Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of D&D, Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the game. However, many D&D fans continue to play older versions of the game, and some third-party companies continue to publish materials compatible with these older editions.

After the original edition of D&D was introduced in 1974, the game was split into two branches in 1977: the rules-light system of Dungeons & Dragons and the more complex, rules-heavy system of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). The standard game was eventually expanded into a series of five box sets by the mid-1980s before being compiled and slightly revised in 1991 as the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. Meanwhile, the 2nd edition of AD&D was published in 1989. In 2000, the two-branch split was ended when a new version was designated the 3rd edition, but dropped the "Advanced" prefix to be called simply Dungeons & Dragons; a revision, called 3.5, was released in 2003. The 4th edition was published in 2008. The 5th edition was released in 2014. A revision of the 5th edition was published in 2024.

Timeline

+ Dungeons & Dragons version history 1974Dungeons & Dragons (original edition) 1977 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st edition) Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set 1981 Dungeons & Dragons (BX version) 1983 Dungeons & Dragons (BECMI version) 1989 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition 1991 Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia 1995 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (revised 2nd edition) 2000 Dungeons & Dragons (3rd edition) 2003 Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 2008 Dungeons & Dragons (4th edition) 2010 Dungeons & Dragons Essentials 2014 Dungeons & Dragons (5th edition) 2024 Dungeons & Dragons (5.5e)

Version history

Original Dungeons & Dragons

The original D&D was published as a box set in 1974 and features only a handful of the elements for which the game is known today: just three character classes (fighting-man, magic-user, and cleric); four races (human, dwarf, elf, and hobbit); only a few monsters; only three alignments (lawful, neutral, and chaotic). With a production budget of only $2000 to print a thousand copies, the result has been described as amateurish.

Only $100 was budgeted for artwork, and TSR co-founder Gary Gygax pressed into service anyone who was willing to help, including local artist Cookie Corey; Greg Bell, a member of Jeff Perren's gaming group; D&D co-creator Dave Arneson; Gygax's wife's half-sister Keenan Powell; and fellow TSR co-founder Don Kaye. Each artist was paid $2 for a small piece or $3 for a larger piece, with an identical amount paid as a royalty every time another thousand copies were printed.

The rules assume that players own and play the miniatures wargame Chainmail and use its measurement and combat systems. An optional combat system is included within the rules that later developed into the sole combat system of later versions of the game. In addition, the rules presume ownership of Outdoor Survival, a board game by then-unaffiliated company Avalon Hill for outdoor exploration and adventure. D&D was a radically new gaming concept at the time, and it was difficult for players without prior tabletop wargaming experience to grasp the vague rules. The release of the Greyhawk supplement removed the game's dependency on the Chainmail rules, and made it much easier for new, non-wargaming players to grasp the concepts of play. It also inadvertently aided the growth of competing game publishers, since just about anyone who grasped the concepts behind the game could write smoother and easier-to-use rules systems and sell them to the growing D&D fanbase (Tunnels & Trolls being the first such).

Supplements such as Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes, published over the next two years, greatly expanded the rules, character classes, monsters and spells. For example, the original Greyhawk supplement introduced the thief class, and weapon damage varying by weapon (as opposed to character class). In addition, many additions and options were published in the magazines The Strategic Review and its successor, The Dragon.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

An updated version of D&D was released between 1977 and 1979 as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). The game rules were reorganized and re-codified across three hardcover rulebooks, compiled by Gary Gygax, incorporating the original D&D rules and many additions and revisions from supplements and magazine articles. The three core rulebooks are the Monster Manual (1977), the Player's Handbook (1978), and the Dungeon Master's Guide (1979). Major additions include classes from supplements like assassin, druid, monk, paladin, and thief, while bard, illusionist, and ranger, which had previously only appeared in magazine articles, were added to the core rulebooks. An alignment system with nine alignmentsThe new alignments are Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Good, Neutral, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, and Chaotic Evil. They are organized in a 3 cell by 3 cell square grid in horizontal bands (Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic) and vertical bands (Good, Neutral and Evil). is used, rather than the previous three-alignment system in the original D&D rules.

Later supplements for AD&D include Deities & Demigods (1980), Fiend Folio (another book of monsters produced semi-autonomously in the UK - 1981), Monster Manual II (1983), Oriental Adventures, Unearthed Arcana (1985), which mostly compiles material previously published in Dragon magazine, and others.

