Gygax 1975 - How To Set Up Your Dungeons & Dragons Campaign

[kent]

Badger2305 mentioned Gygax's notes on How To Set Up Your Dungeons & Dragons Campaign on this thread. I decided to reformat the essay to include it in the back of my DMG. I have added an A5 version which may suit an OD&D box.

You can download both pdfs through links on my blog. Spot typos? Let me know. Does anyone know if parts I and III of the series are available?

Direct links:
odd
docs.google.com/file/d/0BxGA_BYDlr7JanIzX1dqZDljNEk/edit?usp=sharing
add
docs.google.com/file/d/0BxGA_BYDlr7JWTZTNk5Bemc4bk0/edit?usp=sharing

update: I have added similar pdfs for the OD&D FAQ from Strategic Review Vol.1 #2 summer 1975

LINKS to faq pdfs:
ad&d format pdf
od&d format pdf


further update: I have added an article describing a brief dungeon excursion written by Gygax -- Wargamer's Digest Vol.1 #7 May 1974
SWORDS & SCORCERY IN WARGAMMING:

LINKS to pdfs:
ad&d format pdf
od&d format pdf

[Finarvyn]

I've searched for parts 1 and 3 for a long time now, with no success.

[inkmeister]

Very good, thank you Kent for posting this.

[sulldawga]

Thanks, Kent, very useful. If exalts existed, you would have one from me!

[geoffrey]

Thank you for the formatting. I wish we had a lot more of Gary's writings from 1974-75.

[funkaoshi]

Good stuff, thanks.

[scalydemon]

Good stuff. I think some people make the mistake of trying to start too big when developing or designing a campaign setting or area

[makofan]

Great stuff kent. Thank you very much. One typo - describing the sixth level with wild boars, it should be naturally backed up, not naturally hacked up.

[kent]

Jul 20, 2013 12:41:53 GMT -6 makofan said:

Great stuff kent. Thank you very much. One typo - describing the sixth level with wild boars, it should be naturally backed up, not naturally hacked up.

Good catch.

I'll wait a day to see if any more typos come in and then update the pdfs and make a note here.

[kent]

Anyone know what font was used in the OD&D books and Greyhawk? I could use the same font then for a second OD&D A5 version.

[Falconer]

Jul 20, 2013 10:40:39 GMT -6 kent said:

Does anyone know if parts I and III of the series are available?

I have seen them. IIRC they are short, and not as interesting as part 2. FWIW, it’s a 3-part series on D&D, and only part 2 is about “How to set up your campaign.” Part 1 covers how/why he wrote the game (Arneson had the idea of 1:1, etc.), and Part 3 covers the future of the game (Supplements and other future releases from TSR).

[dizzysaxophone]

Jul 20, 2013 13:38:00 GMT -6 Falconer said:

Jul 20, 2013 10:40:39 GMT -6 kent said:

Does anyone know if parts I and III of the series are available?

I have seen them. IIRC they are short, and not as interesting as part 2. FWIW, it’s a 3-part series on D&D, and only part 2 is about “How to set up your campaign.” Part 1 covers how/why he wrote the game (Arneson had the idea of 1:1, etc.), and Part 3 covers the future of the game (Supplements and other future releases from TSR).

Interesting, I just read what I assume is Part One in Best of Dragon 1. I tried to find 2 and 3 after reading your comment (in hopes that they too would be in there), but a quick skim didn't yield any results.

Good article and thanks for sharing Kent!

[kent]

Jul 20, 2013 13:38:00 GMT -6 Falconer said:

Jul 20, 2013 10:40:39 GMT -6 kent said:

Does anyone know if parts I and III of the series are available?

I have seen them. IIRC they are short, and not as interesting as part 2. FWIW, it’s a 3-part series on D&D, and only part 2 is about “How to set up your campaign.” Part 1 covers how/why he wrote the game (Arneson had the idea of 1:1, etc.), and Part 3 covers the future of the game (Supplements and other future releases from TSR).

It is this that makes us keen to read part 3 I think.

"Those that are careful and/or lucky might also be able to hire a few men-at-arms to accompany them. The latter is particularly true if players pool their funds. In a short time the first dungeon expedition can be made, but that is the subject of Part III of this series, so we will return to it again later."

[kent]

The typo mentioned above is fixed now.

[Deleted]

Kent, thank you for making this available.

[jmccann]

The 2nd paragraph has "if a room sinks fours levels" instead of "if a room sinks four levels". This typo is present in the original as well.

[kent]

Jul 20, 2013 23:28:10 GMT -6 jmccann said:

The 2nd paragraph has "if a room sinks fours levels" instead of "if a room sinks four levels". This typo is present in the original as well.

Good. Fixed.

[paulg]

Thanks, kent! This is great.

