Dungeons & Dragons First Edition

[Roderick_BR]

Anyone knows where I can find a copy of the first D&D? the one with the race/classes.
I checked TSR's site, but I couldn't find much from D&D, and I nothing about core books too.
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[JadedDM]

I'd suggest Amazon.com myself, or maybe eBay. I have several old 1E books myself, but I never use them.

[Roderick_BR]

Thank you Jared. I'll take a look.

[the_tick_rules]

my gamer's guild at college has a lot of 1st ed D&D stuff. We're in the middle of pricing them and a lot of our old llibrary stuff so we can sell them. I could ask a few questions next week when school starts back up if ya want.

[hyikim]

would this belong in d20 and general rpg, not other games?

[Jarl]

Yeah.

-I haven't seen 1st Ed stuff in a long time. I wouldn't know where to find it.

[Matthew]

Depends what you want. Ebay is a good place to find old edition stuff, as is Noble Knight Games. It sounds as though you want a copy of D&D 0.x or OD&D, rather than (A)D&D 1.x. There were many different editions of that game, you can read about most of them here: TSR Archive and here: D&D Product List. You can also read about basic Character building here: D&D 0.x Character Creation.

If you can get a copy of the Rules Cyclopedia, that I think is the fullest version of the game. It's difficult to find, but you can always download it as a PDF from pretty much any online RPG store.

This thread does belong in the Roleplaying Section, though.

[Roderick_BR]

would this belong in d20 and general rpg, not other games?

Not really, because this is D&D, but it's not D20 material.

[Roderick_BR]

Depends what you want. Ebay is a good place to find old edition stuff, as is Noble Knight Games. It sounds as though you want a copy of D&D 0.x or OD&D, rather than (A)D&D 1.x. There were many different editions of that game, you can read about most of them here: TSR Archive and here: D&D Product List. You can also read about basic Character building here: D&D 0.x Character Creation.

If you can get a copy of the Rules Cyclopedia, that I think is the fullest version of the game. It's difficult to find, but you can always download it as a PDF from pretty much any online RPG store.

This thread does belong in the Roleplaying Section, though.

I should have explained better. Yes, the first version, with the Fighter, Cleric, Magic User, Thief, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling basic classes, not the Advanced one.
I'm looking for the core books, or however they are called. I'll try to get my credit card in order to see what I can find on e-Bay and the likes.
It does? Well, I'm asking only about the system, not roleplaying. Oh well.
Thanks

[Meeeeebit]

I reckon most gamers that had atleast touched on dnd in the 80s would have atlest a 1 or 2 1e books.

[Ambrogino]

Not really, because this is D&D, but it's not D20 material.

It's d20 and general RPG, it just has more d20 traffic.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

Anyone knows where I can find a copy of the first D&D? the one with the race/classes.
I checked TSR's site, but I couldn't find much from D&D, and I nothing about core books too.
Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Ebay is likely going to be your best bet. I know of only one person who has 1st ed stuff, and he's probably the only person several hundred miles from columbus OH to have it. The books are not very common.

[Dark]

I should have explained better. Yes, the first version, with the Fighter, Cleric, Magic User, Thief, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling basic classes, not the Advanced one.

Look for the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. It's a hardbound volume that collects all the rules from the "boxed set" D&D games: the Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters sets (but not Immortals). Yes, it's the one where Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling are separate classes. The Cyclopedia lacks the "learning how to play" section and sample adventure of the Basic boxed set, but I assume you already know that stuff :)

It's ISBN 1-56076-085-0, published in 1991. I found a number of online stores listing it at http://www.bookfinder4u.com/isbn_search.html.

Note that this is not the first version of D&D, but it sounds like the one you mean. It's the one that was published around the same time as AD&D 1st edition and was supported in parallel to it for a long time.

[Roderick_BR]

Look for the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. It's a hardbound volume that collects all the rules from the "boxed set" D&D games: the Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters sets (but not Immortals). Yes, it's the one where Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling are separate classes. The Cyclopedia lacks the "learning how to play" section and sample adventure of the Basic boxed set, but I assume you already know that stuff :)

It's ISBN 1-56076-085-0, published in 1991. I found a number of online stores listing it at http://www.bookfinder4u.com/isbn_search.html.

Note that this is not the first version of D&D, but it sounds like the one you mean. It's the one that was published around the same time as AD&D 1st edition and was supported in parallel to it for a long time.

Thanks Dark. I think that's the one I want.

[Thorodin]

I would try ebay. I actually sold all my 1st edition books on ebay last year.

[Wehrkind]

I actually have a copy of "Rules 'Cyclopedia" for D&D, though you are right, I am about 300 miles from Columbus OH. I am heading down to my parent's place this weekend, so if I can dig it out of the basement, I am quite willing to part with it.

[Matthew]

I would try ebay. I actually sold all my 1st edition books on ebay last year.

