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The ecletic general interests of Auspice Darer Publisher, Darius Pearce. Based in Saint Clement, Jersey and Wembley, Brent, United Kingdom
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Sunday, 15 July 2012
OD&D Supplement 1 - Greyhawk
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| 1st Print |
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| 11th Print |
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| 2nd Print GK logo |
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| Errata Sheet |
The First printing of Greyhawk (with the "GK" logo), when compared to later prints, shows the following differences: it has the words "Additional" and "Supplement I" in a different, expanded-style font, the cover artwork is slightly larger, and the internal typeface is much more condensed (similar to that of the early Original D&D Set booklets). Also, the price for a "Multi-Dice Set" in the rear catalog has "$1.75" scratched out, and "$2.50" hand-written in pen next to it. The booklet is 56 pages long, and was printed by Graphic Printing of Lake Geneva. The inside cover does not have a printing date, though we believe it was printed in February 1975. Being released in roughly the same time frame as the Second Print of the Original D&D Set (of which only 2000 copies were printed), it is easy to surmise that the print run of this version was 1000 copies or less.
The Second print of Greyhawk bears either a GK logo or a Lizard logo, with cover text/artwork size differences as depicted in the scan to the right, and is now 68 pages long (due entirely, it appears, to the new internal typeface). Though both versions state "Second Printing, July 1975" on the copyright page, the Lizard-logo version was actually printed between September and December 1975. The Second print (and all later printings) were printed by Heritage Models of Dallas, Texas.
Second prints and later of Greyhawk have multiple textual errors. These errors were never corrected in the main body of any subsequent print; however, an errata sheet appears on the last page of the Third and later prints. Beginning with the Third print, the cover illustration was slightly enlarged over previous prints. All prints reference "Hobbits" on page 5, even though that term should have been corrected at least by the Eighth print.
Dungeons and Dragons - Original Set (1974-1979)
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| Box Cover from the 1st Print |
Original D&D Set (woodgrain box) by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Original D&D Set (white box) by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Original D&D Set (white box, OCE) by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Contains three booklets (Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, Underworld & Wilderness Adventures) plus a Reference Sheets booklet. In addition, the Second and Third prints were bundled with a Correction Sheet.
The Reference Sheets booklet (actually, just loose pages stapled together), was exclusively available in the Original D&D Set. Nearly every set we've heard about has a booklet with varying pages, from 6 to 12; as far as we know, each printing has the same info, only differing in format and number of pages.
The history of the box set mirrors the rise of TSR Inc., from hobby to international corporation. The first sets being fairly amateur productions becoming increasingly slick as the years went by.
The first of two major litigations that TSR was to be involved in was between them and Tolkein Enterprises over the use of the terms 'Hobbit', 'Ent', 'Balrog' etc. TSR removed these references in later editions as the license was sold to ICE who produced the MERP (Middle Earth Role Play) system.
The second was between the co-creators and is more fully explored in the post on the original Chainmail.
The rule set was further expanded upon with the five Original D&D Supplements. It was superseded in 1977 with the release of the D&D Basic Set (and to some extent, the Advanced D&D system).
Which edition is your copy?
Contrary to rumors, the Original D&D Set was *not* available at the 1973 Eastercon, nor were any "pre-publication" sets released. The set was first printed in late January 1974, and very likely was not publically available until the second quarter of 1974.
First Alpha (Jan 1974)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00).
