Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Core Rules 2.0 CD-ROM

Synopsis

by Tara Hernandez

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Core Rules 2.0 CD-ROM contains all the information from the nine "core" AD&D rulebooks including the Players' Handbook, Dungeon Masters' Guide, Monstrous Manual, Arms & Equipment Guide, Wilderness Survival Guide, Combat & Tactics, Skills & Powers, Spells & Magic and High-Level Campaigns -- over 2,000 pages of rules.

The program allows users to customize spells, encounters, races, items, and treasures as well as player and non-player characters to use in their own games. Two mapping design utilities are included as part of the program: Map Maker II and Campaign Mapper II, designed by ProFantasy, Ltd., the same developers responsible for the earlier mapping programs found in version 1.0 of the AD&D: Core Rules. Users can design their own custom cities, dungeons, and more.

Other features include the ability to link map locations to monsters and treasure databases and "dice rolling" software that can automatically roll any type and number of dice. You can also create, print, and maintain fully detailed character sheets.

Features

• Complete reference for AD&D rules
• Generate characters and create skills and power rules
• Simulate dice rolls and create tile- and vector-based maps

Extra Credits

by Tara Hernandez

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc. (Now a division of Wizards of the Coast, creators of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game), is one of the most popular and imitated pen and paper RPGs in existence. Released in 1974, the original Dungeons & Dragons game is widely credited with creating the RPG category.

The years that followed the game's initial release would see the original D&D rules and guidelines expanded to improve the game's depth and playability, also creating unavoidable complexity.

Keeping up with the multiple reference books, new monsters, spells, magic items and rule changes proved to be quite a time-consuming task for dedicated players. Many companies, including TSR, developed books, binders and other products to help keep both players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) organized.

Transferring the AD&D reference books and other rules to electronic format is not a new idea. Before the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Core Rules 2.0 CD-ROM, the format had been on multiple floppy disks for reference. This was disappointing to the product's target audience (DMs), most of who customize their games and rules and needed a flexible tool to assist them.

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