Edition D&D’s Chance of Success, But Proved Great for Gamers

Posted on July 3, 2018 by David Hartlage

Publicly, members of Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons team never discuss sales numbers. Privately, they dispute the notion that the Pathfinder role-playing game ever outsold fourth-edition D&D. But at Gen Con, late in the short life of fourth … Continue reading →

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Why Fourth Edition Never Saved Dungeons & Dragons

Posted on June 12, 2018 by David Hartlage

“Fourth edition Dungeons & Dragons is all about taking that things that work in D&D, keeping them in the game, and fixing everything else,” designer Mike Mearls wrote after the edition’s announcement in 2007. “That’s the goal, and I think … Continue reading →

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Why Fourth Edition Seemed Like the Savior Dungeons & Dragons Needed

Posted on June 5, 2018 by David Hartlage

In 2005, Dungeons & Dragons faced a possible future similar to the fate of another popular role-playing game, Vampire: The Masquerade. In this future, D&D only exists as a license for online games and t-shirts and another potential movie. The … Continue reading →

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The Threat that Nearly Killed Dungeons & Dragons—Twice

Posted on May 29, 2018 by David Hartlage

Despite the alarmists warning that things like ascending armor classes, women, or fourth edition would ruin Dungeons & Dragons, the game has only faced one serious threat. Ascending ACs are just easier, woman have been improving the game at least … Continue reading →

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Did Dave and Gary’s Gift for Finding Fun in Dungeons & Dragons Lead Them Wrong?

Posted on May 15, 2018 by David Hartlage

When Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax designed Dungeons & Dragons, they aimed for fun. In 1978 Gary wrote, “Enjoyment is the real reason for D&D being created, written, and published.” To Gary, when players fell in love with the game … Continue reading →

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Gary Gygax Versus the False Deity (of Realism)

Posted on May 8, 2018 by David Hartlage

Dungeons & Dragons started with a laser focus on dungeon expeditions. Specifically, the game assumed multi-level dungeons with wandering monsters and rooms stocked randomly from monster and treasure assortments. The only rules for non-player characters treated NPCs as monsters to … Continue reading →

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