In 1977 a major rewrite of the core Dungeons & Dragons rules unleashed so-called Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, again from TSR. This initial ruleset, and those which followed, were far more comprehensive than earlier versions, enabling characters to develop to more than mere combatants and adventures to range far and wide beyond the standard dungeon crawl of 'kill monsters, steal loot.' A revision in 1989 was called '2nd Edition' (although the original AD&D rarely got called '1st Edition'), but although there were changes - particularly in character skills - most material from the original AD&D could still be used with the revised ruleset.

AD&D saw the development of not just adventures but whole new world settings in which to play, a trend which has continued to the present. Although not sanctioned by TSR, other publishers produced 'compatible' materials... and in recent years, with many role-players still enjoying this ruleset, material continues to be produced for it!

Page last updated: 31 May 2009