Woodgrain striations on the box run horizontally
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and do not indicate any printing number
Inside rear covers of booklets 2 and 3 show the printer's imprint -- Graphic Printing of Lake Geneva; booklet 1 doesn't have it
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (copyrighted names of the Tolkien estate; easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Allegedly, 1000 copies of this set were printed by Graphic Printing (and hand-assembled by Gygax and friends in his home). Reportedly took eleven months to sell out. As evidenced by the additional prints below, there is strong indication that the box, the cover stickers, and the booklets themselves were printed in differing amounts, which led to later "frankensteining" of the various parts
First Beta (mid 1974)
Identical in all respects to the First Print Alpha, except on two points:
contains an errata sheet
contains a different print of Volume 3, Underworld & Wilderness Adventures. In contrast to the booklet in the Alpha print, this booklet has a cream-colored inside cover, and has slightly lighter (brighter?) cover printing. Does not state any printing number inside
Our guess here is that for whatever reason, Volume 3 either had a lower production run, or more likely, a portion of the batch was damaged and discarded. A new run was commissioned and placed in these (and possibly some of Gamma's) boxes. The same run was also used in the Second Print, though with "Second Printing -- January 1975" added to the inside
First Gamma (sold / distributed Dec 1975)
Wood-colored box, usually found without any sticker on the box. A contributor who received his in Lake Geneva at the time remembers that the cover sticker was loose inside the box, and had to be manually affixed. Others who received this set do not remember any sticker at all
Woodgrain striations on the box now run vertically, i.e. this is a "1975" box also used in the Second and Third prints, below
Booklets 1 and 2 are identical to the First Print Alpha
Most (all?) of these sets completely lacked a Volume 3 booklet; we'd be interested to hear from those who have this set, to see if a Volume 3 is present and which printing it matches
This print was clearly leftover stock of booklets 1 & 2 after the boxes, stickers, and booklet 3 had run out. It was primarily given away to TSR employees at the time; David Sutherland, Rob Kuntz, and Tim Kask all had copies. It may also have been advertised as a "Christmas Special" in the Strategic Review Volume 5 (Dec 1975) for $2 or $4, even though the Fifth Print was well underway by then!
Formerly referred to as the "Pre-Publication Print", which we now believe to be false
Second (Jan 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and state "Second Printing – January 1975"
Inside rear covers of all three booklets show the printer's imprint -- Graphic Printing of Lake Geneva
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Contains an errata sheet
Sources disagree: either 1000 or 2000 copies of this set were printed, and hand-assembled by Gygax and friends. Reportedly sold in five to six months
Third (Apr 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and state "Third Printing – April 1975"
Inside rear covers of all three booklets show a new printer imprint -- Heritage Models of Dallas, Texas
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Booklets are actually slightly smaller when compared to First and Second print booklets, but the difference is minor
Contains an errata sheet
Again, sources disagree: one source says 2000 copies of this set were printed, another claims 3300 copies (3000 were ordered, with 300 in an overprint). Regardless, this set was hand-assembled by Gygax and friends, as were the previous sets. Reportedly sold out in five months
Third+ (Nov 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, and state "Fourth Printing -- November 1975"
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface is still rather rough and difficult to read
Rear inside cover identifies the printer: Patch Press of Beloit, Wisconsin. Also, a "TSR Hobbies" sticker covers the printed "Tactical Studies Rules"
This print is a hybrid print, with a wood-colored box matched with Fourth print booklets. Obviously, TSR tossed the first Fourth-print booklets into leftover/overprint Third-print boxes, and called it a day. Two sets matching this description have so far been spotted, leading us to believe that it was more than a unique occurrence
Fourth
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (artwork is now actually printed on the box) and the price ($10.00)
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, and state "Fourth Printing -- November 1975"
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface is still rather rough and difficult to read
Rear inside cover identifies the printer: Patch Press of Beloit, Wisconsin. Also, a "TSR Hobbies, Inc" sticker covers the printed "Tactical Studies Rules"
25,000 copies of this set were printed
Unknown whether this print originally came shrinkwrapped (very likely, it did)
Fifth (Dec 1975 - Apr 1976)
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (artwork is printed on the box) and the price ($10.00)
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have no price
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, but do not state any printing number (the booklets still have the "copyright 1974" line, however). Note that at least two sets have been spotted that have interior covers the same color as the exterior
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface has been changed to an easy-to-read font
This print originally came shrinkwrapped
A set has been reported that has a Fifth print box (no starburst), but has Sixth print booklets -- possibly a case of the last batch of Fifth print boxes bundled with the first run of Sixth booklets
Sixth (1977-1979)
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (like Fourth and Fifth), but now has a starburst stating "Original Collector’s Edition" (this was done to differentiate it from the D&D Basic Set, which had just been released), and the price has been removed
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have no price
Inside covers of all three booklets are now the same color (parchment) as the exteriors, and do not state any printing number (though they still have the "copyright 1974" line)
References to Hobbits and Ents have been changed to Halflings and Treants (see page 9 of Men & Magic), due to copyright conflicts with the Tolkien estate (with the exception of a single leftover reference on pg 6 to Hobbits!). Furthermore, many other infringements on Tolkien's literary license were excised or changed; notably, references to Balrogs, Nazgul, and even several mentions of Tolkien himself
Internal typeface is in an easy-to-read font
This print originally came shrinkwrapped
Often referred to as the "OCE" set
The Sixth printing continued to be printed through the end of 1979
The rule set was further expanded upon with the five Original D&D Supplements. It was superseded in 1977 with the release of the D&D Basic Set (and to some extent, the Advanced D&D system).