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and revisions

While AD&D was still in the works, TSR was approached by an outside writer and D&D enthusiast, John Eric Holmes, who offered to re-edit and rewrite the original rules into an introductory version of D&D. Although TSR was focused on AD&D at the time, the project was seen as a profitable enterprise and a way to direct new players to anticipate the release of the AD&D game. It was published in July 1977 as the Basic Set, which included a single booklet covering character levels 1 through 3, and also includes dice and a beginner's module. The booklet collects and organizes the rules from the original D&D boxed set and Greyhawk supplement and features a blue cover with artwork by David C. Sutherland III. The "blue booklet" explains the game's concepts and method of play in terms that made it accessible to new players not familiar with tabletop miniatures wargaming. Unusual features of this version include an alignment system of five alignmentsThe five Alignments are Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Neutral, Lawful Evil, and Chaotic Evil. There are class-based restrictions in which Clerics can not be Neutral and Thieves can not be Good. as opposed to the three or nine alignments of the other versions. This Basic Set was very popular and allowed many to discover and experience the D&D game for the first time. Although the Basic Set is not fully compatible with AD&D, as some rules were simplified to make the game easier for new players to learn, players were expected to continue play beyond third level by moving on to the AD&D version.

Once AD&D had been released, the Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay. It was immediately followed by the release of an Expert Set written by David Cook, to accompany the Basic Set, extending it to levels 4 through 14, for players who preferred the simplified introductory ruleset. With this revision, the Basic rules became their own game, distinct both from original D&D and AD&D. The revised Basic booklet features new artwork with a red cover, and the Expert booklet has a blue cover.

Between 1983 and 1986 this system was revised and expanded by Frank Mentzer as a series of five boxed sets (nicknamed the BECMI system, after the first letters of the five sets). This included the Basic Rules (red cover, supporting levels 1 through 3), Expert Rules (blue cover, supporting levels 4 through 14), Companion Rules (green cover, supporting levels 15 through 25), and Master Rules (black cover, supporting levels 26 through 36). The Immortals Rules (gold cover) supported characters who had transcended to becoming Immortals. The player's characters would be converted to a new set of rules that supported Immortal levels 1 through 36, and would operate on an interplanar level.

This version was compiled and slightly revised by Aaron Allston in 1991 as the Rules Cyclopedia, a hardback book which includes all the sets except Immortals Rules (which was discontinued and replaced with the Wrath of the Immortals boxed set accessory). While the Rules Cyclopedia includes all information required to begin the game, a revised introductory boxed set, named The New Easy-to-Master Dungeons & Dragons Game (and nicknamed "the black box") was released at the same time. A final repackaging of the introductory set, titled The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game was released in 1994. By the end of 1995, TSR ended its support for the line.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition

In 1987, a small team of designers at TSR led by David "Zeb" Cook began work on the second edition of the AD&D game, which would be completed almost two years later. In 1989, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition was published, featuring new rules and character classes.

By the end of its first decade, AD&D had expanded to several rulebooks, including three collections of monsters (Monster Manual, Monster Manual II, Fiend Folio), and two books governing character skills in wilderness and underground settings. Gygax had already planned a second edition for the game, which would also have been an update of the rules, incorporating the material from Unearthed Arcana, Oriental Adventures, and numerous new innovations from Dragon magazine in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide and would have consolidated the Monster Manual, Monster Manual II and Fiend Folio into one volume.Gygax, Gary. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll: The Future of the Game". Dragon Magazine, #103, November 1985, p.8. Initially, the 2nd edition was planned to consolidate the game, but more changes were made during development, while still aiming at backwards compatibility with 1st edition.

The release of AD&D 2nd Edition corresponded with important policy changes at TSR. An effort was made to remove aspects of the game which had attracted negative publicity, most notably the removal of all mention of demons and devils, although these fiendish monsters were renamed tanar'ri and baatezu, respectively. Moving away from the moral ambiguity of the 1st edition AD&D, the TSR staff eliminated character classes and races like the assassin and the half-orc, and stressed heroic roleplaying and player teamwork. The target age of the game was also lowered, with most 2nd edition products being aimed primarily at teenagers.