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Players chose one of three character classes, which became the archetypes for most classes that followed.

You could play as a human, elf, dwarf, or Tolkienesque hobbit.

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

Early D&D was a little more rough and ready than we may be used to now

That affected their choices and risk aversion in the game.

Rolled low for intelligence?

Good luck playing a Magic-User, Greg.

Early illustrations and workings on monster stats in D&D

Early D&D was a little more rough and ready than we may be used to now

These extensive errata and extensions were brought together in a single edition called Advanced D&D.

But there was a simultaneous push towards simplifying the product rather than increasing its complexity.

This is the first article in our five-part celebration of Dungeons & Dragons.

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

Early Dungeons & Dragons books, showing a horse-riding warrior and an adventure module displaying art of Fire Giants battling adventurers

The very original Player’s handbook, alongside a first-edition adventure module in the classic style

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

Advanced D&D covers on a plain background

The Advanced D&D Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual added complexity to the early game

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

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

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

A knight on a griffin fights with a skeleton on an undead horse, with sweeping castles in the background

Drow and Tiefling Toughs

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