Which edition is your copy?
Contrary to rumors, the Original D&D Set was *not* available at the 1973 Eastercon, nor were any "pre-publication" sets released. The set was first printed in late January 1974, and very likely was not publically available until the second quarter of 1974.
First Alpha (Jan 1974)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00).
Woodgrain striations on the box run horizontally
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and do not indicate any printing number
Inside rear covers of booklets 2 and 3 show the printer's imprint -- Graphic Printing of Lake Geneva; booklet 1 doesn't have it
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (copyrighted names of the Tolkien estate; easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Allegedly, 1000 copies of this set were printed by Graphic Printing (and hand-assembled by Gygax and friends in his home). Reportedly took eleven months to sell out. As evidenced by the additional prints below, there is strong indication that the box, the cover stickers, and the booklets themselves were printed in differing amounts, which led to later "frankensteining" of the various parts
First Beta (mid 1974)
Identical in all respects to the First Print Alpha, except on two points:
contains an errata sheet
contains a different print of Volume 3, Underworld & Wilderness Adventures. In contrast to the booklet in the Alpha print, this booklet has a cream-colored inside cover, and has slightly lighter (brighter?) cover printing. Does not state any printing number inside
Our guess here is that for whatever reason, Volume 3 either had a lower production run, or more likely, a portion of the batch was damaged and discarded. A new run was commissioned and placed in these (and possibly some of Gamma's) boxes. The same run was also used in the Second Print, though with "Second Printing -- January 1975" added to the inside
First Gamma (sold / distributed Dec 1975)
Wood-colored box, usually found without any sticker on the box. A contributor who received his in Lake Geneva at the time remembers that the cover sticker was loose inside the box, and had to be manually affixed. Others who received this set do not remember any sticker at all
Woodgrain striations on the box now run vertically, i.e. this is a "1975" box also used in the Second and Third prints, below
Booklets 1 and 2 are identical to the First Print Alpha
Most (all?) of these sets completely lacked a Volume 3 booklet; we'd be interested to hear from those who have this set, to see if a Volume 3 is present and which printing it matches
This print was clearly leftover stock of booklets 1 & 2 after the boxes, stickers, and booklet 3 had run out. It was primarily given away to TSR employees at the time; David Sutherland, Rob Kuntz, and Tim Kask all had copies. It may also have been advertised as a "Christmas Special" in the Strategic Review Volume 5 (Dec 1975) for $2 or $4, even though the Fifth Print was well underway by then!
