Dungeon & Dragons
Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns

These rules are as complete as possible within the limitations imposed by the space of three booklets. That is, they cover the major aspects of fantasy campaigns, but still remain flexible. As with any other set of miniatures rules, they are guidelines to follow in designing your own fantasy-medieval campaign. They provide the framework around which you will build a game of simplicity or tremendous complexity – your time and imagination are about the only limiting factors, and the fact that you have purchased these rules tends to indicate that there is no lack of imagination – the fascination of the game will tend to make participants find more and more time. We advise, however, that a campaign be begun slowly, following the steps outline herein, so as to avoid becoming too bogged down with unfamiliar details at first. That way, your campaign will build naturally, at the pace best suited to the referee and players, smoothing the way for all concerned. New details can be added and old “laws”, altered so as to provide continually new and different situations. In addition, the players themselves will interact in such a way as to make the campaign variable and unique, and this is quite desirable.

If you are a player purchasing the Dungeons & Dragons rules in order to improve your situation in an existing campaign, you will find that there is a great advantage in knowing what is herein. If your referee has made changes in the rules and/or tables, simply not them in pencil (for who knows when some flux of the cosmos will make things shift once again!), and keep the rules nearby as you play. A quick check of some rule or table may bring hidden treasure or save your game “life”.

Men & Magic (Vol. I) details what characters can be played, potentials, limitations, and various magical spells. Monsters & Treasure (Vol, II) describes the beasts and creatures which will be encountered, as well as the kind and amount of treasure they are likely to guard, including magical items. Finally, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures (Vol. III) tells how to set up and actually play the campaign. It is presented last in order to allow the reader to gain the perspective necessary – the understanding of the two preceeding booklets. Read through the entire work in the order presented, before you attempt to play.

Contents

• Title: Dungeon & Dragons – Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns
• Period: Fantasy-Medieval
• Type: Tactical Wargame
• Time Scale:
  • 1 Dungeon Expedition = 1 Week
  • Wilderness Adventure: 1 Move = 1 Day
  • 1 Week of Actual Time = 1 Week of Game Time
• Ground Scale: 1:360 (1 inch = 10 yards)
• Troop Scale: 1 figure = 1, 10 or 20 men
• Authors: Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
• Illustrators: Keenan Powell, Greg Bell, C. Corey, Dave Arneson, T. Keogh, and David Sutherland
• Format:
  • Vol. I: 36 pages, soft bound
  • Vol. II: 40 pages, soft bound
  • Vol. III: 36 pages, soft bound
  • Reference Sheets: 20 pages
• Language: English
• Publisher: Tactical Studies Rules
• Published: 1974

Evaluation

In Dungeon & Dragons, Gygax and Arneson recommend using the Avalon Hill board game »Outdoor Survival« as the campaign map for wilderness adventures, and Chainmail miniature rules to play out any skirmishes and battles in the Dungeon & Dragons universe.

Volume I – Men & Magic covers the creation of player and non-player characters, their alignment, equipment, experience, the number of hit points a character may sustain before expiring, and a character‘s fighting capability ranging from „Man“ to „Hero“ and „Superhero“ with various die-roll modification. The fighting capability is the key which integrates Dungeon & Dragons with the Chainmail wargame rules, but D&D also offers a simplified alternative combat system which many players seem to use for small engagements. There are separate spells tables for 1st to 6th level magic-users and 1st to 5th level clerics, as well as eleven pages of explanations of spells.

Unlike other, more sophisticated skirmish wargame rules, Dungeon & Dragons offers no explicit rules for stunned and wounded characters and monsters, leaving it up to the referee to decide which debilitating effect a hit from a ranged or melee weapon might have. The idea that a character‘s health may be whittled down by cumulative hit points until that character suddenly keels over dead is rather weird, but this appears to be how many combats in D&D are actually played out.

Volume II – Monsters & Treasure lists the types and number of monsters which may be encountered during a wilderness adventure or dungeon expedition, as well as the kind of treasure which may be found when monsters are defeated.

Volume III – The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures covers the creation of the mazey dungeons of the underworld, the monsters that live in them, and treasures to be found on every dungeon level. The Wilderness section of Vol. III interfaces with the map board of Avalon Hill‘s »Outdoor Survival« board game, where catch basins are redesignated as castles and individual buildings become towns. D&D offers rules for wilderness encounters and evasion moves, as well as the construction of castles and strongholds, while sieges are again played out using Chainmail. Finally, there are rules for specialists like alchemists, armourers, engineers, sages, spies, men-at-arms, seamen and ship captains, aerial and naval combat rules which again rely on Chainmail for ranged combat and melee.

The attendant reference sheets are well laid out and easy to read, they facilitate game-play without constant reference to the three D&D volumes.

Apart from the simplistic hit point combat system, Dungeon & Dragons offers a plethora of valuable game resources for wargamers interested in medieval and fantasy-medieval campaigns with or without miniatures.

Wargame Rules