Dark Tower (1979)

 

From the back cover:

An Ancient Evil has overtaken a once holy shrine. Thus, a sleepy mountain hamlet becomes a focal point for mysterious disappearances and even stranger legends of what lurks beneath the village.

Would any group of adventurous souls dare to probe the facts that lie behind the myths, or seek to right ancient wrongs, rescue secreted artifacts, or . . . even attempt to exterminate the source of evil itself?

This is no quest for the weak of spirit or strength. Beyond the cellars of Mitra's Fist lie strong allies and strange enemies, undead and undying, each seeking to involve the unwary in a titanic battle of good against evil, which can only end in destruction.

Riches, Power, Glory and Death! All are in Dark Tower

 

From the web:

A 72-page AD&D scenario, including four detailed dungeon levels, a village, and other items: new monsters and artifacts, the history of the area, and more. An ancient evil has overtaken a once holy shrine; thus, a sleepy mountain hamlet becomes the focal point for strange disappearances and even stranger legends. 

Game Design Volume 1 - Theory and Practice (1981)

From the web:

Written for the serious game designer - or for the amateur who'd like to be published professionally - this book, by one of the field's top designers for decades, combines practical advice with theoretical background. Beginning with a discussion of the theoretical background of gaming, Game Design covers the historical development of the modern adventure game . . . from an occasional pastime for a dedicated few to today's multimillion-dollar game industry.

Chapters include:
Theoretical Foundations
Historical Background
Mapping and Movement
Terrain
Combat and Play Sequence
Combat Strength and Resolution
Advanced Combat Systems
Research
Components
Playtesting
RPG Design
Designing for the Market
Game Evaluation
 

Thieves' Guild VI (1982)

From the back cover:

Now here's yer chance fer a rollickin' good time out on the rolling waves of the high seas! Don yer bandanna and tie on the old eye-patch ... fifteen men on a dead man's chest! Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Make 'em walk the plank, me hearties!

At last, Theives' Guild has gone to sea! Here are complete rules for designing and sailing ships, for sea chases and bloody boarding actions, and what's in the holds of the wallowing merchantman you just overhauled and captured.

And ... lots of encounters at sea!! Ships by the score! Broad-beamed merchantmen loaded with luxury merchandise bound for exotic ports in faraway lands, or wondrous treasures to enrich the coffers of powerful empires! Slim deadly warships, to guard these golden argosies, or to seek freebooters out in their own lairs and put an end to their larcenous careers! Even fellow pirate vessels, to sail with at sea or to sail on!!

Mer-people, herds of whales, world-lashing storms, exotic uncharted lands, omens of disaster and great good fortune, even sea-serpents will be met in the pages of Thieves' Guild's latest triumph.

Error Flynn never had it so good!!!

High seas adventures at their very best!!!
 

Thieves' Guild IV (1981)

From the back cover:

When the upstart Black Hand organization challenges the Guild's control over the city's thieves, there's action aplenty and danger galore! In Thieves' Guild 4, you can be a member of the elite group of Guild thieves assigned to foil the Hand's attempt to smuggle a rare set of enchanted crystal goblets out of the city. But there's only 36 hours to complete your task! Or join the Hand as it attempt to pull of the ultimate second story job, a direct assault on the supposedly impregnable secret headquarters of the Guild! Both adventures are also specially designed so that players can face off against each other by portraying the rival sides in this deadly battle for supremacy, enhancing the challenge still further.

And as if that weren't enough to keep you busy until the next issue (Thieves' Guild 5), you'll also find new rules describing the thiefly art of tailing, discussions on the care and feeding of informants, and expanded explanations on the determination of character sensory abilities. So face it, if you like fast paced action, and strange adventures that can let your role-playing imagination run wild, then you can't make a better investment than this!!!
 

Starships & Spacecraft (1979)

From the front :

Three 22 x 34 inch sheets, 25mm scale three color deck plans of all standard Traveller starships and auxiliaries, complete technical data, ship's papers, and layout grid for your own starship design.

From the web:

This was the first Traveller product to illustrate the starships and small craft defined in the early Traveller Boxed Set. As such, the illustrations are somewhat crude and the plans non-standard compared to later "official" illustrations and deck plans. Contrary to the cover description, all plans are scaled for 15mm figures.

Three 22"x34" sheets, 25mm scale, three-color Deck Plans of all standard Traveller starships and auxiliaries, complete technical data, Ship's Papers and layout grid for your own starship design. May be used with 25mm miniature figures and Snapshot rules to simulate hand-to-hand battles on board ship, as well as mutinies, hijacking, boardings, salvage operations, and other adventures. It includes High Passage cabins, Low Passage berthing spaces, bridge, engine room, fuel tanks, cargo holds, and all compartments. The designs are blueprint-style diagrams, including a Type C Cruiser, a Type R Subsidized Merchant, a Type Y Yacht, and such auxiliaries as a Ship's Boat and Life Boat.

Strategy & Tactics Special Issue - Introduction to Wargaming (1978)

Includes an S&T and Moves magazines master index.
 

