In this the 50th anniversary year of the publishing of the world's first fantasy role-playing game I suppose it is only natural to look back on our personal history with the game at the center of our shared hobby. Each of us has a unique journey and every story has some merit, if only to those who personally lived it. A message board, a blog or video channel or podcast can be an outlet for those memories and hopefully share some insight.
I came to the hobby during a time when everyone added some personal customization to the game. The year 1977 saw the publication of the first "Basic" version of D&D in response to a perceived need for a version of the rules that would be more user friendly than the collection of little brown volumes that had been published up to that date. The original game had grown by leaps and bounds, both in terms of popularity and in terms of available support material. The original three volumes had grown to include five volumes, not to mention Chainmail on which the game mechanics were originally based. Various supplemental ideas were floated in the official TSR publications Strategic Review and Dragon Magazine often penned by co-creator Gygax himself, but even more frequently by one of a host of amateur hobby enthusiasts. In this way we in the hobby received new character classes, new monsters and new ways to implement rulings at our table. Some might describe this situation as a hodge-podge or miscellany.
I found it much to my liking. As an enthusiast of games in all their varied forms, I found the idea that the rules to a game could be added to, modified or even rewritten by the players to be immensely empowering. Anything was possible - and wasn't that the point of fantasy?
The essence of the hobby for me is imagining. To Imagine new worlds, new challenges, fictional characters, mysteries and yes, new ways to roll dice and to share stories is a delightful pastime.
In the 1977 version of "Basic" there is reference to the "Advanced" game which was being developed alongside the introductory version product. The idea around which "Advanced" was being written was that the game rules needed a standardized version to facilitate tournament play involving players from all over who obviously could benefit from knowing how the rules were going to be applied at any given table. An obvious answer to a recognized challenge was for the "creator" of the game to give/sell the hobby an "official" version of the rules. This was an undertaking of some proportion and it understandably took time for this one person, who had other responsibilities running a company, and having a family. The volumes comprising the "Advanced" game were released over a number of years and ultimately all were necessary to complete the game. In the meanwhile, we gamers would continue to play the game we loved with whatever mix of officially published rules we had available or could improvise using other sources and our imaginations.
And of course the game's development didn't stop with publication of the "Advanced" rules.
For members of the tabletop role-playing hobby there are so many ways to play today. We are a hobby that is blessed (and cursed) to have games that reflect a variety of preferences, approaches, themes and sensibilities which we can choose from and sometimes argue about.
If I think about it, this has always been the case. Arguments were frequent in the days before we were given the "Advanced" rules that were meant to standardize play. The publication of "Advanced" didn't settle all of the disputes and Sage Advice often gave conflicting interpretations on various rules questions. Of course the publication of "Advanced" didn't meet everyone's desires and various "homebrew heartbreaker" versions of the game were also published (should we also include "Basic/Expert"). Choices can lead to disagreement.
So what are some lessons of a half century of tabletop role-playing as a hobby?
The publishers of the game want to sell you a new book.
There is no "one game" that will appeal to everyone in this hobby.
Homebrewed rules and rulings can feel arbitrary and unfair to players.
Rules lawyering and attempts to game the system can be a frustration to the referee/GM.
Playing a game is about cooperation.
At the end of the day, it's just a game - one that we can hopefully play for fun and shared enjoyment.
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