D&D - Player's Handbook AD&D 1st Ed.

The Player's Handbook is one of the original three "core" rulebooks put out by TSR. The original cover is of a large statue with gemstone eyes, of which one is being stolen by a group of adventurers. The book consists of different sections dealing with information that "anyone" can know - meaning that there is an assumption that people who just "play" the game should only read the Player's Handbook, while the Dungeon Masters can read other supplemental material so they can provide a truly surprising world for the Players.

The Goblin Trove
We currently have 1 copy of the Player's Handbook in stock. It is in Very Good condition, with minimal shelfwear and a crisp, clean feel to it. Please inquire if you have further questions.

D&D - 1st Edition

For many people, the 1st Edition is the true beginning of D&D. Known as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the rulebooks were hardcover and had fantastic covers and were chock full of great information and pictures that could enthrall for hours. The books began publication in December of 1977.

The first style of books, with covers that wrapped around the entire book including the spines, was limited to 5 different books. Later, in 1983, the original books were reprinted with orange spines and different cover art. Although still part of the same "Edition", this differing set of books somewhat represents a collection in and of itself. The Goblin Trove recognizes these books as 1st Edition, but will often refer to them as "1.5" (Similar to later distinctions in 2nd and 3rd Editions).

• Player's Handbook
• Dungeon Master's Guide
• Monster Manual
• Deities and Demigods
• Fiend Folio

Orange Spine Series (1.5)

• Player's Handbook
• Dungeon Master's Guide
• Unearthed Arcana
• Monster Manual
• Monster Manual II
• Legends and Lore (Previously Deities and Demigods)
• Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
• Wilderness Survival Guide
• Dragonlance Adventures
• Oriental Adventures
• Greyhawk Adventures
• Manual of the Planes

D&D - Birthright

Birthright is a campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons that takes place on a more epic scale than individual adventuring. Instead of going into dungeons, Players assume the role of semi-divine kings that control large swaths of land. It was a shortlived campaign setting from a publishing perspective, but has gained a large enough following to continue as an internet based campaign setting officially sanctions (but not supported) by Wizards of the Coast.

Publications
Box Sets

• 3100 - Birthright Campaign Setting
  
• 3103 - Cities of the Sun
• 3121 - The Rjurik Highlands
  
• 3129 - Havens of the Great Bay
  
• 3134 - Naval Battle Rules: The Sea of Cerillia
  

Guides

• 3104 - Player's Secrets of Roesone
• 3105 - Player's Secrets of Endier
• 3106 - Player's Secrets of Medoere
• 3107 - Player's Secrets of Tuornen
• 3108 - Player's Secrets of Ilien
• 3109 - Player's Secrets of Talinie
• 3111 - Player's Secrets of Ariya
• 3119 - Player's Secrets of Binsada
• 3120 - Player's Secrets of Baruk-Azhik
• 3122 - Player's Secrets of Halskapa
• 3123 - Player's Secrets of Khourane
• 3124 - Player's Secrets of Tuarhievel
• 3127 - Player's Secrets of Stjordvik
• 3135 - Player's Secrets of Hogunmark
• Player's Secrets of Müden (PDF Only)
  
• 3101 - Blood Enemies: Abominations of Cerilia
• 3140 - Blood Spawn: Creatures of Light and Shadow
• 3147 - Tribes of the Heartless Wastes
• 3117 - The Book of Magecraft
• 3126 - The Book of Priestcraft
• 3137 - The Book of Regency

Modules

• 3102 - Sword and Crown
• 3110 - Warlock of the Stonecrowns
• 3118 - The Sword of Roele
• 3125 - Legends of the Hero-Kings
• 3142 - King of the Giantdowns

Novels

• The Iron Throne by Simon Hawke (Nov, 1995. ISBN 0-7869-0357-0)
• Greatheart by Dixie Lee McKeone (Feb, 1996. ISBN 0-7869-0480-1)
• War by Simon Hawke (May, 1996. ISBN 0-7869-0495-X)
• The Hag's Contract by John Gregory Betancourt (June, 1996. ISBN 0-7869-0496-8)
• The Spider's Test by Dixie Lee McKeone (Sept, 1996. ISBN 0-7869-0512-3)
• The Falcon and the Wolf by Richard Baker (May, 2000. Online publication.)

Computer Games

• Birthright - The Gorgon's Alliance (Sierra)

D&D Settings

Dungeons and Dragons, besides giving the world an RPG system that has seen numerous incarnations and 35 years of play, also gave us multiple game settings - that is, standalone worlds within the D&D system with unique lands, kingdoms and characters to explore. Some have been more popular than others, and some have spanned several versions of the game while others have fallen away.

Some are complete worlds, while some are really modular mini-realms or concepts that can be plugged into any world.

Settings
Al-Qadim
Birthright
Blackmoor
Council of Wyrms
Dark Sun
Dragonlance
Eberron
Forgotten Realms
Ghostwalk
Greyhawk
Jakandor
Kara-Tur
Kingdoms of Kalamar
Lankhmar
Maztica
Mystara
Pelinore
Planescape
Points of Light
Ravenloft
Rokugan
The Savage Coast
Spelljammer
Wilderlands of High Fantasy

World of Darkness

Really several systems combined into one Storyteller universe. The first, Vampire: The Masquerade, is arguably the most famous of the settings. Also included are Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Mage: The Ascension as the basic settings. Other settings have been incorporated, allowing players to select from almost any supernatural creature imaginable.

The settings are based on the Storyteller game system, which is more point based and allows players extreme flexibility in creating their particular characters.