The World of Greyhawk (1980)

From the Foreword section:

So the players have been complaining that the campaign is too dull, eh? Not enough detail? Why is this country at war with its neighbors? How can trade routes exist with all those wandering monsters? Most importantly, why do all those unsacked, unlooted dungeons and ruins stand so close to the one big city all adventurers hail from?

Rejoice Dungeon Masters, and relax! All of these questions can be answered by following the example of the volume in your hands. The World of Greyhawk is here, and it is suitable for use as a backdrop of a new campaign without changes: or, as an alternative, city country, or geographical descriptions can be used to fill in details for existing campaigns. The World of Greyhawk is in the form of a gazetteer written by a historian native to the region, and as such includes the calendar systems used by people of Oerth, a history of the major nations over the last thousand years, a discussion of climate in the different regions of the world, and even an appendix listing many runes and symbols (and their meanings) which are found in ancient and magical writings.

 From the web:

 Fantasy Game Setting for a panoramic view of this fantastic place. More than a collection of maps and names, it is an active world filled with decaying empires and dark forests. Game elements include the gods of Greyhawk, the clash of political factions, and encounters in this wild land.

 

The First Fantasy Campaign (1977)

This book describes various features of D&D co-creator Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, including locales, player characters, and a (somewhat sketchy) overview of Castle Blackmoor itself.

Although fascinating for anyone with an interest in the history of the RPG hobby (Arneson's Blackmoor game provided the impetus for Gygax's development of the Dungeons and Dragons system), the First Fantasy Campaign supplement is very loosely organized and may disappoint readers who are hoping for a fully fleshed out campaign setting.

Because the FFC was published during a time of legal strife between Gygax and Arneson, the supplement uses generic game terms and is not considered an official Dungeons and Dragons product.

By Dave Arneson, co-author of Dungeons & Dragons. Two 17"x22" maps (one for players, one for the Judge) showing wilderness around the famous Blackmoor Castle, and a giant 64-page booklet detailing the assorted baronies, citadels, leaders histories and development of the original fantasy role-playing campaign, and the entire Blackmoor Dungeon as judged by Arneson. The maps are printed on high-quality brown pebble-grain stock, designed to last a long time. Herein are many new guidelines on lair generation, character interests and vocations (hunting, farming, fishing, trapping, etc.), the resources and manpower of the various feudal holdings and nomadic hordes of this landmark in wargaming, and much more. Carefully mapped are the twelve levels of Blackmoor Dungeon beneath the five levels of Blackmoor Castle, the village of Blackmoor, the home of Mello the Halfling, and the tower of Svenson's Freehold. 

 

City State of the World Emperor (1980)

Another detailed fortified city in Judges Guild's Wilderlands campaign world. This one is known as Viridistan, the City of Spices, or the Immortal City. This campaign supplement is comprised of three booklets and two maps.

Booklets:

• Guidebook Map 6: a 48-page book detailing the lands around the city state (villages, ruins, religions, cultures, politics, etc.)

• Shops: an 80-page book of all the shops within the city state

• City: an 80-page book detailing all of the bars & taverns in the city state, available rumors, military layout, etc.

Maps:

• Campaign Map 6: two 17" x 22" maps (Judge, Player) for the section of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy that contain the city state

• Viridistan (Map): a 34" x 22" map of the city state

 

City State of the Invincible Overlord (1976)

The City-State of the Invincible Overlord was the first fantasy RPG setting ever published (1976). It features a huge walled city that is ruled by the eponymous (lawful evil) Overlord and the surrounding environs that are full of adventure possibilities. What was so striking at the time that it was first released was the incredible level of detail that the product contains. Hundreds of streets are mapped, named, and populated with shops, temples, inns, taverns, brothels, houses, barracks, and the like. Hundreds of NPCs are listed along with their stats and rumors they know (for starting adventures). The history and political system of the City State is described along with relevant laws the PC's must abide by while inside the city. It includes dungeon levels beneath the City State and detailed information for nearby adventure / dungeon sites: the dwarven fortress "Thunderhold" and the "Sunstone Caverns".

The City State was designed for Dungeons & Dragons (Original Edition) but was not officially licensed for D&D until 1978. The license ended in 1983. It was printed many times over the life of Judges Guild and changed in size and configuration in subsequent editions.

FIRST EDITION
The first "edition" was spread out across several different publications / releases throughout 1976:

• City State Map: A 34" x 44" map of the City State
• Initial Guidelines Booklet I: A 16-page booklet with charts, rules and background data for the City State such as NPCs, crimes and trials, etc.
• City State Player's Map: A 17" x 22" map of the City State (originally printed on four 8.5" x 11" sheets) that was blank inside for players to fill in details as they explored the city
• Dungeon Level Maps I 1-5: Five dungeon levels beneath the City State
• Guide to the City State: A 56-page booklet detailing hundreds of shopkeepers and other NPC's, background information, special buildings, and additional rules for running campaigns in the City State
• Thunderhold & Sunstone Caverns Maps: 11" x 17" map with the dwarven fortress on one side and the caverns on the other
• Initial Guidelines Booklet J: A 12-page booklet with additional charts, rules and background data for Thunderhold and Sunstone Caverns
• Dungeon Level Maps J: Four dungeon levels beneath Thunderhold

In 1977 the above items were bundled together into one heat-sealed baggie with a cover sheet entitled City State of the Invincible Overlord.

