Dragons at Dawn
Paperback, 64 pages
| Price: | $15.75 |
|---|
Ships in 3–5 business days
Welcome to Dave Arnesons Basement! It’s 1971 and you’ve been invited to play this cool new game… Experience the thrill of the very first fantasy RPG adventures with Dragons at Dawn, the rule set that harkens back to the early days of adventure gaming when everything was new and the possibilities endless. Dragons at Dawn is a retro tribute to the very first fantasy gaming system pioneered by Dave Arneson, the man who later went on to co-author the worlds most popular roleplaying game. The result of years of careful historical research, Dragons at Dawn is entirely consistent with Arneson’s original, largely forgotten methods of play developed roughly in the period 1970-1973. Dragons at Dawn approaches gaming with none of the assumptions and habits developed from later rules, allowing a return to a kind of free form and open style of interaction between players and referees to develop and play whatever aspects of fantasy adventure gaming the players like best.
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Review Dragons at Dawn
Lulu Sales Rank: 6530
5 People Reviewed This Item
This is a great alternative to the fantasy retro games floating about.
But it's much more. If you'll accept that fantasy game rules are a form of literature, it's literary archeology. This makes it fun and enlightening to read.
But it is also fun to play. It's different enough that experienced gamers will recognize it as a new game in its own right, but flexible enough that you can use it with existing campaigns and source material. It's a sideways step into a world where first level wizards can throw fireballs, wear armor and wield swords and where experience is gained by spending gold.
Definitely a winner!
It reads like a labour of love, a product of studious enthusiastic research and discussion, a fitting tribute to Dave Arneson and the early gamers. More than that, it looks cool to play.
An excellent product, marred by a few problems. Layout is poor, with sections not easily visible, but terms are well-defined and organization is good. There are many differences from Dungeons & Dragons, which may be unexpected - casting a spell involves spell points and a save vs. constitution, and attacks use the Combat Matrix to compare attack and defense followed by a 2d6 roll.
There is also an electronic version available at:
http://sites.fastspring.com/apriorcrs/product/dragonsatdawn
We played Dragons at Dawn at the Second Annual Dave Arneson Memorial Gameday in NYC, and I am happy to say that the expedition of our warriors, wizards, sages, and merchants into Blackmoor Dungeons proved that these proto-D&D rules are as much fun to play as they are fascinating to read!
Get this book!
If you are curious about the roots of our hobby, then this is pure gold.
Add to that the fact that this is an intriguing game with some quite cool innovations and you have something that should appeal even if gaming archaeology is not your thing.
It really screams out to be played.
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