History TabletopGame / OriginalDungeonsAndDragons

* AllSwordsAreTheSame: All weapons (wielded by player-characters) deal the exact same damage, 1d6. If the game is played with the "Chainmail" system, however, the type of weapon affects the chance to hit the enemy, depending on their armor type.

** The game explicitly stole names from Creator/JRRTolkien's works (such as ent, balrog and hobbit) before being sued by his estate, causing the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute creatures that have become standard (e.g. treant, balor and halfling) to be introduced.

** The Character Alignment system in the first boxed set only had three alignments: [[OrderVersusChaos lawful, neutral, and chaotic.]] The famous nine-alignment system didn't show up until First Edition proper.

'''Original''' | TabletopGame/{{Basic|DungeonsAndDragons}} | [[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons1stEdition 1E]] | [[TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons2ndEdition 2E]] | [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition 3E]] | [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFourthEdition 4E]] | [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition 5E]]-]]]]]

* AllSwordsAreTheSame: All weapons (wielded by player-characters) deal the exact same damage, 1d6.

* DeliberatelyNonLethalAttack: Characters reduced to 0 hit points have three turns (less if they're unlucky) to roll saving throws, either dying for good at the end of the last one of being rendered unconscious. An optional rule groups can use is to use the same mechanic for enemies instead of killing them outright by announcing their intent to knock out the target (if the attack would have finished the target off).

* ExpandingThrownWeapon: ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' #5 article "Witchcraft Supplement for Dungeons and Dragons" magic items.

* ExpandingThrownWeapon: 'Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' #5 article "Witchcraft Supplement for Dungeons and Dragons" magic items.

* CrutchCharacter: Non-human races have various special powers that men don't, but are limited in their maximum level (e.g. dwarves get a large bonus to saving throws, but can only reach level 6). Thus a non-human will start out stronger than his human peer, but eventually falls behind hard.

** There were only 4 (later 5) races to choose from (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling/Hobbit, and Half-Elves from the ''Greyhawk'' expansion) and no option for custom races. Most of the other races people consider central to ''[=D&D=]'' and its cousins, such as Half-Orcs, Gnomes, Tieflings, Aasimar and Dragonborns, weren't available (or hadn't even been ''conceived of'' yet).

* BladeOnAStick: The writers [[AuthorAppeal had a thing for polearms]], here and in AD&D. A stock OverlyLongGag is simply ''listing'' them.

* WritingAroundTrademarks: The earliest printings of the original boxed set call the race of little people hobbits, as one might expect from a ''Lord of the Rings'' influenced game. Grumblings from the Tolkien estate led this to be changed to halflings (along with a couple of monster names, such as "Ents" becoming "Treants" and "Balrogs" becoming "Balors".) Ironically, Tolkien ''also'' coined the word "halfling", but apparently it was generic enough to pass.

''Original Dungeons & Dragons'' or ''OD&D'' (1974-1976), also known as "The Original Game", was the first version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. It was created a companion book to the miniature-based tabletop wargame ''Chainmail''. It was co-written by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson and published by Creator/{{TSR}} in 1974 as a set of three digest-sized books (the "little brown books" or LBB): ''Men & Magic'', ''Monsters & Treasure'', and ''The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures''. There were three original classes (Fighting-Man, Cleric and Magic-User), four races (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling) and only three alignments (Law, Neutrality, Chaos)[[note]]Although ''Strategic Review #2.1'' had an article about a 5-point alignment chart (Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Evil)[[/note]].

Humans could choose between all three classes and advance in their chosen class without limit, while the non-human races were restricted in class options and max levels, but still potent due to their racial abilities. Hit Points, weapon/spell damage, and initiative were all rolled using a d6, there are five Saving Throws that used a "meet-or-higher" roll on a d20, and To-Hit rolls used descending Armor Class (also on a d20). Spell levels were limited to 6th level spells for Magic Users and 5th level spells for Clerics.

OD&D Received numerous supplements, both officially released and from magazine articles. Combat rules came from the ''Chainmail'' rulebook until Supplement I provided an "alternate combat system" which went on to become the standard system of the game.

'''Supplement I: Greyhawk - 1975''': Introduced the Thief class, the Paladin as a Fighting-Man subclass, Half-Elves as a playable race, and more monsters. The level and class restrictions for Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings were revised to account for the addition of the Thief class and new rules for high ability scores. Magic-Users gained 7th-9th level spells, but only if their Intelligence score was high enough, while Clerics gained 6th and 7th level spells. It also introduced an "alternate combat system" and revised other rules to distance itself from ''Chainmail''.

