When D&D Stopped For Me

  After my gaming group in high school broke up in 1989 (more on that in a future post), I still kept up with D&D material published by TSR.  I was hoping I would eventually find a new group, and I didn't want to be left behind by not purchasing the latest and greatest from the Game Wizards!  It was the dawn of Second Edition, and the flood of products just kept increasing every year.  At the beginning of 1994 I moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Nashville, Tennessee, and my purchases slackened up tremendously.  I could no longer afford to keep up with all the material.  Here's 1988 (last year before 2E) and 1994 D&D releases for comparison.

1988
Dungeon Master Design Kit
H4 The Throne of Bloodstone
OP1 Tales of the Outer Planes
REF5 Lords of Darkness
Greyhawk Adventures rulebook
WG7 Castle Greyhawk
City System Accessory, boxed set
FR3 Empires of the Sands
FR4 The Magister
FR5 The Savage Frontier
FR6 Dreams of the Red Wizards
I14 Swords of the Iron Legion
FRC1 Ruins of Adventure
DL15 Mists of Krynn
DL16 The World of Krynn
GAZ5 The Elves of Alfheim
GZA6 The Dwarves of Rockhome
GAZ7 The Northern Reaches
GAZ8 The Five Shires
GAZ9 The Minrothad Guilds
GAZ10 The Orcs of Thar
Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms Campaign Setting, boxed set
OA5 Mad Monkey vs. Dragon Claws



1994
Monstrous Compendium Annual Vol. 1
Encyclopedia Magica, Vol. 1 A-D
Deck of Encounters Set 1 (Unofficially CR4)
Deck of Encounters Set 2 (Unofficially CR5)
Deck of Psionic Powers (Unofficially CR6)
PHBR12 The Complete Paladin's Handbook
PHBR13 The Complete Druid's Handbook
DMGR6 The Complete Book of Villains
HR6 Age of Heroes Campaign Sourcebook
HR7 The Crusades Campaign Sourcebook
Council Of Worms, boxed adventure
Temple, Tower, and Tomb
Treasure Chest
City Sites
Fighter's Challenge 2
Wizard's Challenge 2
Fighter's Screen
Priest's Screen
Thief's Screen
Wizard's Screen
Fighter's Player Pack
Wizard's Player Pack
Priest's Player Pack
Thief's Player Pack
The Ruins of Undermountain II: The Deep Levels, boxed set
City of Splendors Campaign Expansion, boxed set
Elminster's Ecologies, boxed set
FOR5 The Elves of Evermeet
Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast
Cormyr
Marco Volo 1: Departure
Marco Volo 2: Journey
Marco Volo 3: Arrival
Book of Lairs
D&D 6th edition (?)
Poor Wizard's Almanac 3
Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure audio CD Campaign Setting, boxed set
Monstrous Compendium, Mystara Appendix
Hail the Heroes audio CD
Night of the Vampire audio CD
Planescape Campaign Setting, boxed set
Monstrous Compendium, Planescape Appendix
Planes of Chaos Campaign Expansion, boxed set
The Eternal Boundary
Well of the World
In the Abyss
The Deva Spark
Ravenloft Campagin Setting, Revised, boxed set
Monstrous Compendium, Ravenloft Appendix 3: Creatures of Darkness
Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales Campaign Expansion, boxed set
Adam's Wrath
The Awakening
Hour of the Knife
Howls in the Night
RR8 Van Richten's Guide to the Created
RR9 Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead
ALQ5 Ruined Kingdoms
ALQ6 Cities of Bone
ALQ7 Corsairs of the Great Sea
ALQ8 Caravans
CGR3 The Complete Shairs Handbook
City by the Silt Sea Campaign Expansion, boxed set
Monstrous Compendium, Dark Sun Appendix 2
DSE2 Black Spine
Forest Maker
The Will and the Way: Psionicists of Athas
Rogues of Lankhmar
Red Steel audio CD Campaign Expansion, boxed set


  The last new D&D product I bought was in 1995, FOR6 The Seven Sisters.  By this time TSR was releasing updated versions of the DMG and PHB, and there was just no way I was going to replace those volumes a third time.  Hell, I could find things faster in the 1E DMG than the "more organized, better indexed" 2E version.  Since I wasn't actively playing anyways, I never bought anything after The Seven Sisters, there just wasn't any point.


  I heard a few years later that TSR was bought by Wizards of the Coast, and that about ended it for me.  Just like when a small auto manufacturer is bought out by another, the resultant fusion is rarely better than what was before, and I felt that the days of D&D as I knew it were just about over.


  When 2000 rolled around and 3E came out, I remember looking over the new manuals at Barnes and Nobles, and I saw a game that called itself D&D, but I didn't recognize it.  As the old car ads used to say, this is not your father's D&D.  I never really felt anything for 3E, and now with 4E it's the same story.  Call me old fashioned, call me a grognard, what have you, I just can't get into new D&D.  The magic is gone.