Just out of interest, why did you sell them? I love having access to First Edition Books.

[Darasen]

Consider checking your local used book store.

[terrant]

I have a 1981 Expert Set (Basic Rules book, Expert Rules book and "Island of Dread Module" plus some dice). The copyright statements imply that first issues were way back in 1974. .

Book 1 (ISBN )0-935696-48-2 is "Basic Rules" and is a Players Handbook/Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual all in one 64 page book. Its beautifully simple and Wizards would do well to have a equivalent that could get people up and playing in a day as this one can.

Book 2, the "Expert Rules" (ISBN 0-935696-29-6) just builds on it with more detail.

The differences are many and strange (Halflings couldn't advance beyond 8th level but had a minimum dexterity. Clerics couldn't use blades and didn't get spells until they had survived a few levels). Wacky.

And no I'm not parting with my set so good hunting.

[ken-do-nim]

I have a 1981 Expert Set (Basic Rules book, Expert Rules book and "Island of Dread Module" plus some dice). The copyright statements imply that first issues were way back in 1974. .

Book 1 (ISBN )0-935696-48-2 is "Basic Rules" and is a Players Handbook/Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster Manual all in one 64 page book. Its beautifully simple and Wizards would do well to have a equivalent that could get people up and playing in a day as this one can.

Book 2, the "Expert Rules" (ISBN 0-935696-29-6) just builds on it with more detail.

The differences are many and strange (Halflings couldn't advance beyond 8th level but had a minimum dexterity. Clerics couldn't use blades and didn't get spells until they had survived a few levels). Wacky.

And no I'm not parting with my set so good hunting.

And if you can't find the Rules Cyclopedia, you at least want the 1983 version of the Expert Rules, not the 1981. Basic Rules could be either 1981 or 1983 as it didn't change as much. 1983 Expert Rules fixed the spell charts. As I recall, the 1981 rules completely omitted the 6th level cleric spells. I think other classes were affected to.

Oh and if you do get the 1981 Basic Rules, you might find the example of combat amusing. There is this part about being ready with the bow so you can go first, yet nowhere in the rules does it describe that. I think there were some other discrepancies too.

[MrNexx]

I have heard there is something wonky about theif skills in the Rules Cyclopedia, incidentally. Watch out for that.

[paigeoliver]

I have made my own personal errata to the thief class in the rules cyclopedia. It consists of a new thieve's skill chart that you paste over the stock one. PM me if you need a copy of it. I am the one who has posted about the Rules Cyclopedia thief class here in the past.

Also I suggest that you allow thieve's and ONLY thieves to use the optional 2 weapon fighting rules. Giving it to everyone unbalances the game and moves the D&D fighters away from the sword and board archetype that the adventures were written for.

Yes I know that is TWO boosts to a single class but that class NEEDED those boosts. Without it they were totally worthless for 10 or more levels.

The weapon mastery rules also unbalance the game, don't use them unless your game hits about 25th level or so. Even then just use the boosted damage tables and not any of the other bits. The other bits are crazy and were never apparently playtested.

You can also buy the rules cyclopedia as a PDF from Drive Thru RPG, it is cheap.

We recently started playing Rules Cyclopedia after a long stint of 3.5. I can't even BEGIN to tell you how much more fun we are having now. When it comes down to it all my players who said they liked 3.5 because it had "better rules", really liked it because they could make cooler characters. Once the game started and I explained that they could still make any kind of character they wanted, and use stuff from ANY RPG book they wanted, then they were having way more fun with rules Cyclopedia.

As far as letting them build any kind of cool character they want basically I will work anything into the game that a character wants to use, provided it is just not an attempt to gain massive bonuses.

Right now we have 3 characters using (or planning on using) non-Rules Cyclopedia rules.

Character one is a cleric who used a few of the cultural rules out of the 2nd edition Vikings sourcebook.

Character two is a Magic User who wants to emulate the 3.5 Bonded summoner prestige class.

Character 3 is a thief who wants to emulate the Shadowdancer prestige class.

Character one simply got to use the Viking rules. They were more flavor than anything.

Character two will eventually be able to research a spell to summon a permanent elemental companion. Of course the spell will drain a level from him because it is so powerful.

Character 3 will either be buying his shadowdancer type abilities with XP, levels, or reduced effective thief level. If all he wants is the shadow companion then it might end up being a freebie.

We played RC D&D tuesday night and did 18 encounters in two and a half hours and spent far more time in roleplaying than we did in combats. Most fights were resolved in about 2 minutes. Not an hour, not two hours, not 20 minutes. 2 minutes, and that was using miniatures and having spellcasters in the party.

[paigeoliver]

Whee, my hardcover Rules Cyclopedia came today. I had been working off a printout of the buyable PDF version for a long time.

My original rules cyclopedia was left at a friend's house many, many years ago and his mother threw it away because it was "devil worship".