The "New" version of World of Darkness doesn't have the same breakdown of individual systems for each type of character - rather it is an all inclusive Storyteller System that allows customization based on choice, and combines elements from all the disparate games.

List of Original Settings

• Vampire: The Masquerade
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse
• Mage: The Ascension
• Wraith: The Oblivion
• Changeling: The Dreaming
• Kindred of the East
• Hunter: The Reckoning
• Mummy: The Resurrection
• Demon: The Fallen
• Orpheus

Stephen R. Donaldson

One of my favorite authors. Stephen Donaldson wrote several series, the best known being The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever. A story about a leper author who gets transported into a fantasy world in which he is to be the Hero, Covenant is truly an anti-Hero story as Thomas' leprosy and psychological regimen prevents him from buying into the dream world in which he finds himself.

His other series contain characters that are also self abnegating, set against a backdrop of high drama and intrigue that lends verisimilitude to the decisions made, however antithetical they might be to the paradigm they find themselves in.

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever
Mordant's Need
The Gap
The Man Who...


Click here to go to the Stephen R. Donaldson section of The Goblin Trove store

Game System - Trinity

In 1997, White Wolf Game Studio attempted a new addition to their gaming catalog - a trilogy of RPGs using the same game system, and occuring at different points in the fictional universe's time line. Although the games were published in reverse order, with Trinity being the first actually published, the 3 games chronologically are Adventure!, Aberrant, and then Trinity.

Adventure!
Set in 1924, Adventure! is a pulp action setting, and the game book itself was published in sepia tones to evoke the mood of that time period. Daredevils, Mesmerists and Stalwarts explore and seek the cause of the release of Telluric energy. This is what causes the heroes to gain their powers, and sets the foundation for the next two games.

Aberrant
A super hero based game set in 2008, this is the second of the trilogy and deals with the near future, and the ways in which the Telluric energy has change society.

Trinity
Trinity is in the 22nd century, and deals with the aftermath of a great war that started in the Aberrant time era.

The three games were all originally published utilizing the Storyteller game system, and were later re-released under the d20 system.

D&D Module - B2 Keep on the Borderlands

RPGs> Fantasy> Dungeons and Dragons> D&D

Any old time D&D fan will know this module, as it was included in the D&D Box Set from 1979-1982 and was an introduction level module that would be the first adventure many newbies to the game would experience.

The basic plot is a typical dungeon crawl - go into the Caves of Chaos and kill all the bad guys. These included Kobolds, Orcs (two warring tribes!), Goblins, and a fearsome Minotaur among others. The module serves as kind of a "Who's who" of enemies from the basic D&D game, and most adventurers will encounter this stable over and over again throughout their adventuring careers.

B2 also spawned several sequels and re-dos, most notably Return to the Keep on the Borderlands, a 2nd Edition version set 20 years after the events of the original module. A pared down version also appears in the super module B1-9 In Search of Adventure. A novel, The Keep on the Borderlands, was published as a standalone novel with the tag of "Greyhawk". There has been some contention regarding the Return and the novel as the original Keep was added to the Mystara campaign setting, and crossed characters and gods could confuse the uninitiated.

Hackmaster also published a version of the adventure.


Resources
Keep on the Borderlands at Wikipedia
Keep on the Borderlands at RPGNet

Purchase the varying incarnations at Amazon:

Spectrum Fantastic Art

In 1993, Cathy and Arnie Fenner created a series called Spectrum to showcase contemporary Fantastic Artists - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and other artwork that wasn't receiving the mainstream attention they thought it should be.

Dozens of artists contribute to the effort, and selections are chosen through a yearly competition. The 15th book in the series comes out in 2008, having run every year since it's inception in 1993.

Resources
Spectrum Website

D&D

 RPGs> Fantasy> Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons. The most venerable and prolific of fantasy RPGs, known by all gamers and even most non-gamers. Now in it's 4th edition, D&D has had a long and varied career with ups and downs, some great material (and some not so great), and a varying image in the public eye. Accused of corrupting youth, being an escape, being a psychological tool, and any number of other things. There are plenty of websites discussing D&D and detailing it, so here we will just touch on the basics, and provide a map through the different incarnations of this grandfather of games.

Current Edition
Dungeons and Dragons is currently in it's 4th Edition as numbered editions goes, but is in it's 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th incarnation (depending on the criteria). The current edition was released in June of 2008, and has been generally well received by the role playing community. The current release tends to favor action more akin to online MMORPGs than the previous editions, which is considered both a boon and an anchor, depending on which side of the fence is asked.

Release History

• Chainmail (Predecessor game)

• D&D (1974)
• D&D Basic Set (1977)
• AD&D (1977)
• D&D Basic Set 2nd Revision (1981)
• D&D Basic Set 3rd Revision (1983)
• AD&D 2nd Edition (1989)
• D&D Rules Cyclopedia (1991)
• D&D 3rd Edition (2000)
• D&D 3.5 (2003)
• D&D 4th Edition (2008)

All editions before 3rd Edition published by TSR, starting with 3rd Edition published by Wizards of the Coast.

D&D

Chainmail
The predecessor to D&D was a wargame for medieval type miniatures known as Chainmail. Written by Jeff Perren and Gary Gygax, the rulebook was published by Guidon in 1971 and contained a fantasy supplement that was the basis for the D&D game.

Resources
Chainmail game at Wikipedia
Chainmail at RPGNet

D&D "OD&D" (1974)
Published as a set in 1974, the original D&D game consisted of 3 booklets.