INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF PLAY BEHIND ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, 1st EDITION

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition (AD&D 1E) is a simulationist tabletop role playing game (TTPRG) that relies on strict timekeeping and logistics mangament. This might not sound like something that can produce fun at the table, but the reality is that using the game rules as-written to initially learn the game, while adding necessary rulings as play progresses, makes for a very immersive and entertaining tabletop role playing game experience. There are several key elements to the philosophy of play behind AD&D 1E to cover, and a number of nuances that players of modern RPGs may find counter-intuitive.

We don't have time in 4 hours to review all of this background, but the links throughout this page will allow you to read more about AD&D 1E, games similar to it, and their philosophy at your own pace.

As with any game, you may enjoy this type of game, or you may find it is not to your liking. That's ok either way. There is room in gaming from everything from Simulationist to Story Game, so play what you enjoy. My goal is to introduce you to some of the key concepts of play and take you through a sample adventure so you can experience the feel of AD&D 1E.

Simulationist Play
Simulationist play is where the Dungeon Master (DM), or alternately the Game Master (GM), and Players work together to produce an environment that is interactive and one that has internal consistency, has a level of predictability, provides maximum Player agency, and one where Players' actions can produces a permanent impact on the game world. The Simulationist play should eventually work to produce a condition of verisimilitude for the Players and for the DM.

Verisimilitude
What is verisimilitude? From the American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Edition, we find its definition to be:

  1. The quality of appearing to be true or real. synonym: truth.
  2. Something that has the appearance of being true or real.
In game terms, it is the condition where the environment, the "world" that the Players' characters are in, has a feeling of being real enough for Players to suspend their disbelief while they are playing the game.

A successful game world has its own rules, its own creatures, its own flavor, but it has enough internal consistency that it makes sense and feels "real" to the Players and to the DM. Even if that world has powerful magic, fell monsters, and rich treasures to be found and plundered, and even if those things do not exist in our Reality, you can "believe" in the game world.

Verisimilitude is the goal you want to reach at your TTRPG table. The journey there may have a few bumps on the way, but it may be easier to achieve than you think.

Recommendations for Play from the Game Master of a 45-year old AD&D 1E Campaign
Rick Stump hosts the blog Don't Split the Party where he posts details and ruminations about his AD&D 1E Seaward Campaign, which has been running continuously now for 45 years. Rick has seven concepts that he believes are key to both successful long-term campaign play and short-term gaming. We will breifly discuss all seven of these concepts during the introduction to the game and character creation. They are:
  1. Strict timekeeping of all game events
  2. Verisimilitude within the artificial world of the campaign
  3. Status quo is the enemy; change is a natural result of in-game actions
  4. Multiple characters per player, so that more actions and options are possible within strict timekeeping
  5. Characters can win or lose based on their actions and choices
  6. Players drive action
  7. Genre is descriptive, not proscriptive
If you want to learn more details regarding these concepts, Rick's blog is linked above and his podcast episodes might just be for you. Those podcasts can be found at this link.

The Role of the Dungeon Master
Per Alexander Macris' book, The Arbiter of Worlds, the role of the DM in AD&D 1E -- is four-fold in nature. These roles are:
  1. Judge (or Referee) of the game
  2. Worldbuilder of the game environment and settings
  3. Adversary to the Player's characters
  4. Storyteller for the Players' interactions with the game
In my opinion, Alex's book is well worth your money and your time to discover more about simulationist play, as well as maximizing agency of the Players within the game world. The principles he details align well with Rick Stump's list of concepts for effective RPG play.

If you are interested in learning more about his company, Autarch, and his games, the Adventurer, Conqueror, King System (ACKS) and Ascendant, his YouTube channel "Arbiter of Worlds" is here. Additionally, his playlist for thoughts on TTRPG play is here.

Timekeeping and "One Game Clock to Rule Them All"
Along with the roles that Alexander Macris lays out for the DM, I include a fifth function: the Timekeeper. This is not necessarily the person who tracks time in the game, though the DM will likely do that as well. This role is to control the speed of the game clock. The DM controls how fast time will pass in the game world with the Characters, relative to the time in the Real World where the Players exist. These shifts in Game Clock Time relative to Real World Time are so ubiquitous in the game that most DMs and Players don't even recognize they are happening.

Let "T" represent the time in the Real World and let "T*" represent the time within the game. T* can be thought of as a kind of stopwatch in the hands of the DM. Consider some of the events that occur within the game:

Game World Event
Real World Event Comparision of
Game Time to Real Time		 Notes
Check a room for secret doors
(~1 turn of game time)
 DM rolls 1d6 for the search result
 T* > T
 The Characters experience 10 minutes of Game World Time compared to about 3 seconds in the Real World experienced by the Players and DM.
Characters ride to the next town, about 6 miles distant (about 1 hour on horseback)
 DM checks for random encounters on the road
 T* > T
 Characters experience 1 hour of travel time, compared to Players expereincing anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes of time, based on the random encounter roll(s)
Characters make a decision about how to assault NPCs in an encounter
 Players discuss amongst themselves, then the Caller tells the DM what their plan will be
 T* ~ T
T* < T
 Players will typically take longer to make a tactical decision in the Real World than their Characters might within the Game World.
Players engage NPCs in a massed combat scenario
 Players roll for initiative, offensive strikes, and defensive maneuvers against the NPC group
 T* < T
 Combat resolution in AD&D 1E in the Real World is typically resolved quickly compared to the combat as it occurs in the Game World
Players collect up treasuers and decide what to do with captives.
 Players discuss, then ask the Caller to inform the DM of their decisions regarding logistics of the matter
 T* << T
 This task typically takes Players a long time in the Real World compared to what would be a Game World decision, if they are new to this type of game.

