Recently I was in a local hobby store, the manager mentioned to me that AD&D maintains more than 60% of the market share. As we talked he But this is just business; the problem with AD&D is relatively simple once I had some time to think about it. Beginning with TSR's second edition of AD&D, the artistic quality of the books was dispatched. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean that the drawings were drawn with less skill or that there were fewer of them. I simply mean that overall the books were done with less care than first edition.I truly got the feeling that Gary Gygax was writing and editing these books out of an authentic sense of duty to something greater than himself, an artistic interest. The first AD&D book that I purchased was the Player's Handbook with its only full page black & white drawing, A Paladin in Hell surrounded by sketchy black & white art. I spent a long time trying to figure out how that poor Paladin got himself into that precarious situation. Or for instance does anyone remember the caption, "well, it either allows a magic-user to throw the various Bigby's hand spells, or it's a +2 backscratcher. So far we aren't sure which?" Tossed into the unceasingly dry Treasure table lists, this caption gave the First Edition a lightness that punctuated the book and gave the players permission to be slightly less rigid than they might have been. But unfortunately, this element is no more.
TSR also excised every piece of nudity. (Yes, I said nudity even though it will indubitably trigger the silly Safe Sitter programs all across the United States. Violence well that's ok for kids, they have to know that exists sometime don't they?) The various frontal lack of clothing (& I can only think of three of said drawings in the entire First Edition line [anyone with a 4th?]) gave the artwork present an authentic ambiance. Ancient art in every culture (including an English HILLSIDE) contains an element of sexuality. In fact, nudity was publicly acceptable in many ancient cultures (at sporting events mostly), ranging worldwide from the Incans to the Greeks, considered by many the wisest of the ancients. Not because they could not clothe themselves but because all those cultures considered the human form to be an important element of oneself. Only in the last few hundred years has this Judeo-Christian prudishness become the dominant path of thought and America is the only significant bastion of such thinking, not counting Moslem Fundamentalist governments, of course. In the 1980's, a parental outcry went out from those parents who discovered that their children had been paging through a book containing a drawing of a lobster head atop a nude woman's body (Deities & Demigods/Legends & Lore).
TSR also decided in the late 1980's that players should all be "good guys." Their marketing schemes are heavily weighted in that direction. Disregarding the concept that their own games could well be a safe environment for their target market (12-20 year old males) to explore the darker elements of their personality, TSR set about to please parents by advocating that "good" (which the reader should notice that TSR did not attempt to define) is a better lifestyle than "evil" (again undefined). A reader of TSR works necessarily come away with an oversimplified and distorted view of the world in which "bad" people are rarely successful yet inexplicably manage to achieve power and influence. Of course this is the same game that rewards the characters for being greedy and going to any lengths to achieve in that experience points are directly available for one a player's character who allows another player's character to collect money and then murdering and robbing him (or simply robbing him, but killing the character worth considerably more depending on his/her level). I simply cannot recommend the TSR line of books.
As an example Here is the content guidelines page from TSR's Polyhedron website:
1. Good versus Evil -
Insofar as TSR products, marketing, promotions, and services portray the conflict between "good" and "evil", such portrayals should encourage the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Though dramatic purposes may require that evil prevail over good for a time, the ultimate victory of good over evil is a desirable goal.Game products should assume that player characters or heroes are good and should never support evil as a preferred lifestyle.
2. Profanity -
The gratuitous use of profanity and symbols considered vulgar by the contemporary standards of a product's target market is not acceptable unless integral to a character or story.3. Dramatic Horror, Violence and Gore -
The use of dramatic horror is acceptable in product development. However, scenes depicting excessively graphic gore are not acceptable.4. Sexual Themes -
Sexual situations-including abuse and pornography-will not appear graphically in art or text for salacious purposes.5. Nudity -
When depicting the human form-or creatures possessing humaniform features-gratuitous nudity, the depiction of genitalia, bare female nipples, and sexual or bathroom activity is not acceptable. TSR encourages the depiction of the full range of humaniforms from heroic fantasy heroes to variations of average men, women, and children. While human sensuality and sexuality may appear in TSR product, it should not be the focus-nor should it create disrespect for the human form. In short, TSR will not use sex to sell; TSR prefers to focus on marketing characters, moods and stories.