About

This site hosts information about "Erin1478," a game played using the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules by-the-book, and in a club style.

FIRST EDITION RULES 

The version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules we use in our game is generally referred to as "first edition." The core of these rules are the Dungeon Masters Guide published in 1979, the Players Handbook published in 1978, and the Monster Manual published in 1977 under the moniker "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." Players who have learned later versions of the game will find these rules to be very familiar. In particular, the "second" and "fifth" editions most closely resemble this edition, though there is still plenty of similarity in the "third" and "fourth," as well as Pathfinder, to this edition. Although the writing and organization of the first edition rules may be more difficult to parse, the rules are much simpler than later editions. Making a character does not require the same sort of planning and there are fewer options needing consideration.

In fact, players need not know any of the rules to start playing, and the rules relevant to their character are quickly learned in play. Although it is unnecessary for players to own copies of the rule books, used copies are widely available and hardcover reprints, with PDFs included, are less expensive than digital-only copies of the current rules!

CLUB STYLE 

Unlike a dedicated gaming group, club style play means that from one session to the next the players and the characters may be different. This isn't a game of "one-shot" adventures, however. This is an ongoing campaign in which the setting provides the continuity rather than a specific party of characters. Participants in the game may easily drop in and out from one session to the next without disrupting other players. Players often have more than one character in the setting and in-game time continues outside each session, one in-game day for each actual day.

BY-THE-BOOK 

To us this means playing a game where the participants follow the rules as written rather than changing or ignoring them. In a game like this which allows for completely open-ended game “moves,” it’s not possible for the game designer to anticipate every rule that would be required. As such, by-the-book play includes the addition of rules as needed to adjudicate situations not addressed by the printed book and which are created in the same spirit as those rules in the book. Such rules become part of the game and are thereafter followed consistently. We favor rules interpretations which create a clear, understandable system that the players can rely on without needing to wonder how the referee will rule. 

JOINING THE GAME

Here are a few things that may be helpful to know when you’re joining the “Erin1478” AD&D campaign, especially if your experience with tabletop role-playing games is with recent games.

• Three in-person and and one online game sessions are scheduled each month. Players are requested to RSVP to the referee one week in advance if they plan to attend, and notify the referee ASAP if their plans change and they are unable to join. In addition to these scheduled sessions, players are invited to request additional sessions (in-person or online) any time.
• In game play, the challenges characters might encounter are in no way scaled or balanced against their ability to deal with the challenge. It is up to players to judge whether a situation is beyond their ability or not worth their time. Character death is always on the table.
• There is no “right way” to solve a problem, or anything that a character is “supposed to do,” nor is there any “plot” to advance other than the players’ own agenda.
• The rules we use are the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide, Players Handbook, and Monster Manual, originally published in 1977-9. Players don’t need to know all (or any) of the rules to play, but learning the rules relevant to playing their characters will make players more successful and more enjoyable to play with. Reprints of this edition are available (and cheaper than the current edition) as are used copies, however it is unnecessary for players to own their own copies as copyright law allows them to use the referee’s copies.
• There are a few rules that disappeared from the game in later editions that have a impact on play which players should be aware of from the start:
• Every month of game-world time characters will be assessed 100 gold per level for upkeep. This is automatically deducted by the referee. Once paid, it is unnecessary to account for every minor expenditure (torches, nights & meals in an inn, and so on). This upkeep may be assumed to pay for a modest home and a few household servants. Any guards or mercenaries, however, must be accounted for separately. Characters who fail to meet their upkeep requirements have penalties on their monthly health checks (see below).
• Every month of game-world time characters must check for the possibility of having contracted a disease and / or parasitic infection. The chances of this occurring are quite low, 0% to 6%, depending on climate, season, crowding, filth, poorly cooked food, and other factors (enumerated in the rules). Such afflictions are very uncommon and even less commonly fatal, but they can be, and they can make characters unavailable for play sometimes.
• Time, from the characters’ perspective, can move faster or slower than real time during game sessions. Outside of the game sessions, however, time continues to move. One day in the game world goes by for each day in the real world. Because of this, it’s important for characters to get themselves to some sort of relative safety, such as a town or village, set up a defensible position in the wilds, describe an evasion plan, or something at the end of each session. Time does not freeze to be resumed at that moment in the next session.
• Players may have more than one character in the setting. Though only one of a player’s characters may be used at a time, and they may not transfer wealth or other things between them, or otherwise pool their resources. It is permitted for the player to name one of his characters the “next of kin” of another in order to transfer wealth upon the character’s death.
• The rules of the game are applied transparently and ruthlessly.

RESOURCES 

Sections on this site describe the rules we use in more details, the setting in which we play the game, our schedule, and resources to facilitate game play. A leader board shows the current progress of the characters, and news provides updates on the campaign, skillful play tips, and sometimes events, rumors, and propaganda within the game setting.

Please join us for a game in person, and for discussion on Discord using the 7QbNjzN server code.

"BY ORDERING THINGS AS THEY SHOULD BE, THE GAME AS A WHOLE FIRST, YOUR CAMPAIGN NEXT, AND YOUR PARTICIPANTS THEREAFTER, YOU WILL BE PLAYING ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE."

- Afterword of the Dungeon Masters Guide by Gary Gygax