REVISED EDITION
In 1978, Judges Guild compiled and edited all of the information from the various booklets into one 80-page book and released it as a "Revised Edition". Included in this release were two 22.5" x 28.5" maps of the City State (judge, player), an 11" x 17" judge's map of Thunderhold/Sunstone Caverns, and an 8.5" x 11" player's map of Thunderhold/Sunstone Caverns. This configuration was reprinted, potentially with minor edits, in 1979 and 1980.

• In 1981 the Thunderhold/Sunstone Cavern maps were incorporated into the main book, which grew to 96 pages to incorporate a new layout and illustrations.
• In 1983 the cover was changed to remove the "Approved for use with Dungeons & Dragons" claim.
• In 1999 the product was reprinted, nearly identical to the 1981/1983 printings, but with a blue cover and updated "Booty List" (product listing) in the back.

 

Outdoor Geomorphs: Set One: Walled City (1977)

From the front cover:

Outdoor Geomorphs
A D&D Playing Aid
Set One: Walled City

This set contains 22 - 5 1/4" square geomorphic city/town pieces and 11 - 2 1/2" X 10 1/2" additional city/town pieces which are semi-geomorphic.

 

Judges Shield - 1977

The 'Shield' is a screen used to hide the referee's secret maps during D&D gaming. It also has combat charts, tables, etc printed on both sides. This was the first GM screen ever published, for any game system.

The three shield sections are:

• Monster Attacking / Saving Throws

• Monster Compendium / Men Attacking.

• Men Attacking / Phantasmal Forces

 
 

Gamescience (Lou Zocchi) Hex Sheet

22"x35" numbered reversible hex sheet.
 

Character Record Sheets (1977)

The original pad of 25 to 27 character sheets originally released by TSR in 1977. Original pads were side tearing while later ones were top tearing.
 

Dungeon Masters Screen - First Printing (1979)

This package consists of two durable and folding cardstock screens for the DM′s reference use in playing ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: an 11″ × 34″ folder of the COMBAT AND SAVING THROW TABLES, and an 11″ × 17″ folder of the PSIONIC COMBAT TABLES. These screens are useful for shielding maps and other game materials from the players when place upright, and also provide instant reference to the most commonly used charts and tables during play. The player's side is colorfully illustrated to help set the mood, as well as printed with tables for the more standard character classes and the WEAPONS TABLE. These folders have been laminated on both sides to protect them against common wear and tear. This (and only this) screen contains all the official AD&D statistics and tables.
 

Monsters! Monsters!

 

Monsters! Monsters! is a role-playing game first published by Metagaming Concepts in 1976.
Monsters! Monsters! is a fantasy system in which the player characters are monsters who prey on adventurers and the civilized world. The game's rules systems are essentially compatible with Tunnels & Trolls.

 

Star Trek - Adventure Gaming In the Final Frontier

The following, almost fifty items, were obtained at Half Price Books on a black Friday in 2012. I stopped in on a lark and they were processing a huge intake and I asked about the items. They priced the whole lot at rock bottom prices and I took almost everything. I still remember the exhilaration of the find but kick myself for not buying everything they had in the buy they were processing.

Dragon #236

 

Dragon #234

 

Dragon #232

 

Dragon #202

 

Dragon #196

 

Dragon #193

 

Dragon #192

 

Dragon #191

 

Dragon #190

 

Dragon #188

 

Dragon #187

 

Dragon #186

 

Dragon #184

 

Dragon #176

 

Dragon #161

 

Dragon #154

 

Dragon #153

 

Dragon #147

 

Dragon #144

 

Dragon #141

 

Dragon #140

 

Dragon #130

 

Dragon #129

 

Dragon #114

 

Dragon #113

 

Dragon #110

 

Dragon #107

 

Dragon #102

 

Dragon #97

 

Dragon #94

 

Dragon #91

 

Dragon #90

 

Dungeons & Dragons (Woodgrain Box & White Box Sets) (1974)

From the web:

The "original" Dungeons & Dragons created by master magicians Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. It was published in 1974 and is a bit of a far cry from the D&D that was yet to come. But it's amazing to see this early take on the rules.

There were just three classes included: Fighting Man, Magic User and Cleric. Four races: Human, Elf, Hobbit and Dwarf.

The game was based on the miniatures wargame Chainmail and it borrows heavily from those rules.

Subtitled :
Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames
Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil
and Miniature Figures

The set includes :
Volume 1 : Men and Magic
Volume 2 : Monsters and Treasure
Volume 3 : The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures
Reference Sheets

The original, the first, the Grandfather of them all, anyway you look at it this is the item that spawned an entirely new industry that is loved and enjoyed by millions of people today. The original Dungeons & Dragons box set was based on the fantasy portion of the earlier Chainmail rules and also suggested the use of Outdoor Survival, a board game from Avalon Hill. There have been many incarnations and editions of Dungeons & Dragons over the years but this is the product that started it all.