Laying the Foundations, Pt. 1

As I noted last time, any number of blogs, discussion threads, etc. focus at least occasionally on B/X D&D. Sooner or later, most of them provide an extended outline or other read-through of the two 1981 rulebooks, typically centered on the system's mechanics and other rules bits. Less often (but equally important), world-building or other campaign-related snippets are highlighted as well. And for those of us interested in Moldvay-Cook-Marsh, every detail of that sort is valuable in some way, shape, or form.

My intent with B/Xarcana differs a bit, both in method and in goals, not because I dislike what's been done previously but because I think my contributions, such as they are, are more likely to benefit the community in other ways. A read-through of sorts will eventually appear here, but because I have a Ph.D. in rhetoric, I'm much more interested in patterns and connections -- whether mechanical, verbal, or thematic -- and what they tell us about the 1981 edition's distinctive vision and milieu.

Context is everything when it comes to rhetoric, so the foundations I'll be laying involve the situation at TSR (and in the hobby at large) in the years leading up to the rules' release, not simply what's found within the rulebooks or B- and X-series modules of the time. I'll be constructing a specific timeline, attending to the people working for the company before, during, and after the period in question (1981-83), and doing a host of other things that may at first seem irrelevant to B/X D&D per se.

All of which takes time, of course, so many of the posts here will serve as an ongoing record of my preparation, research, and thinking, not simply reports on the end results. Those who don't have an interest in painstaking noodling are welcome to pop in now and then to see where things stand, but I'm fully aware that my plan isn't everyone's cup of tea and don't expect every visitor to show limitless patience in the weeks and months to come. 

THE HAUNTED KEEP side view (Erol Otus)

Results are what most people care about, and rightly so, and when those results start to take shape, I'll clearly mark the entries that provide them. Whether you read everything posted here or only pop in from time to time, I want to say up front that I appreciate your making the effort to do so. I'll do everything I can to ensure your time is well spent and, as important, this blog enhances your appreciation for B/X D&D.