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Let Us Start a War, Shall We?
Hello, and welcome to the Oldskull Herald blog, where I tell the truth about iconic and intriguing things relating to old school fantasy role-playing games.
Roll for Initiative
It is common knowledge that a new D&D history book is coming out next month. If you have not done so yet, you might want to consider pre-ordering it because it’s going to be pretty great.
(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with this book.)
It is also common knowledge that the book is going to feature the unpublished July 1, 1973 typed manuscript of a game called Dungeons & Dragons, by Gygax & Arneson.
It is somewhat less common knowledge that this manuscript is already widely available as a result of public record searches via the National Archives, and has already been disseminated in a number of circles for review by fans and historians alike.
We can for example thank Chance & Circ*mstance, The Rules Lawyer, and Overgeeked in sharing this info in various places over the past few months. I was not active in my blog at the time, but for those of you who were unaware, you might want to check out some of the fine links in this paragraph.
I Cast Protection from Evil
Being a legal veteran – no, I am not a lawyer – I would like to take a moment to state that I am not sharing anything from the public record here that has not already been made available more widely by other individuals. I would also like to note that I offer my communicated expressions of personal commentary hereafter freely, for the purposes of education, knowledge sharing, and information freedom, without expectation of personal remuneration.
(Buy that book. Give Wizards money.)
And without further ado, I would like to share the 47 things that I personally find most interesting in Gygax’s 1973 manuscript that you will soon enjoy in The Making of Dungeons and Dragons, by Wizards of the Coast.
47 Cool Things in 1973 Unpublished Dungeons & Dragons
[1] A Guidon Games Release: Gary identifies himself as Guidon Games Miniatures Rules Editor. The Guidon game Chainmail, along with the Avalon Hill game Outdoor Survival, are needed to play. Clearly, at the time he was writing (July 1, 1973) he fully expected this game to be released by Guidon. Of course, when that fell through, he would found Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) with friend and partner Don Kaye.
[2] Angry Villagers Keep the Peace: Basically, the Angry Villager rule in this preliminary version of the game is the referee’s safety valve to reign in naughty players. Whenever barons or landholders are out of line, the villagers rise up. They are inescapable, you cannot flee them. They are unconquerable, they fight better than you do. And they are relentless, they keep fighting until the player relents and conforms to the villagers’ (referee’s) wishes.
[3] Appearance is a Dump Stat: Appearance – the forerunner to Charisma – can be ignored in the game if the referee so desires. It is based solely on outward form, and is considered differently for men and for women.
[4] Bad Boy Barons: In the barony section, it is expected that players will become rivals, and their domains will have the opportunity to attack one another. Retainers become much more important in this situation, because they are devout (sometimes fanatical) allies to the player where other players’ characters are often not too friendly.
[5] Blastum Gets Blasted: 1 in 20 (5%) of wands and staves are cursed, so that they fire backwards at the wielder.
[6] Clerics Might Shed Blood: While clerics are restricted to using only blunt weapons, the referee is given the clear option to remove this restriction as desired.
[7] Cleric Titles: Level 2 clerics are Friars, later changed to Adepts. Level 3 clerics are Village Priests, while level 4 Clerics are Priests without the village distinction. But then, the level 4 title was changed to Vicar instead. Level 6 clerics are Abbots (“Abbe,” French from the Latin Abbas), later changed to Bishops.
[8] Deserters and Fanatics: At loyalty score 5 or lower, Non-Real Player retainers desert their masters. At loyalty scores 15 to 17, they become fearless (no morale checks). At loyalty score 18, they fanatically give their lives as necessary.
[9] Dragons R Us: Walled towns all have dragon markets, ready and waiting to buy your subdued and captured dragons.
[10] Dropping Precious Things: Whenever characters flee from monsters, each person has a 10% chance to inadvertently drop the item in their hands. If two objects are in their hands, the item lost is rolled randomly on a 50/50 basis.
[11] Dwarves Advance Quickly: Apparently, dwarves – who must be fighters – gain +10% experience throughout their adventures, even though they top out at the rank of Myrimdon.
[12] Elves Have One Class: Elves begin either as fighters, or as magic-users, as decided by the player. If fighters, they advance to level 4 and then switch over to level 1 as magic-users. If magic-users, they advance to level 8 and then switch over to level 1 as fighters. They retain full knowledge and use of their previous class.
[13] Exotic Mount Market: Exotic and magical mounts can be purchased for gold. This include the Zitidar (a Burroughs mastodon basically, at 200 gp), the Small Thoat (400 gp), the Large Thoat (1,000 gp), the Pegasus (2,000 gp), the Hippogriff (3,000 gp), the Roc (5,000 gp), and the Griffon (9,000 gp). Players are expected to use magical express train transportation, basically (presumably, to beat other rival players to hot spots throughout the map of the Upper Land).
[14] Exploration of the Upper Land: We learn that the Upper Land is specifically defined by the Outdoor Survival game board. In a bit of a reverse, instead of the now-classic trope of adventurers beginning in a town and finding castles in the wilderness, they instead begin in the primary castle and find hamlets, villages, and walled towns.
[15] Fighting Capabilities: Readers are directed to Chainmail. Dungeons & Dragons is an expansion of Chainmail, and Chainmail is required equipment for the game.
[16] Five Ability Scores: The ability scores – rolled 3D6 in order by the referee, of course – are Intelligence, Cunning (later Wisdom), Strength, Health (later Constitution), and Appearance (later Charisma). Dexterity is not yet in the game.
[17] Get Ready for a Sure Prize: The treasure type table is referred to as the Prize Matrix. There are two types of prizes, magic items and treasure.
