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But this country-wide panic had a formative influence on the direction of the next D&D edition.

In 1989, TSR Inc released Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Second Edition.

The AD&D Player�s Handbook on a tablet sitting on a wooden table, surrounded by a dice box, other books, and a plant pot

D&D as we know it today started to emerge with 2E

Druids were now a subset of Priests, alongside the Cleric, with a shared spell list.

But 2E changed the Bard into an off-the-shelf class you could pick right away.

Later editions simplified this rule much further, but it was still a step in the right direction.

Advanced D&D books on a plain background

D&D as we know it today started to emerge with 2E

Another positive change in Second Edition was the removal of biologically deterministic stats.

This is the second installment in our five-part celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.

An original Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook on a tablet sat on a wooden table, surrounded by dice, a dice tray, and other books

Spelljammer and Forgotten Realms adventure covers on a plain background

2E material ranged from classic fantasy to outlandish sci-fi

Die, Vecna, Die! and House of Strahd books on a plain background

Some particularly well-known D&D villains began to take shape in 2E

D&D Player’s Handbook 2024 on a wooden table beside dice, with another rulebook standing beside it

Both versions of the Monster Manual laid out on a wooden surface

Drow and Tiefling Toughs

Guildmaster Rhys and others look on mockingly as a recruit falls flat on their face

An open Player�s Handbook on a wooden table with dice to one side, showing two Paladin subclasses

D&D character sheet and cards from Heroes of the Borderlands box set

Screenshots from the Legend in the Mist TRPG

Three Pokemon Journey Together cards leaning against the Elite Trainer Box from the set

Articulate! box, board, tokens, and timer on a wooden table, against a black background

King of Tokyo components, box, and cards on a wooden table against a black background

Space Wolves Logan Grimnar and Arjac Rockfist models against a slightly blurred photo of the Space Wolves Army Set

Dorfromantik and Creature Comforts cozy city building games

Survivor and abomination mini standing on a game tile from Zombicide

GTA 6 trailer screenshots

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

A screenshot from Super Mario Odyssey showing Mario throwing Cappy in New Donk City.

Mavix M7�s Elemax massage and heating backrest

Ritual Remnants appear in various rooms in The Horror at Highrook

Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Thunderbolts

Articulate box, cards, board, and tokens on a wooden table

The cast of Thunderbolts standing in an elevator during the trailer for the upcoming Marvel Phase 5 movie.

Logan Kim as Hershel and Lauren Cohan as Maggie in The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2