'''Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes - 1976''': The last official supplement. Introduced deities, demi-gods, and legendary heroes from mythology and religions both real (Egyptian, Celtic, Norse) and fictional ([[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Hyborean]] and [[Literature/TheElricSaga Melnibonéan]]) for two purposes: 1) as a means of integrating pre-established mythologies into campaigns, and 2) an attempt to dissuade [=DMs=] who let their players become super-powerful ("Monty Hall campaigns"; ultra-high-levels) by giving them opponents that could wipe the floor with them. The latter effort rather backfired, and instead contributed to starting the idea of "[[LordBritishPostulate if you stat it, they will kill it]]". Modern reprints dropped the fictional pantheons due to licensing issues.

!!Tropes in this RPG include:

* CrutchCharacter: Non-human races have various special powers that men don't, but are limited in their maximum level (e.g. dwarves get a large bonus to saving throws, but can only reach level 6). Thus a non-human is stronger than a human of the same level, but will eventually fall behind hard. However, due to the high lethality of the system, you can easily play many 'crutch characters' without ever reaching the point where the crutch is kicked out.

** The hiring of various NPC specialists and combat-allies is a core part of the game at higher levels, and not doing so will likely leaving you underpowered. As opposed to later editions where NPC party members are usually more optional.
** The Character Alignment system in the first boxed set only had three alignments: [[OrderVersusChaos lawful, neutral, and chaotic.]] The nine alignment system the game is famous for didn't show up until First Edition proper.
** There were only 4 (later 5) races to choose from (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling (called Hobbits), and Half-Elves starting with the ''Greyhawk'' expansion) and no option for custom races. Most of the other core races people consider central to ''[=D&D=]'' and its cousins, such as Half-Orcs, Gnomes, Tieflings, Aasimar and Dragonborns weren't available yet (or hadn't even been ''conceived of'' yet).

''"Original" Dungeons & Dragons (OD&D)'' (1974-1976), also known as "The Original Game", was the first version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as a companion book to the miniature-based tabletop wargame ''Chainmail''. It was co-written by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson and published by Creator/{{TSR}} in 1974 as a boxed set consisting of three digest-sized books (the "little brown books" a.k.a. lbb): ''Men & Magic'', ''Monsters & Treasure'', ''The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures''. There were three original classes (Fighting-Man, Cleric and Magic-User) and only three alignments (Law, Neutrality, Chaos)[[note]]Although ''Strategic Review #2.1'' had an article about a 5-point alignment chart (Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Evil)[[/note]].

Humans could choose between all three classes and advance in their chosen class without limit, while the non-human races (Dwarves, Elves, Halflings) were restricted in class options and max levels, but still potent due to their racial abilities. Hit Points, weapon/spell damage, and initiative were all rolled using a d6, there are five Saving Throws that used a "meet-or-higher" roll on a d20, and To-Hit rolls used descending Armor Class (also on a d20). Spell levels were limited to 6th level spells for Magic Users and 5th level spells for Clerics. Received numerous supplements, both officially released and from magazine articles. Combat required the ''Chainmail'' rulebook to properly play until Supplement I provided an "alternate combat system" which went on to become the standard system of the game.

'''Supplement I: Greyhawk - 1975''': Introduced the Thief class, the Paladin as a Fighting-Man subclass, Half-Elves as a playable race, and more monsters. The level and class restrictions for Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings were revised to account for the addition of the Thief class and new rules for high ability scores. Magic-Users gained 7th-9th level spells, but only if their Intelligence score was high enough, while Clerics gained 6th and 7th level spells. It also introduced an "alternate combat system" and revised other rules in order to distance itself from ''Chainmail''.

'''Supplement II: Blackmoor - 1975''': Introduced the Monk as a Cleric subclass, the Assassin as a Thief subclass, a system for diseases, a "hit location" system, rules for underwater adventures, and even more monsters. Also contains the very first Creator/{{TSR}}-published adventure module: ''The Temple of the Frog'' for the Blackmoor setting.

'''Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry - 1976''': Introduced the Druid as a Cleric subclass and the option for human psionics (restricted to Fighting-Men, Magic-Users, Clerics, and Thieves). It also marks the first appearances of the Demon Princes Orcus and Demogorgon, as well as the lich-turned-deity Vecna.

'''Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes - 1976''': The last official supplement. Introduced deities, demi-gods, and legendary heroes from mythology and religions both real (Egyptian, Celtic, Norse) and fictional ([[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Hyborean]] and [[Literature/TheElricSaga Melnibonéan]]) for two purposes: 1) as a means of integrating pre-established mythologies into campaigns, and 2) a last-ditch effort for reaching the "Creator/MontyHall" style [=DMs=] who ran giveaway campaigns and to show the absurdity of 40+ level characters by giving them opponents that could wipe the floor with them. Unfortunately started the concept of "if you stat it, they will kill it". Modern reprints dropped the fictional pantheons due to licensing issues.

