These books, while published separately, actually form one long set of rules. Volumes 2 and 3 have no introduction and start right in on game material. This review covers volume 1.
Unlike Chainmail, D&D’s rules are presented as much more open-ended and incomplete. This incompleteness is intentional on the author’s part but it does present some challenges to the referee.
For example, some spells lack durations or range. Awarding of experience points is not addressed specifically but only through examples (an experience point system is not created until Greyhawk volume 4). While some of this vagueness is intentional, the editing is not as tight on this book as it was for Chainmail.
The book itself has a tan cover with a well-drawn sketch of a fighting-man. The interior art is in a cartoon style and is functional but not impressive. A drawing of an Amazon depicts her clothed only in a bikini bottom so the book has one sketch of minor nudity. The elf on page 32 is the strangest of all. With a beard, stocky build, and helm he looks more like a dwarf.
Foreword
Foreword is misspelled as Foreward on the very first page. Oops.
E. Gary Gygax states that the purpose of these rules is to create a campaign using the D&D rules. A campaign being a series of linked adventures written by the referee and experienced by a group of players. Prophetically, he states, “Tactical Studies Rules believes that of all forms of wargaming, fantasy will soon become the major contender for first place.”
Introduction The introduction explains that the rules that follow are guidelines only, a framework on which to start building a campaign. The next two rule booklets are referenced.
Scope
Of interest to the referee is the number of players possible in a campaign. Anywhere from four to fifty (!) players can be handled in a campaign, but the referee to player ratio recommendation is about 1:20.
In addition, ages are listed as twelve up. With the Amazon sketch, however, that age may be considered too young by some readers.
Preparation for the Campaign
The referee is instructed to draw out half a dozen maps of his underworld, populate it with monsters, put in some treasure, and note everything on keys for each level. Details to follow in volume 3.
Once this task is complete, the participants can descend into the dungeon, perhaps built by a mad wizard and/or an evil genius. First, though, those participants must each make a character.
Creating a Character
Players with characters of the race of men have three options for classes including fighting-men, magic-users, and clerics. Fighting-men have the best attacks, hit points, and can use all magic weapons. Magic-users are weak at low-levels, can only wield daggers, but cast powerful spells. Clerics combine some of the power of both.
Combat is resolved using the Chainmail rules. For instance, a fighting-man veteran (1st level) fights as a Man + 1, while a warrior (2nd level) fights as 2 Men + 1. An alternative system of attacks using a d20 is included later, but otherwise still uses the combat rules from Chainmail.
A magic-user who reaches the level of wizard (ten advances, 300,000 experience points) can also create magic items and a few examples are given. A lord (fighting-man after eight advances, 240,000 experience points) and a patriarch (a cleric after seven advances, 100,000 experience points) can build a castle and command troops.
Four races include men, dwarves, elves, and halflings. Racial abilities are listed here as well as in Chainmail. Only men have unlimited class choice and advancement opportunities. Dwarves and halflings are restricted to fighting-man and elves may switch between fighting-man and wizard, using the abilities of both character. Apparently, for experience point purposes, elves switch back and forth between each class for each adventure as desired and keep two sets of experience points.
Other character type options, such as playing a dragon, must be determined by the referee. Classes can be changed freely level to level by elves, but other races are discouraged from doing so. Rules are included to allow men to change classes if desired in the manner of elves, but only as a one time change. A character cannot be both a cleric and a magic-user.
Each character must also have an alignment of law, neutrality, or chaos.
The rules backtrack for a moment here, which is frustrating. Before choosing a character, the players must have abilities determined by the referee.
The referee rolls 3d6 for each of six abilities and for starting gold pieces. Rules are included for lowering scores to raise the prime requisite of a character’s class. The prime requisite is one ability score that heavily influences that class.
Characters receive more experience points for high ability scores, which encourages players to pick a class that favors their highest score for a prerequisite. Accumulated experience points allow a character to advance to higher levels.
Ability scores also affect the loyalty of henchmen (sometimes loyal men), combat abilities, and number of languages. Finally, a chart for influencing non-player characters using Charisma is included.
A section on including relatives to inherit the equipment of a dead character and equipment lists follow. After that are advancement tables.
Benefits of advancement include increased hit dice, increased fighting ability (using the Chainmail system), and for all but fighting-men, increased spellcasting ability.
An alternative combat system uses the now familiar d20 roll versus armor class in place of Chainmail’s d6 system. Characters use one chart and monsters another.
A saving throw matrix follows. In D&D, the power of the user does not influence saving throws to avoid an effect. Instead, the target has a set saving throw based on his level.
Spells follow next. A character can cast any spell on the list once per day up to the limit listed for his character class. For instance, a curate (a cleric who has advanced four times) can cast 2 first level spells and 2 second level spells a day, but no one spell more than once. The authors may have been trying to use the more familiar spell preparation method, but the rules aren’t written that way.
While vague, the lists do provide an interesting mix of spells. For instance, magic-users can put creatures to sleep with a 1st level spell but have no damaging spells. No attack spells are available at all with 2nd level spells, although phantasmal forces allows for creative illusion use. A magic-user comes into his own when he gains 3rd-level spells, gaining access to Chainmail’s iconic dispell (intentionally spelled this way, not sure why) magic, fire ball, and lightning bolt.
The book concludes with information on researching new spells and preparing spellbooks.
Conclusion
Men & Magic contains everything a player needs to get started playing D&D. The next two books are needed only by the referee.
The rules are vague in several areas as the author states. A little more time and a few more pages should have been spent in tightening and expanding the rules.
With hindsight, I know that Gary Gygax did just that in Greyhawk, volume 4, changing and modifying these core rules into the system that would become Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. These rules are a good start, but are not complete as written. Spell descriptions are not just vague but incomplete.
However, the rules would be easy to interpret and modify compared to rules of today. Compare Men & Magic at 36-pages (plus the 44-pages of Chainmail) to the 320-pages of the current Player’s Handbook. For a referee and up to twenty players looking for fast and easy to modify fantasy rules, Men & Magic would be a great start to a campaign.
