WOTC is coming out with “D&D Essentials”, intended to be a 4e version of the D&D Basic line that ran parallel to 1st edition. Seems like a good time to think about what “D&D Essentials” means.

I have a lot of nostalgia for older D&D versions, and I try to be aware of that nostalgia. Still, it’s hard to pick through and figure out which of my favorite things about old D&D editions were actually cool, and should be brought back or included in future versions, and which were accidents, or nonessential parts of its coolness: elements I love, where my love has more to do with my history with D&D than with their objective loveability.

One of the ways to make this distinction might be to try to separate what I loved when I was a kid newly introduced to D&D, versus what I love now.

My 8-year-old Essentials list:

-Dragons: My first D&D edition was the 1983 red box Basic set, when I was 8 or so. I have a distinct memory of thinking the page of dragons was awesome: their hit die total was so much higher than the other monsters in the bestiary. They were badasses! Also, you could subdue them, which meant that you would have your own dragon. Awesome!
-Dungeons: I liked drawing them as much as playing them. I drew a lot of dungeons, using the dungeon symbol key (squares for doors, dollar-sign S in the wall for secret doors); more dungeons than I ever played.
-Equipment: The idea that you could equip your character for the unknown with wolfsbane and 10′ poles – really be ready for anything – appealed to me. And, of course, I liked the power fantasy of getting magic weapons and items, and the gambling aspects of rolling for treasure on the treasure table.
(more…)