* AllSwordsAreTheSame: The original rules started with sets of weapons given to the classes and ended with much the same.
* BladeOnAStick: The original writers [[AuthorAppeal had a thing for polearms]]. A stock OverlyLongGag is simply ''listing'' them.

** The game explicitly steals names from Creator/JRRTolkien's works (such as ent, balrog and hobbit) before being sued by his estate, causing the SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute creatures that have become standard (e.g. treant, Type VI demon [balor] and halfling) to be introduced.

* RolePlayingEndgame: Characters can [[ClassAndLevelSystem level up]] all the way to demigodhood, whereupon they can rest on their laurels or voluntarily DePower themselves and live another mortal life. If they ascend again, they AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and vanish into realms unknown.

* WritingAroundTrademarks: The earliest printings of the original boxed set call the race of little people hobbits, as one might expect from such a ''Lord of the Rings'' influenced game. Grumblings from the Tolkien estate led this to be changed to halflings (along with a couple of monster names, such as "Ents" becoming "Treants" and "Balrogs" becoming "Balors".) Ironically, Tolkien ''also'' coined the word "halfling", but apparently it was generic enough to pass.

** The manual recommends that there be about 1 "referee" per 20 players, anticipating that the players in each session would be drawn from a larger pool and never stay consistent from game to game. Modern [=DM=]s would probably have a nervous breakdown at the idea of having 20 different players to deal with.

* SpiritualAntithesis: Is this to the original ''Chainmail''. Compared to ''Chainmail'', where each player commands an army against another player's army, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was -- and continues to be -- a cooperative experience with each player controlling just one [[CharacterCustomization customizable character]] rather than an army.

** There were only 4 (later 5) races to choose from (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling (called Hobbits), and Half-Elves starting with the ''Greyhawk'' expansion) and no option for custom races. Most of the other core races such as Half-Orcs, Gnomes, Tieflings, and Dragonborns weren't available yet.

** There were only 4 races to choose from (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling (called Hobbits)) and no option for custom races. Most of the other core races such as Half-Orcs, Gnomes, Tieflings, and Dragonborns weren't available yet.

!!Tropes in this game include:

* WritingAroundTrademarks: The earliest printings of the original boxed set call the race of little people hobbits, as one might expect from such a ''Lord of the Rings'' influenced game. Grumblings from the Tolkien estate led this to be changed to halflings (along with a couple of monster names, such as "Ents" becoming "Treants" and "Balrogs" becoming "Balors".) Ironically, Tolkien ''also'' coined the word "halfling", but apparently it was generic enough to pass.

* WritingAroundTrademarks: The earliest printings of the original boxed set call the race of little people hobbits, as one might expect from such a ''Lord of the Rings'' influenced game. Grumblings from the Tolkien estate led this to be changed to halflings (along with a couple of monster names, such as "Ents" becoming "Treants" and "Balrogs" becoming "Balors". This despite Tolkien himself taking the term "hobbit" from folklore, and "halfling" actually being a term he coined, apparently.

'''Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes - 1976''': The last official supplement. Introduced deities, demi-gods, and legendary heroes from mythology and religions both real (Egyptian, Celtic, Norse) and fictional ([[Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian Hyborean]] and [[Literature/TheElricSaga Melnibonéan]]) for two purposes: 1) as a means of integrating pre-established mythologies into campaigns, and 2) a last-ditch effort for reaching the "Monty Hall" style [=DMs=] who ran giveaway campaigns and to show the absurdity of 40+ level characters by giving them opponents that could wipe the floor with them. Unfortunately started the concept of "if you stat it, they will kill it". Modern reprints dropped the fictional pantheons due to licensing issues.

'''"Original" Dungeons & Dragons (OD&D)''' (1974-1976), also known as "The Original Game", was the first version of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' as a companion book to the miniature-based tabletop wargame ''Chainmail''. It was co-written by Creator/GaryGygax and Dave Arneson and published by Creator/{{TSR}} in 1974 as a boxed set consisting of three digest-sized books (the "little brown books" a.k.a. lbb): ''Men & Magic'', ''Monsters & Treasure'', ''The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures''. There were three original classes (Fighting-Man, Cleric and Magic-User) and only three alignments (Law, Neutrality, Chaos)[[note]]Although ''Strategic Review #2.1'' had an article about a 5-point alignment chart (Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, Lawful Evil, Chaotic Evil)[[/note]].