This discussion of Time typically extends to what kind of timekeeping should be used between game sessions. More often than not, this boils down to one of two choices: (1) Pause the Game Time Clock (making T* = 0 for a time), freezing everyone in the Game World until the Players can reconvene for the next Game session, and (2) locking Game World Time to Real World Time, making T* = T, allowing events to be played via e-mail, private messaging, or phone while the next in-person event is pending. This is often referred to as "1:1 time" or "one-to-one time".

Both of these extremes have their advantages and disadvantages, but one rule must be obeyed in any choice of relative Game World Time: This is one of the reasons that timekeeping is vitally important in AD&D 1E.

Principia Apocrypha: Principles of Old School RPGs, or, A New OSR Primer
Old School Renaissance, or Old School Revival, or a number of other similar titles, or just "OSR", is an effort by many independent gamers to return to the original style of play set forth by TSR in their original game of Dungeons & Dragons, the B/X boxed sets, or by other similar games of the time. Several concepts intersect with those already presented. This PDF booklet condenses many of these concepts into a short primer for interested parties. From the website:
Principia Apocrypha is a new, free Primer for OSR and other Old School Style RPG Gaming in the form of a collection of Apocalypse World-style GM and Player Principles, with text from Ben Milton, Steven Lumpkin, and David Perry.
-- Dave Perry (site owner)

Dave Perry's site also hosts links to other writers and their discussions of OSR gaming and philosophies. The link for the Principia Apocrypha booklet in several formats is here.

From a discussion at Rick Stump's Don't Split the Party Discord:
What's AD&D 1st Edition (1E) like?
Compare 1E to selected video games:

What are the roles of the Dungeon Master?
As was mentioned above, game designer Alex Macris in his book Arbiter of Worlds lays out the four roles of the DM within the context of a TTRPG.

They are:
... and I add a fifth role:
The DM is a player along with the other players in the game. It is not his role to lead passive players through a predetermined story with fixed plot elements.

What is the role of the Player in AD&D 1E?
First and foremost, the Player is an active participant in the game, making choices for his character and deciding what courses of action the character and the Party will take at any given moment of the game. Secondly, the Player works with other players at the table to deal with problems and scenarios that arise due to the actions they collectively take, which impacts the course of the world in which they adventure. Individually and collectively, the Players drive the action in the game.

They are not passive participants, waiting to be entertained by the DM.

What AD&D 1st Edition is NOT:
1) This is game called "Dungeons and Dragons," but it's a completely different sort of game than modern versions of TTRPGs that are the descendants of 1E, such as 5e, Pathfinder, etc. Those games are closer to something like a fantasy Marvel movie, which can be very fun, but that's not this game. This game, at least at low levels, is much closer to a survival game.

2) The DM does not provide a narrative structure to the game. There are NPCs who may have plans and act on those plans, but not in a "this is the script for the campaign" way. The story emerges from what you, the players, decide to do and the consequences of your actions. The story comes from what happens in the game, it's not something forced to happen in the game by the designer of the setting. There is no "plot".

3) Resources are important. Your characters need gear, they need torches, they need food and water. They can only carry so many things. This is an important part of the game, because it creates opportunities for conflict and meaningful choices. Running out of torches in the middle of a dungeon, having to scrounge for food in the wilderness, deciding what treasure to grab or what to leave behind are not inconsequential to your characters. These choices aren't just there for a sense of realism, otherwise known as verisimilitude, but because choices and consequences are required for meaningful play.

4) Choices are only meaningful if there are real consequences attached to them. There's no "plot armor," either for your characters or for their enemies in this TTRPG, as the rules are written. If you choose to do something foolish, your characters won't be shielded from the consequences of those choices. If you do something brilliant and foil a big bad's plan immediately, he likewise won't be shielded from those actions for the sake of the plot or story.

5) I will not lie about a dice roll result, either in your favor or against you. If I did that I would be cheating you out of interesting and meaningful situations. Sometimes that means your characters will die, but other times it will mean you overcame a challenge that might have otherwise destroyed your character. That's all part of the game. In fact, some of the best moments of gaming in AD&D 1E are going to be those that would never have occurred if the dice were being fudged.

6) "The answer isn't on your character sheet." It's not in a skill or an ability score check. It's whatever you tell me your character does. That's the game.