This product line debuted in September 2010 and consists of ten products intended to lower the barrier of entry into the game. Essentials uses the D&D 4th edition rule set and provides simple player character options intended for first-time players. [27] Many of the new player character options emulate features from previous editions, such as schools of magic for the wizard class, to appeal to older players who had not adopted the 4th edition rules. [28] "The goal of Essentials was to provide a new core of rule books that were simplified, updated, and errataed, so that they'd be easier to use". [29]

The release of AD&D 2nd Edition corresponded with important policy changes at TSR. An effort was made to remove aspects of the game which had attracted negative publicity, most notably the removal of all mention of demons and devils, although equivalent fiendish monsters are included, renamed tanar'ri and baatezu, respectively. Moving away from the moral ambiguity of the 1st edition AD&D, the TSR staff eliminated character classes and races like the assassin and the half-orc, and stressed heroic roleplaying and player teamwork. The target age of the game was also lowered, with most 2ndedition products being aimed primarily at teenagers. [14] Hall, Charlie (2021-10-12). "An official Critical Role campaign is on the way from the publishers of D&D". Polygon . Retrieved 2021-10-12. The 5th edition's Basic Rules, a free PDF containing complete rules for play and a subset of the player and DM content from the core rulebooks, was released on July 3, 2014. [18] The basic rules have continued to be updated since then to incorporate errata for the corresponding portions of the Player's Handbook and combine the Player's Basic Rules and Dungeon Master's Basic Rules into a single document.Baichtal, John (March 25, 2008). "No D&D 4E for Paizo?!?". Wired.com. Conde Nast. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012 . Retrieved October 1, 2013. Pulsipher, Lewis (February–March 1981). "An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons". White Dwarf. No.23. London, England: Games Workshop. pp.8–9. Chainmail was needed to conduct combat...." " Greyhawk introduced a new combat system.... Pulsipher, Lewis (February–March 1981). "An Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons". White Dwarf. No.23. London, England: Games Workshop. pp.8–9.

Williams, S.; Cook, M. & Tweet, J. (July 2003). Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III v.3.5. Revised by R. Baker. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 978-0-7869-2893-4.

The publication of the System Reference Document (SRD) for 3rd edition under the Open Game License (OGL) allowed other companies to use the rules to create their own variants of Dungeons & Dragons, providing that they did not use anything Wizards of the Coast considered trade dress or signature content, known as "product identity" under the terms of the OGL. [67] In January 2016, Wizards of the Coast published an updated SRD for 5th edition D&D. [68] a b Peters, Jayson (2021-09-26). "Dungeons & Dragons new edition announced, with new rulebooks for 2024". Nerdvana . Retrieved 2021-09-27.

The books from the "main" product line of 4th Edition are split into Core Rules and Supplement books. Unlike third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, which had the core rulebooks released in monthly installments, the 4th editions of the Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide were all released in June 2008. Hall, Charlie (2 September 2015). "Out of the Abyss: D&D's next campaign goes deep into the Underdark". Polygon. Spangler, Todd (2021-10-12). "Critical Role Official D&D Book 'Call of the Netherdeep' Due Out in Early 2022". Variety . Retrieved 2021-10-12. Around 1983, all previous hardcover releases (except Fiend Folio) including Monster Manual, Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide and Deities & Demigods were upgraded with new cover art and unified with orange spines as trade dress. This included only minimal text change such as removal of rape references in Dungeon Masters Guide (books are now labeled "ages 10 and up"). Monster Manual II and the rest of the series followed the same format. By the end of its first decade, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons line had expanded to a library of 14 hardcover rulebooks, including three books of monsters, and two books governing character skills in wilderness and underground settings. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ( AD&D) greatly expanded upon the rules and settings of the original D&D game when it was released in 1977. As such, this edition saw the publication of numerous books to assist players. The naming of the core books in this edition became the standard for all later editions.Many have speculated, without evidence, that it will be the full-fledged 6th edition of the game. But there's a downside to breaking ties with nearly a decade's worth of products [...] and starting fresh. Just look to the various 'edition wars' that have cropped up over the years when the franchise transitioned from 3rd edition, to 3.5, to 4th edition. Instead, it appears that Wizards will be taking a far more incremental approach this time, weaving in changes both large and small while still maintaining a connection to what came before". [47] The new alignments are Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Good, Neutral, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, and Chaotic Evil. They are organized in a 3 cell by 3 cell square grid in horizontal bands (Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic) and vertical bands (Good, Neutral and Evil). Hall, Charlie (2021-06-07). "Magic: The Gathering's Strixhaven setting comes to D&D in a new campaign book". Polygon . Retrieved 2021-06-07.

a b c Nelson, Samantha (2022-08-18). "D&D is reviving Planescape with a three-volume boxed set, coming in 2023". Polygon . Retrieved 2022-08-18.

Initially it was expected that players would start using Basic edition and then graduate to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. [6] However, in 1981 the Basic Set underwent a complete revision and not long after this the Expert Set was released for the first time. All references to a progression from the Basic Set to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons were removed from the games and supplements as TSR, Inc. made clear that the expected progression was from the Basic Set to the Expert Set. From this point the D&D dichotomy became fixed and the Basic/Expert pair were considered a completely separate game from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. [7] Core products [ edit ] Title