Random Nerd Nostalgia: When 2nd Ed Was Young

[Image description: Headline: “Your Toughest Opponent Shouldn’t Be the Rulebook.” The cover of the 2nd edition Player’s Handbook, which shows a brawny-armed white dude with a feathered helmet holding his sword back, while his equally brawny horse thunders forward, heedless of the danger of oncoming readers. Text: “We think that it’s time the rules books were on your side. Introducing ADVANCED DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS ™ 2nd Edition game system, the revised, player-friendly edition of the world’s most popular role-playing game. After 15,000 letters, years of research, and many hours of playtesting, the game system you’ve been waiting for is here. We’ve revised our handbooks to be more concise and better indexed. Awkward mechanics have been cleaned up, and rule changes have been made to improve play. Revised tables, charts, and graphs make for a smoother game, and powerful new graphics created vivid images for campaign play. In short, the best just got better. But fear not. AD&D 2nd Edition is intended to improve your game. All AD&D 2nd Edition products are compatible with existing AD&D products. So arm yourself with AD&D 2nd Edition Player’s Handbook. With all that’s in store for you on your journey, the last thing you need is another opponent.” There are small pictures of the 2nd Ed DMG and Monstrous Compendium at the bottom.]

Wow, remember TSR? Remember when revising D&D was a super-brand-new idea? But most of all, remember THAC0?

(Scanned from Wonder Woman V 2 no 31, June 1989.)