I found a few typos.

p. 1

- nearest Iarge town
+ nearest large town

- immediately too knowledgable
+ immediately too knowledgeable

p. 2

- Before the rules for D&D were published Old Greyhawk Castle was
+ (Before the rules for D&D were published `Old Greyhawk Castle' was

p. 3

- garden of fungi.
+ garden of fungi.)

- with Orcs, Hobgoblins, and, Gnolls
+ with Orcs, Hobgoblins, and Gnolls

- city of ``Lankhmar'', Strange towers
+ city of ``Lankhmar''. Strange towers

- society of evil clerics'', a brotherhood
+ society of evil clerics, a brotherhood

p. 4

- before the Summer of this year
+ before the summer of this year

- referee to help bis players
+ referee to help his players

- Advancement in ability should be a function
+ Advancement in ability would be a function

[kent]

Well done.

A few false alarms. I don't know why you were seeing a capital "i" rather than a lower case "l" (ell). I choose having emphasised "Old Greyhawk Castle" in italics not to put quotes around it too. I decided to remove brackets from around a large paragraph because it didn't look good to me. Otherwise good spots.

[kent]

I have added similar pdfs for the OD&D FAQ from Strategic Review Vol.1 #2 summer 1975

LINKS:
ad&d format pdf
od&d format pdf

[grodog]

Jul 20, 2013 18:24:15 GMT -6 kent said:

Jul 20, 2013 13:38:00 GMT -6 Falconer said:

I have seen them. IIRC they are short, and not as interesting as part 2. FWIW, it’s a 3-part series on D&D, and only part 2 is about “How to set up your campaign.” Part 1 covers how/why he wrote the game (Arneson had the idea of 1:1, etc.), and Part 3 covers the future of the game (Supplements and other future releases from TSR).

It is this that makes us keen to read part 3 I think.

"Those that are careful and/or lucky might also be able to hire a few men-at-arms to accompany them. The latter is particularly true if players pool their funds. In a short time the first dungeon expedition can be made, but that is the subject of Part III of this series, so we will return to it again later."

Gary basically bails on going into a first expedition's details in part 3 (Europa #9, July 1975):

According to my rough outline this is supposed to cover first adventures, including the equipment a party would typically take on first expeditions, what spells low-level magic-users and clerics would have most need for, usage of hired men-at-arms, and some typical accounts of first adventures (the hit-and-run technique being stressed). All that seems rather staid, for any readers who have acted upon the first couple of articles in this series have already gained such knowledge by this time. As I am also very pressed for time at this particular moment, it seemed a good time to more-or-less copy-out without actually doing so at all. Those of you who would enjoy reading an installment pertaining to first adventures in a dungeon should advised your Good Editor, and he will in turn advise me to stop fooling around and get busy. This brings me (quite illogically) to the current overview of D&D.

Gary then goes on from there to discuss flaws in the current presentation/edition of D&D (OD&D 3rd printing brown box, at this time), kibbitzes on the appeal of D&D relative to comments from some other readers/zines, and then talks a bit about War of the Wizards, Barker, and EPT. So, not much in the way of dungeony goodness, unfortunately.

I do wish he had written the first adventures advice article, since it sounds like he would have included some fiction/session summaries as well with it. Oh well....

Allan.

[kent]

Thanks Grodog. As long as we're not missing anything.

[ravenheart87]

Nice article, thanks for sharing. My favorite part is the last paragraph about demi-humans and unusual player characters.

[Deleted]

Is the reformatted PDF still available? Kent's blog seems to be closed up.

[kent]

Jul 29, 2013 9:03:00 GMT -6 @exedore6 said:

Is the reformatted PDF still available? Kent's blog seems to be closed up.

Ive put direct links to the pdfs in the OP.

[kent]

further update: I have added the article mentioned by grodog describing a brief dungeon excursion written by Gygax -- Wargamer's Digest Vol.1 #7 May 1974
SWORDS & SCORCERY IN WARGAMING:

LINKS to pdfs:
ad&d format pdf
od&d format pdf

[archersix]

Very cool stuff Kent. I'd never seen the one in your latest post before. Thanks!

[kesher]

Aug 3, 2013 17:24:03 GMT -6 kent said:

further update: I have added the article mentioned by grodog describing a brief dungeon excursion written by Gygax -- Wargamer's Digest Vol.1 #7 May 1974
SWORDS & SCORCERY IN WARGAMING:

LINKS to pdfs:
ad&d format pdf
od&d format pdf

I've never seen that--awesome!

[The Semi-Retired Gamer]

Downloaded and will be using. Great stuff. Thanks for posting!

[Falconer]

Kent, how about reformatting the original Thief from the Great Plains Game Players Newsletter #9?

Then how about putting them all together in a single booklet with a table of contents and unified pagination?

That would be sweet. Thanks, buddy!