Formerly referred to as the "Pre-Publication Print", which we now believe to be false
Second (Jan 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and state "Second Printing – January 1975"
Inside rear covers of all three booklets show the printer's imprint -- Graphic Printing of Lake Geneva
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Contains an errata sheet
Sources disagree: either 1000 or 2000 copies of this set were printed, and hand-assembled by Gygax and friends. Reportedly sold in five to six months
Third (Apr 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a mounted warrior (same as box)
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers are white, and state "Third Printing – April 1975"
Inside rear covers of all three booklets show a new printer imprint -- Heritage Models of Dallas, Texas
References to Hobbits and Ents are present (easy check: page 9 of Men & Magic)
Internal typeface is rather rough and difficult to read
Booklets are actually slightly smaller when compared to First and Second print booklets, but the difference is minor
Contains an errata sheet
Again, sources disagree: one source says 2000 copies of this set were printed, another claims 3300 copies (3000 were ordered, with 300 in an overprint). Regardless, this set was hand-assembled by Gygax and friends, as were the previous sets. Reportedly sold out in five months
Third+ (Nov 1975)
Wood-colored box, showing a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (the artwork is an adhesive sheet affixed to the box cover) and the price ($10.00)
Woodgrain striations on the box run vertically
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, and state "Fourth Printing -- November 1975"
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface is still rather rough and difficult to read
Rear inside cover identifies the printer: Patch Press of Beloit, Wisconsin. Also, a "TSR Hobbies" sticker covers the printed "Tactical Studies Rules"
This print is a hybrid print, with a wood-colored box matched with Fourth print booklets. Obviously, TSR tossed the first Fourth-print booklets into leftover/overprint Third-print boxes, and called it a day. Two sets matching this description have so far been spotted, leading us to believe that it was more than a unique occurrence
Fourth
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (artwork is now actually printed on the box) and the price ($10.00)
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have a price ($3.50)
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, and state "Fourth Printing -- November 1975"
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface is still rather rough and difficult to read
Rear inside cover identifies the printer: Patch Press of Beloit, Wisconsin. Also, a "TSR Hobbies, Inc" sticker covers the printed "Tactical Studies Rules"
25,000 copies of this set were printed
Unknown whether this print originally came shrinkwrapped (very likely, it did)
Fifth (Dec 1975 - Apr 1976)
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (artwork is printed on the box) and the price ($10.00)
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have no price
Inside covers of all three booklets are white, but do not state any printing number (the booklets still have the "copyright 1974" line, however). Note that at least two sets have been spotted that have interior covers the same color as the exterior
References to Hobbits and Ents (see page 9 of Men & Magic) are still present
Internal typeface has been changed to an easy-to-read font
This print originally came shrinkwrapped
A set has been reported that has a Fifth print box (no starburst), but has Sixth print booklets -- possibly a case of the last batch of Fifth print boxes bundled with the first run of Sixth booklets
Sixth (1977-1979)
White box, showing a wizard and some orcs (like Fourth and Fifth), but now has a starburst stating "Original Collector’s Edition" (this was done to differentiate it from the D&D Basic Set, which had just been released), and the price has been removed
Outside cover of Men & Magic shows a warrior standing with a sword and shield
Outside covers of all three booklets have no price
Inside covers of all three booklets are now the same color (parchment) as the exteriors, and do not state any printing number (though they still have the "copyright 1974" line)
References to Hobbits and Ents have been changed to Halflings and Treants (see page 9 of Men & Magic), due to copyright conflicts with the Tolkien estate (with the exception of a single leftover reference on pg 6 to Hobbits!). Furthermore, many other infringements on Tolkien's literary license were excised or changed; notably, references to Balrogs, Nazgul, and even several mentions of Tolkien himself
Internal typeface is in an easy-to-read font
This print originally came shrinkwrapped
Often referred to as the "OCE" set
The Sixth printing continued to be printed through the end of 1979
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Before there was Dungeons & Dragons there was Chainmail
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| Chainmail 1st Edition |
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| Chainmail 2nd Edition |
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| Chainmail 3rd Edition |
Rechristened as the IFW (the International Federation of Wargamers), it was this group that, at the urging of Gary Gygax, ran the first GenCon in Lake Geneva in 1968. Nearly one hundred people attended from all over the country. One attendee by the name of Jerry White, brought with him a fabulous collection of Elastolin 40 mm Medieval figures and accompanying castle to run The Siege of Bodenburg, a game written by Henry Bodenstadt.
Gary Gygax played in that game and was quite taken with the figures and castle brought by Jerry. It was this event and Gary's fascination with the Medieval period that inspired him to found the Castle & Crusade Society. That winter Gary met a young Robbie Kuntz for the first time, as Gary and Bill Hoyer played a game of Afrika Korps.
