Tag Archives: Gary Gygax

How Dungeons & Dragons Got Its Ability Scores

Posted on October 1, 2019 by David Hartlage

The earliest character sheet for the game that inspired Dungeons & Dragons includes 8 character traits: Brains, Looks, Credibility, Sex, Health, Strength, Courage, and Cunning. The character comes from Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor campaign, which launched in 1971. See A History … Continue reading →

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Secret D&D Games, Sharpshooters, Baby Orcs, and More From the DM David’s Comment Section

Posted on August 27, 2019 by David Hartlage

Time for another visit to the comment section. At the end, one reader tells a true story of how the Satanic panic drove a group’s Dungeons & Dragons games into secret, and what happened when concerned citizens learned of the … Continue reading →

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A Butcher, a Baker, and Naughty Nannies in D&D’s First Setting Book: City State of the Invincible Overlord

Posted on August 6, 2019 by David Hartlage

In December of 1975, TSR had yet to publish any Dungeons & Dragons setting information other than the hints published in the Grayhawk and Blackmoor supplements. Blackmoor’s Temple of the Frog qualified as the only published adventure, although the armies … Continue reading →

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Queen of the Demonweb Pits Opened Dungeons & Dragons to the Planes

Posted on July 9, 2019 by David Hartlage

In Dragon magazine issue 8, published July 1977, Gary Gygax proposed the Dungeons & Dragons cosmology, a great wheel of planes surrounding the prime material. The existence of infinite planes “will vastly expand the potential of all campaigns which adopt … Continue reading →

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19 Adventures in the Running for 10 Greatest Adventures Since 1985

Posted on July 2, 2019 by David Hartlage

For my list of the 10 greatest adventures since 1985, nominations, reviews, and reputation led me to consider many more excellent adventures than fit a list of 10. Today’s post reveals the adventures that fell short of my 10 greatest, … Continue reading →

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Why Did So Many Classic Adventures Come From 7 Years of D&D’s 45-Year History?

Posted on May 28, 2019 by David Hartlage

When Dungeons & Dragons fans rate adventures, the ones published early get the most accolades. In 2004, Dungeon magazine listed the greatest adventures of all time. Of 30 adventures, 20 came from 1985 or earlier. TSR started publishing adventures in … Continue reading →

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Why Dungeon & Dragons Dropped Assassins and Renamed Thieves

Posted on May 21, 2019 by David Hartlage

Why did D&D’s second edition drop assassins and its third edition change thieves to rogues? Continue reading →

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Strong Moral Dilemmas in D&D and the Unwanted Kind that Keeps Appearing

Posted on May 14, 2019 by David Hartlage

The best tales climax when the heroes must choose between what they’ve learned is right and an easy route to what they thought they wanted. In fiction, such moral dilemmas reveal character. When a woman who only ever wanted to … Continue reading →

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My Two Most Controversial Posts Prompt a Trip Into the Comment Section

Posted on May 7, 2019 by David Hartlage

The last two months included the two most discussed posts in the 7-year history of DM David, which calls for another trip into the comment section. In Should a Dungeon Master Invite Players to Help Create the D&D World Beyond … Continue reading →

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6 Popular Things in D&D That I Fail to Appreciate

Posted on April 16, 2019 by David Hartlage

I’m used to having fringe tastes: I love Dungeons & Dragons, fantasy, and science fiction. These days, none of these passions rate as weird, but only because of a recent flip in popular tastes. As a teen, all these interests … Continue reading →

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