Rating: 
Summary: Oldie but a goodie.
Review: As a gamer of almost six years now I have the good fortune of having in my posession a copy of this marvelous book. I also own a copy of the new and "improved" Players Handbook which lies under a pile of dust in my closet. This book is far superior to the new version both as a refernce and a gaming tool. Information is easy to find and the artwork is great. If you are able to find a copy and are trying to decide between this book and the new one, I strongly urge you to go with this version
Rating:
Summary: Players Handbook (AD&D 1st Edition) is a masterpiece.
Review: From the unusual and intrigueing cover art, to the huge lists of spells and other tables, the Player's Handbook is a masterpiece - and requisite for smooth character creation and game play. Of course, 1st edition (possibly used more that 2nd edition), is a dream to play, and this book aids the player (and referee!) during game play, but will later be read like a novel - you'll be lingering over grand prose and illustrations for hours. I strongly recommend that if you are interested in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, either as a gamer or a critic, you locate and purchase this book - it will add life to your library and intense enjoyment to your life.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: Here's the ultimate version of the DMG for Gygax purists. You get all of the charm, advice, and "dark stuff" that was frowned upon as being "too esoteric" in the cleaner versions to come... Highlights include classic illustrations, using monsters as PCs, assassins and the use of poison, tribal spell casters (makes those giants and orcs a lot more interesting!), magic items with XP AND GOLD PIECE values (WHY did they stop doing this? WHY? ), old school psionics (for all those Illithids in GDQ1-7), the original "down to the last hit point" monster XP value charts, building NPCs and evocative dungeon settings the "Gygax way," player creation of spells and magic items, and much more; my personal favorite touch is the endless extolling of the virtues of encouraging the PCs in the early levels, while only a few pages later, we're treated to a graphic depiction of a game in progress that STRONGLY implies it's good to kill the PCs at 1st level, even if they do everything right... :) (see pp. 97-100) Hehe! A highly recommended pride piece for your retro-AD&D collection.
Rating:
Summary: 1979 printing is one of Gygax's finest
Review: Here's the ultimate version of the DMG for Gygax purists. You get all of the charm, advice, and "dark stuff" that was frowned upon as being "too esoteric" in the cleaner versions to come... Highlights include classic illustrations, using monsters as PCs, assassins and the use of poison, tribal spell casters (makes those giants and orcs a lot more interesting!), magic items with XP AND GOLD PIECE values (WHY did they stop doing this? WHY? ), old school psionics (for all those Illithids in GDQ1-7), the original "down to the last hit point" monster XP value charts, building NPCs and evocative dungeon settings the "Gygax way," player creation of spells and magic items, and much more; my personal favorite touch is the endless extolling of the virtues of encouraging the PCs in the early levels, while only a few pages later, we're treated to a graphic depiction of a game in progress that STRONGLY implies it's good to kill the PCs at 1st level, even if they do everything right... :) (see pp. 97-100) Hehe! A highly recommended pride piece for your retro-AD&D collection.
Rating:
Summary: Gary Gygax is the Master.
Review: I have been roleplaying for years, many many years. I have seen games come and go, I have seen the white box set of G. Gygax. I have seen games like RuneQuest, Warhammer FRP, MERP, Torg, so many games. Yet this is the real start, the real truth of how great roleplaying can be. You might find 3rd edition more intricate, more things to do in it, but the original AD&D players manual and DM manual were the best in my humble opinion. This book shows how to create characters quick and just start roaming the worlds that the DM makes. GET IT. and the Dungeon Master Manual by G. Gygax. You will love it better than almost anything else the roleplaying world has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Gary Gygax is the Master.
Review: I have been roleplaying for years, many many years. I have seen games come and go, I have seen the white box set of G. Gygax. I have seen games like RuneQuest, Warhammer FRP, MERP, Torg, so many games. Yet this is the real start, the real truth of how great roleplaying can be. You might find 3rd edition more intricate, more things to do in it, but the original AD&D players manual and DM manual were the best in my humble opinion. This book shows how to create characters quick and just start roaming the worlds that the DM makes. GET IT. and the Dungeon Master Manual by G. Gygax. You will love it better than almost anything else the roleplaying world has to offer.
Rating:
Summary: It looks cool - like some kind of weird tome
Review: I was given this book for Christmas in 1983 and have treasured it ever since. The version I have is the one with the Efreet on the front fighting some heroes outside the Fabled City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire. It has lots of appendices with cool things like dungeon dressing, tricks and traps, random monster encounters and even a random dungeon generator that can be adapted for solo play! The recomended reading appendix has led me to seek out the books of several authors who I would not otherwise have read. The book is full of atmosphere, arcane ideas and oldschool art work. Gary Gygax likes to use interesting words like mileu and dweomer which makes it fun to read. The DM Guide has plenty of ideas and advice that is still extremely useful for the modern version of the game. And it looks cool - like some kind of weird tome.
Rating:
Summary: It looks cool - like some kind of weird tome
Review: I was given this book for Christmas in 1983 and have treasured it ever since. The version I have is the one with the Efreet on the front fighting some heroes outside the Fabled City of Brass on the Elemental Plane of Fire. It has lots of appendices with cool things like dungeon dressing, tricks and traps, random monster encounters and even a random dungeon generator that can be adapted for solo play! The recomended reading appendix has led me to seek out the books of several authors who I would not otherwise have read. The book is full of atmosphere, arcane ideas and oldschool art work. Gary Gygax likes to use interesting words like mileu and dweomer which makes it fun to read. The DM Guide has plenty of ideas and advice that is still extremely useful for the modern version of the game. And it looks cool - like some kind of weird tome.
Rating:
Summary: great artwork and text
Review: The first edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons as deliniated in this fine DM guide far exceeds any of its poorly designed successors. The book will open up a new world for those willing to spend the time reading it. It is very readable...as a teenager I read the entire work cover to cover and became a DM. The Artwork is excellent and avoids the idiotic "comic strip" look that took over later. The 3rd edition works are the worst, the artwork is bad and the text is confused, lacking simplicity and directness. Purchase this instead. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: packed with information for advanced d&d players
Review: this "special reference work" is truly all it claims to be; "a compiled volume of information for players of advanced dungeons & dragons, including: character races, classes, and level abilities; spell tables and descriptions; equipment costs; weapons data; and information on adventuring" and then some. a wise investment.
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