[18] Hazard Wages for Dungeon Delvers: Upkeep costs are assessed in the Upper Land on a normal monthly (1X) basis, but in the Underworld they are assessed on an accelerated weekly (4X) basis. This seems to be an implied rate of hazard pay for mercenaries in dangerous circ*mstances.
[19] Health Matters: Characters with Health +1 (equivalent to CON 13) or Health +2 (CON 14) get 1D6+1 rolls for hit points, and are also assured to gain at least +3 hit points per step (experience level).
[20] Health Really Matters: Characters with Health +3 or more (equivalent to CON 15+) get 1D6+2 rolls for hit points, and are also assured to gain at least +4 hit points per step.
[21] Hired Help: Additional funds can be spent to procure Hunters, Flying Animal Riders, and Slaves.
[22] Influences on the Game: Gygax cites Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter of Mars, Pellucidar), then Robert E. Howard (Conan), then De Camp & Pratt (The Incomplete Enchanter), and then Leiber (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser) as examples of the ideas that Dungeons & Dragons is going to express in the exciting new domain of adventure games. Quite similar to what appears in the published edition.
[23] Interesting Professions: Beyond the usual sages and such, available specialist types include an Administrator (perhaps a castellan / seneschal) and a Slave Trainer.
[24] Magic-User Titles: A level 2 MU is a Conjurer; a level 3 MU is a Seer.
[25] Manticoras Are Machine Guns: For manticores, the manticora spelling is used. Tail spikes fire as a short bow, but there doesn’t seem to be any limit specified. This might be the “spike ball” manticore of old woodcut illustrations.
[26] Monsters Deal Less Damage: Monsters inflict 1D6 damage when they strike characters (unless they are really huge, such as giants and efreet; then they inflict 2D6 damage).
[27] More Than Anti-Heroes: Evil (Chaotic) fighters have titles such as Anti-Warrior, Anti-Swordsman, and Anti-Swashbuckler to go along with Anti-Hero.
[28] Moria’s Bane Gets Enslaved: Balrogs, if you can manage it, can be subdued and sold to the highest bidder.
[29] No Hill Giants, Yet: Giants all belong to a single species. Their castles are guarded by bears, a hydra, or a dragon.
[30] Origins of the Game: Gygax makes it clear that the history of the game up to summer 1973 – from his personal perspective – is as follows. The Castle & Crusade Society is formed; they create medieval gaming rules; their rules became Chainmail (1971, as offered by Guidon Games); the C&C Society grows; Arneson begins his fantasy campaign; Arneson locates his campaign in a barony on the C&C map of The Great Kingdom; Arneson expanded upon the rules; and then Arneson shared this creation with Gary and the Lake Geneva group. Make of that what you will.
[31] Post-Apocalypse Now: This is an arcane shooter and artillery-friendly game. Wands have up to 200 charges, and staves have up to 300.
[32] Real and Non-Real Players: Players do not play characters. Human players are Real Players. Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are termed Non-Real Players. The distinction between player and character is very blurry.
[33] Rest Easy: The rate of natural healing is fairly generous, at the rate of 2 hit points per day.
[34] Rushing Through the Levels: Experience point demands are much lower (but it is arguably harder to gain experience). A level 2 magic-user requires 2,000 XP, a level 2 fighter requires 1,000 XP, and a level 2 cleric requires only 500 XP.
[35] Some Mercenaries Are Bigger Than Others: Hired mercenaries can be level 1, 2, 3, or 4 Non-Real fighters. They can be humans, dwarves, or elves (but not elven magic-users).
[36] Sorry I Blew Up Harold: Wizards can use the animate dead spell in an attempt to bring a person back to life. But if the spell fails, the remains are “atomized” and raising the dead is obviously no longer a possibility for that poor soul.
[37] Strange Wildlife Abounds: The arid plains of the Upper Land are rife with creatures from Burroughs; Pellucidar and Barsoom are very much a thing. This would largely carry over into the published version of the game. Gary had not yet, of course, run into the legal woes that would threaten Warriors of Mars: The Warfare of Barsoom in Miniature.
[38] Three Races of the Upper Land: Players can assume the roles of humans, dwarves, or elves. Hobbits exist in this world, but they are not played by the players.
[39] Three Types of Coinage: The only coins are copper pieces, silver pieces, and gold pieces. Electrum and platinum do not yet exist.
[40] Tougher Over Time: Characters improve their innate Armor Class through progression. Everyone gets +1 AC eventually, while Superheroes, level 12+ magic-users, and level 10+ clerics get +2 AC. Lords move on to +3 AC at level 12, and finally +4 AC if they reach level 16.
[41] Traveling Light: Players can buy light (half) rations, but if they eat them for more than a week, they suffer -1 Strength.
[42] We Don’t Need Spell Books: Magic-users are similar to clerics, in that they can memorize any spells and use them, provided they have the appropriate experience level and room in memory.
[43] We Have Always Lived in the Castle: Real Players do not have a city or base of operations. They hail from “the primary castle” of the “Upper Land” until they are ready to build their own.
[44] Welcome to the Jungle, You’re Gonna Die: Magic, poison, and other hostile effects are very dangerous. The best saving throw possible is a 6 on 1D20 (25% chance of failure), and that’s only for clerics of experience level 8+. For every other class and level, saving throws are considerably worse than that.
[45] Welcome to Middle Earth: Balrogs, Ents, and Hobbits are of course on full display. I do not believe Tolkien is named in the manuscript, however. (Some parts are smudged and very blurry.)
[46] Where’s My Nuke Spells?: Magic-users top out with level 5 magic spells.
[47] You Really Want a Domain: Basically, you as a Real Player are not a coddled hero with a certain destiny awaiting you. You are in a competition with every other Real Player. If you do not build your own castle, you are easily going to get swept off the board. This is not a rule, but it is strongly implied.
(Hey Jon, I hyped your book!)
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