Not too long after that, the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association was formed, by Gary, Rob, Mike Reese and a few others. This group regularly played miniatures games on the sand table in Gary's basement at 330 Center St. They often invited other folks to join in, especially one fellow who had a wonderful collection of Elastolin 40 mm figures. That fellow was Jeff Perren.
One time when Jeff came up from Rockford, he brought along a set of rules for 1:20 scale Medieval battles that he had written up. It was these 4 handwritten pages that became the foundation of the Chainmail game. Over the next several years these rules were expanded by Gygax.
By 1971, the Castle & Crusade Society was in full swing with King Robert (Kuntz) and The Earl of Walworth (Gary Gygax) at its head. The club's fanzine, The Domesday Book, served as the proving grounds for the Chainmail rules and the members as the soldiers who proved them. As time wore on the various players of the game were looking for some variety on the sand table. Gygax answered by throwing in The Fantasy Supplement, a section of rules for conducting fantastic battles such as those found in fantasy literature.
The medieval rules, Chainmail (Gygax and Perren) were published in Domesday Book . Of course they were in a less developed state, and were only for 1:20 figure scale. Between the time they appeared in Domesday Book and the Guidon edition, I revised and expanded the rules for 1:20 and added 1:1 scale games, jousting and fantasy.
Formally published in 1971 by Guidon Games, Chainmail became immensely popular. This led to many fantastic tabletop battles.
Formally published in 1971 by Guidon Games, Chainmail became immensely popular. This led to many fantastic tabletop battles.
Whether the "Fantasy Supplement" to Chainmail formed the basis of D&D is a matter of some disagreement between D&D's co-creators, Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax.
Arneson claims in Heroic Worlds that the influence of Chainmail in the development of the Original D&D rules was in the Combat Matrix only (i.e., giving RPG characters and monsters "hard statistics"). According to Arneson, Chainmail bears little resemblance to D&D whatsoever; "not a hit point, character class, level, or armor class" anywhere. Furthermore, Arneson states that a series of naval combat scenarios, "The Braunsteins", were the critical foundation of his Blackmoor campaign, and later, D&D.
Gygax disagrees. In Best of Dragon Volume 1, he notes: "...when the whole appeared in Chainmail, Dave (Arneson) began using the fantasy rules for his campaign and he reported a number of these actions to the C&C Society by way of articles. I thought that this usage was quite interesting and a few months later when Dave came to visit me we played a game of his amended Chainmail fantasy campaign. A few weeks after his visit, I received 18 or so handwritten pages of rules and notes pertaining to his campaign and I immediately began work on a brand new manuscript. About three weeks later, I had some 100 typewritten pages, and we began serious play testing... Dungeons & Dragons had been born." Gygax quickly goes on to say that Arneson was only given co-authorship of D&D for his "valuable idea kernels", and that D&D bears little resemblance to the Blackmoor campaign.
Further, as contributor Bruce Robertson notes, "I don't see how you can argue that D&D doesn't draw heavily on Chainmail... 'fireball', 'lightning bolt', 'conjure elemental', 'phantasmal force', and all the core monsters are in the 1971 edition -- along with an armor sequence that exactly matches the one in D&D."
The argument between Gygax and Arneson, we believe, stems from a lawsuit Arneson brought against TSR in 1979, demanding royalties from the AD&D line of products. Arneson was listed as the co-author of the Original D&D rules, and as such, he believed he was owed a portion of the proceeds from all things derived from that work. It was certainly not advantageous for Arneson to claim inspiration from Chainmail, a product authored by Gygax! The outcome of that lawsuit was never made public, but rumor has it that Arneson received a lump sum in exchange for ceasing legal action.
Regardless to the degree Chainmail guided Arneson in his campaign, the influence of this little yellow booklet on the eventual development of D&D is undeniable.
By 1974, the first fully realized roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons was in print.
Chainmail Rules For Medieval Miniatures
The progenitor of Dungeons & Dragons. Ostensibly a straight-wargaming rulebook for miniatures, its "Fantasy Supplement" sparked a phenomenon.
