Successful Adventures, or How to Win in AD&D

This post is part of Prismatic Wasteland's blog bandwagon on the topic of player advice.

At the end of the AD&D PHB, just before the Appendices on psionics, bards, alignment, the planes, and suggested divisions of treasure, is a section titled SUCCESSFUL ADVENTURES, though it would perhaps be more aptly titled PLAYER ADVICE:

While this advice pertains to AD&D play specifically and will illuminate what exactly Gygax felt made someone a "good" player, perhaps some of the advice will be germane to TTRPGs more generally.

This section mostly focuses on dungeon adventures, as this is "The most common form of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS play", though outdoor and city adventures are discussed briefly towards the end:

The first bit of tangible advice Gygax provides is to prepare for the game before the game. This ensures that you will not waste "precious adventuring minutes" (i.e., playing time) with "mundane preparations" which you might be able to take care outside of your scheduled session. That's right, players - you too can think about and play the game between sessions! How does one do this?

To start, communicate with your fellow players (or at least "the better players") and set an objective for your adventure. The objective can be any number of things, but don't be inflexible or stubborn once the adventure is underway. Objectives can always change!

One you have an objective, evaluate your resources:

The examples are fairly specific to old school play. If you're playing a different game or a newer editions of D&D, you're probably not too concerned with party balance, and you're probably not hiring men-at-arms. Characters in D&D 5e, for example, are capable of filling multiple rolls at once and can often function as entirely independent units. They are often powerful enough to have no need for men-at-arms. Depending on your preferred playstyle, this might be to your liking.

The advice is still relevant if we read into it more generally. Determine whether your party has the means to accomplish its objective. Spend time before the session figuring out what you will need and how to go about getting it.

"Survival at lower levels is usually dependent upon group action and team spirit":

In other words, cooperate with one another. This sounds fairly obvious, but there are plenty of RPG horror stories to demonstrate that this is far from always the case. As I mentioned above, certain games like newer editions of D&D feature powerful characters which can operate more independently than in the past, and I think this can foster a sort of antisocial playstyle where players focus less on cooperation with one another and more on just doing whatever it is they want their character to do. 

Again, you might enjoy this liberating sort of supreme agency in your games, but I like to remind people as often as possible that D&D is intended to be a team sport. Don't worry so much about how much damage your character can put out in a single turn - think about what the group as a whole is capable of achieving!

Cooperation includes preparation for the adventure, execution of the objective(s), and resolution (meaning the division of spoils and fair treatment of any player characters that have been cursed, diseased, maimed, or killed).

Gygax goes a bit further, explaining that players should collaborate to ensure the party as whole has a broad spectrum of equipment and spells, and that especially important magic items are accounted for:

The important thing, as Gygax once again states at the end, is that all this is done before play begins, ensuring that game time can be spent not on logistics but on adventuring (although in my experience the logistics are part of the game as well - and, often, a fun part of it - which occasionally can't be avoided during the scheduled playing time).

What follows is a brief description of individual preparations that can be made before adventuring begins:

This is a bit of an archaic one and probably won't apply to non-old school playstyles, but I include it here for completion's sake: have your affairs in order. Ensure your henchman and treasure are secured, and leave a will with a trusted person, with instructions should you fail to return.

I love this. It's so tasty! The implication is that the party's enemies might try to harm their allies or pilfer their goods while they're away on an adventure. The image of adventurers, about to embark for the dungeon, running around town getting their last will and testaments together before departing is very rich.

The next section describes how the players should decide on default formations (or marching orders) for dungeon exploration:

I love this too. Short characters in the front (presumably so those in back can see over the tops of their heads and fire missile weapons past them), elves and dwarves on the flanks (presumably so that they can detect secret doors and shifting passages in the walls), and a "sturdy fighter" to cover the party's rear in case they're attacked from behind. The leader (likely the party "caller") should be near the front so as to survey the situation, make decisions, and give directions. The leader should keep a map sketch or "trailing map" (not sure what this means), while someone else should keep a more detailed map.

Not only should the players decide on a marching order ahead of time - they should draw it out! And make copies for the DM! Wild stuff, but not bad advice. I admit to often having to hit pause on my sessions so the players can remind me what the party's formation is. Having a set of default marching orders to refer to in different situations would definitely let the game run more smoothly.

The next bit is about mapping the dungeon and some agreed upon dungeon best practices:

I covered this very thoroughly in my post about the importance of the player-drawn dungeon map, so see that for more analysis of this point.

Again, the benefit of all this is to get to the adventuring faster:

A well-formulated plan, along with an accurate dungeon map which indicates where exactly the party needs to go to continue exploration (and which allows them to travel through the dungeon five times as fast), greatly expedites the adventuring process.

During the adventure, it is important to avoid unnecessary encounters and avoid getting sidetracked:

Focus on the agreed-upon objective. It is rarely worth it to get involved with wandering monsters. They are rarely helpful, even less likely to have anything of value, and mostly serve to whittle away at the party's resources. D&D is a game of attrition.

Likewise, be wary of spending too much time on diversions. As I describe in the aforementioned post on mapping, mappers should record these roads not traveled, and they can in turn become the objectives of future delves. 

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you will have to abandon the objective:

If you get lost, run low on equipment or spells, become unexpectedly wounded, or even lose a party member, you should prioritize finding a way to escape the dungeon (with a good map, this should be doable, although there are plenty of tricks and traps which will confound your careful mapping).

If, however, you achieve your objective and are still strong, you might establish a new objective to pursue:

"It is of utmost importance...to always carry slain members of the expedition with the party if at all possible." Oh, why is that?

Again, cooperation is key:

You need to be able to have trust and confidence in your fellow players, and part of that is leaving no one behind. This is D&D, after all, so resurrection is on the table. If the party itself is not capable of returning the dead to life, they will have to outsource this, which will surely be expensive. You should be "ready and willing to part with any goods, money, and magic items in order to save lives." If push comes to shove, you "should be willing to fight to the death to assure the survival and success of the party." It's about team building!

Okay, but what if you're playing an evil character? A "selfish neutral"? What if you're just an asshole?

Well, don't be an asshole, for one:

It is okay to be selfish. You can even be evil, but you should find a way to integrate yourself into the party so that you're all still aiming to achieve the same ends. That being said, the other players may still be less than eager to adventure with you, so consider that when playing a character such as this.

If a player is simply uncooperative or has a bad attitude, it's okay to tell them they can't adventure with you unless they change their ways, perhaps expelling them entirely. This is a bit harsh (how about a reasonable conversation first?), but it is perfectly fine to kick someone out of the group if they're being particularly annoying or disruptive.

The brief advice on outdoor and city adventures is very similar to that on dungeon adventures:

For more about the totally unexamined assertion that "City adventures are the toughest of all", see my post on the implied setting of AD&D towns and cities.

Gygax concludes with a summary:

Playing the game well makes the game more enjoyable. By preparing ahead of time, you get more time to play, and are more likely to succeed. Your success (and the accumulation of power and resources) forces the DM to respond by upping the ante with tougher problems to solve, which you will in turn get more enjoyment from solving. 

Your character will live longer. You'll tell stories about your character. You'll feel proud of them. "You will find that such characters become like old friends; they become almost real." This is such a simple, tender truth that I feel very deeply in my heart. I'm almost embarrassed that Gygax of all people is making me feel sentimental. This is what it's all about!

Likewise, the DM will tell stories of your successful characters, and the unsuccessful ones, too. Wouldn't you rather be in the former group? 

Gygax ends with "playing well is a reward unto itself...If you believe that [the game is] worth playing, you will certainly find it doubly so if you play well."