Is there a mildly comprehensive comparison of DD to OD&D?
I don't have the LBB and I am not well versed in OD&D...so wanted to know what the differences betweed DD & OD&D is.
Hi
jeff, and welcome to the boards
A single, comprehensive list of differences hasn't been published that I'm aware of. But this is partly because it would be a long, tedious task, and partly because the majority of the differences are really pretty trivial.
All the same, I can give you an overview in broad strokes.
Firstly, you might want to check out
my earlier post on a closely related subject.
Then, perhaps the following will help complete the picture (bear in mind that I've been working on the upcoming revision of DD for months now, so I write all of this with that revision in my mind. Pretty much all of this is relevant across the every iteration of DD though)...
* The single most critical difference is that DD is published under the OGL, while OD&D is not.
* The next thing to know is that DD brings together the numerous sources of OD&D rules and combines them all into a single document. These include the 3LBBs, Chainmail, Outdoor Survival, the FAQ, other Strategic Review and Great Plains Game Players Newsletter articles, and a few touches from EGG's house rules.
* The above means that DD includes elements of a "wider" OD&D that don't appear in the 3LBBs. Specifically, DD includes the thief class (although it is said to be optional), a handful of spells from The Strategic Review, and explicit details of OD&D's multiple attacks per round mechanic (from the FAQ).
* DD is only concerned with the Alternative Combat System. Chainmail's combat system is omitted entirely from the SRD, and thus is only mentioned in DD as a possibility for resolving massed battles.
* The other main difference is the area of seafaring and aerial exploration. The original introduces mini-tabletop battle games in these areas, which are not included the SRD. DD instead focuses on the exploration component of these areas, allowing regular outdoor combat to occur.
* DD's tables of names and figures all vary from the original for copyright reasons, but these differences are trivial.
* DD renames any spell, monster, or magic item that is not explicitly allowable under the OGL, but once again these differences are trivial.
* DD gives full details of all monsters that are passingly mentioned in the 3LBBs.
* DD bows to the SRD in a few places; a handful of spells' levels are per the SRD, Kobolds are more per the SRD, and Dragons are more per the SRD.
* DD includes a couple of magic items from Greyhawk (I think, will have to check).
Those are the main differences I can think of without skimming through the texts side by side. I'm sure a couple of the other enthusiasts here will be able to add some detail to the list, but I'd expect most of those extras to be relatively minor details.
The really important thing to keep in mind is that the spirit of the game is unchanged. DD is intended exactly for folks who are interested in OD&D but don't have access to the original materials, so my advice would be to get yourself a free copy and plunder it
Hope this helps,
Simon