





nd Edition, many think that you need all of that stuff to run a game, but honestly, you only need a few books. Getting into Advanced Dungeons & Dragons can be daunting to many people, especially now that the books are out of print. While Wizards of the Coast has republished them, I find the cost for these books to be unacceptable. With all of the supplemental material out there for 2Edition, many think that you need all of that stuff to run a game, but honestly, you only need a few books.





WHAT IS AD&D 2E?





When 2e came out, it wasn’t meant to replace the original AD&D, simply to clarify rules, and make finding information easier. Many things were altered, but it was always assumed that you owned the 1e version of the game. As the years passed, more supplements were added which typically over did the work accomplished by 1st Edition, the 2e Book of Artifacts for instance is unnecessary, all of the info that you need to create your own artifacts can be found in the 1e DMG, most of that 2e book is nothing but filler; choosing to publish an entire book to clarify a small blip in 1e was way too common, and you are best served by ignoring most of them.





WHAT BOOKS DO I NEED TO RUN AD&D?





There are only 3 books that you need from 2e.

The Player’s Handbook (PHB): This is the only book that a player needs to play the game, but the DM needs one too.

The Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG): This book contains rules specific for DMs which also agrees with the 2e PHB.

The Monstrous Manual (MM): This book is a huge collection of monsters and is a true work horse. It does cost the most, but it is a very valuable book to any DM.

The Complete Psionics Handbook : The book isn't core but it does allow you to run some monsters that use these rules, and you won't find them anywhere else that I know of.

The 2e Dungeon Master’s Shield is also worth the money if you can find one. It has most of the tables that you use regularly right there in front of you.





There are also 1e books that you should have:

The AD&D Dungeon Master’s Guide : This book was written by Gary Gygax and contains a wealth of knowledge that is unique to it, if it has a flaw, then it has to do with how the book was bound, care must be exercised when you are handling it. Of all of the books reprinted, this one may actually be worth the cover-price just for the proper binding alone.

The Wilderness Survival Guide : Contains rules and suggestions for managing a party in the wild. It is very in-depth.

The Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide : Much like the Wilderness guide, but geared towards underground exploration. Both of these books were the first ones to introduce Non-Weapon Proficiencies.

The Manual of the Planes : This book completely replaces the Planescape setting and requires much less time to read. If you have no interest in traveling the planes full time, this is the book for you!

Oriental Adventures : While not necessarily core, this is a worthy book to keep.

Deities & Demigods : If you want to create your own settings, this book can help greatly with creating a pantheon. The 2e version of this book, called Legends and Lore is comparable if you can’t find a copy.





WHAT BOOKS DO I USE THE MOST?

Seriously, I only really ever use the 2e core rule books. The 1e books are good for adventure designing, and I do use them, but only rarely; so if you can’t find them right away, I wouldn’t worry about it.





WHY WOULD I WANT TO PLAY AD&D?

The Settings! The settings put out for AD&D were the most functional, if you have never cracked open a boxed set that is pre-3e, boy are you in for a treat! Below is a list of the most popular.





· The World of Greyhawk: Designed by Gary Gygax; it is a bare bones campaign setting for those who like to do their own world building, but lack the time to create everything.

· Dragonlance: A fully formed setting based on the Novels.

· Forgotten Realms: You hear people bitch about this one, but it is the most popular. If you let it, it can ruin your campaign, but, if you just stick to the box set, and a handful of supplements, then this place is a gem!

· Spelljammer: Fantasy in outer space.

· Ravenloft: A horror setting that is also a wonderful world if you stick to the box set.

· Planescape: One of the most popular boxes for people who DO want to run an entire campaign jumping dimensions.

· Dark Sun: AD&D with the difficulty setting all the way up.

Mystara: A fully formed world with ties that date back to the early days of D&D





AD&D also allows you to easily play all of the old modules which made this game what it is. Of special interest are the 1e varieties, which are easily adapted to 2e rules with very little fuss. Many of the 2e modules were not that good, as during the era they produced stuff heavy on Railroading, but if you are the creative type, you can easily pick up an out of print boxed setting and get nothing but inspiration from them. This was back when D&D still sold ideas, which it should had stayed true to.























