Reinventing the Old

I am an avid collector of D&D relics. That is, I have an extensive and often burdensome collection of D&D books, boxed sets, memorabilia, and materials. Amongst my sacred home library you will find stacks of ancient Dragon magazines (including a complete set from Dragon #1 through #175), tomes from the earliest days of the hobby, and miniatures that predate even my own birth! I could not even do it justice in this mere article. I have tens of thousands of items, many of which hail from 1973-1988. But what good is a product if it is just there to sit?




One of the good things about being an avid collector (besides having one of the coolest home offices) is that I get to look back at these items and find inspiration from the earliest parts of the game. This helps me tremendously when writing my own content and I feel it helps to bring fresh new ideas that can appeal to all players, new and old. As well, it helps one to understand where things came from and how they got to be the way they are now. For example, did you know that the spell Fireball has largely been unchanged from edition to edition? Sure, the rules have changed, but the idea of taking a massive ball of fire and hurling it at your foes has largely stayed the same. It does a boat-load of damage and is a classic spell of choice for any wizard. Also, did you know that the spell Magic Missile did not even make as an original spell in the first book? It is little things like this that help to develop a perspective unlike any other.


Enriching Your World
If you have any old content laying around, it is a good idea to go back through it and find ideas you can use yourself. You need not be a writer to benefit! Dungeon Masters, Game Masters, and players can comb through the old and find unique ways of enhancing their own worlds and developing their own creativity to create amazing worlds and/or characters. This will add value to your gaming sessions and will keep alive the content that has been created over the years. And besides, boning up on old D&D lore is just plain fun.

Time Saver
If you are short on time, yet wish to create some cool storylines, dive into those old tomes and find inspiration for your next session -- or-- reuse the old content and update it to whichever system you are currently using. There's never a reason not to toss Tharizdun at your players! Make them learn to fear! You might even want to take that completely written module that you liked so much in AD&D and port it into 4e. All you need to do is update the monsters and voila! Instant Adventure!


If you wish to see an example of old content that I brought back to the forefront, please visit http://www.loremaster.org/content/84-gods-suel-pantheon-reborn.html. If you wish to have stats drafted, please do not hesitate to ask!