Reading OD&D, page by page

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I am starting a project on this blog: to read the original, 1974 version of Dungeons & Dragons page by page, and see what insights emerge from the text itself.

The project will unfold in two kinds of posts:

First, “page reads,” which follow the books in order, examining each page carefully and taking it on its own terms. 

Second, thematic consolidations: posts that gather everything the rules say about a single topic (for example: "knights", "goblins", or "swords" into one place, even when that information is scattered across multiple booklets.

We’ll begin not with OD&D proper, but with Chainmail (3rd edition). OD&D builds directly on Chainmail and, in many ways, assumes familiarity with it. Starting with Chainmail should give us a clearer foundation for everything that follows. 

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