Special Release AD&D 1st Edition Books

Recently, while in a not-so-local gaming store, I encountered re-releases of the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books. Upon looking closer, I discovered that sales of these reprints assist the Gary Gygax Memorial Fund!

I started playing right after 2nd Edition came out and never really had the change to look through the 1st Edition manuals, so this release really intrigued me. And since I would be supporting a charity, buying the Monster Manual was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, I was broke from Christmas shopping at the time and could not support the store where I initially saw the books; supporting local gaming stores is important to me – even if they are not my local gaming stores.

To make a long story short, I just ordered my copy of the Monster Manual and should have it in a few days. I will let you know my findings when it arrives! Why, did I go with the MM instead of the Dungeon Masters’ Guide or Players’ Handbook? For starters, I have a copy of the promotional pamphlet explaining many of the rules changes between 1st and 2nd Edition so I already know much of the information in these two books. And secondly, I had heard that there were monsters in the original manual that were never republished (licensing issues from what I understand). Hopefully, if this is true, the licensing issues have been cleared up so I can find out what menaces I should have been throwing at players for the last 3 decades.

What has been your experiences with the re-releases? And, if you own the originals as well, are there any key differences (besides the covers)?

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