1st & 2nd Editions (Guidon Games) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren
3rd Edition (TSR) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren
1st Edition
Chainmail Rules For Medieval Miniatures
1st & 2nd Editions (Guidon Games) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren
3rd Edition (TSR) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren
1st Edition
- First (1971)
- Published by Guidon Games -- no company address listed
- 62 total pages (47 numbered pages)
- Binding is stapled
- Cover is yellow-orange
- Contrary to rumor, the 15-page Fantasy Supplement is indeed present
- While this version has 12 more pages than later prints, this is almost entirely due to the font size and formatting used. In fact, this version contains only six spells, which were expanded to 20 in later print
- First (1972)
- Published by Guidon Games -- address of the company is Evansville, Indiana (on the copyright page)
- 48 total pages (35 numbered pages); font size is now smaller and easier to read
- Binding is stapled
- Cover is yellow-orange, but compared to the Second print of the 2nd Edition, is a heavier, parchment-like stock
- Inside cover is white
- Incorporated rule changes first published in the Domesday newsletter (unknown issue, but the corrections appear on page 16 of that issue)
- Second (1972?)
- Published by Guidon Games -- address of the company is Belfast, Maine (on the copyright page)
- 48 total pages (35 numbered pages)
- Binding is stapled
- Cover is yellow-orange, but compared to the First print of the 2nd Edition, is rather flimsy
- Inside cover is the same color as the exterior (yellow-orange)
- First (1975)
- Published by Tactical Studies Rules
- 44 total pages (all numbered)
- Binding is stapled
- Cover is yellow-orange, and has now reverted back to heavy parchment-like paper
- Cover has the GK (Gygax/Kaye) logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "Tactical Studies Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- No Product Code on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates First printing
- Contains references to Hobbits and Ents (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Second
- Published by Tactical Studies Rules
- 44 total pages
- Binding is stapled
- Cover is now light silver
- Cover has the GK (Gygax/Kaye) logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "Tactical Studies Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- No Product Code on the front cover bottom left
- Inside does not indicate any printing number
- Contains references to Hobbits and Ents (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Second+ (Jul 1975)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is light silver
- Cover has the GK (Gygax/Kaye) logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "Tactical Studies Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- No Product Code on the front cover bottom left
- Inside now indicates Second printing
- Contains references to Hobbits and Ents (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Third (Jun 1976)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is light silver
- Cover has the Lizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- No Product Code on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates Third printing
- Contains references to Hobbits and Ents (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Fourth (Mar 1977)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is light silver
- Cover has the Lizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- No Product Code on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates Fourth printing
- Contains references to Hobbits and Ents (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Fifth (Jan 1978)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is light silver
- Cover has the Lizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- Product Code (6002) on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates Fifth printing
- References to Hobbits and Ents have now been changed to Halflings and Treants (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Sixth (Aug 1978)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is light silver
- Cover has the Lizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists the price ($5.00)
- Product Code (6002) on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates Sixth printing
- Contains references to Halflings and Treants (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Seventh (Apr 1979)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is now a noticeably darker silver
- Cover has the Wizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists price ($5.00), although identical copies have been spotted with no price
- Product Code (6002) on the front cover bottom left
- Inside indicates Seventh printing
- Contains references to Halflings and Treants (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- This printing (and later printings) were originally shrinkwrapped; unknown if earlier ones were
- Eighth (Nov 1979)
- Published by TSR
- 44 total pages
- Binding is black-plastic spiraling
- Cover is dark silver
- Cover has the Wizard logo
- Cover states 3rd Edition, and says "TSR Rules"
- Cover lists no price
- Product Code (6002) on the front cover bottom left
- Inside still indicates "Seventh Printing, April 1979" (though this is incorrect)
- Contains references to Halflings and Treants (quick check: table on bottom of page 28)
- Originally shrinkwrapped
- Printings after Eighth are identical to Eighth in all respects, but have a white, photocopied-look cover (they're essentially photocopies).
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