Copyright © 2003 Chris Gonnerman
Distributed under the Open Content License version 1.0

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About Project 74

While searching the web for AD&D material, I found Mark "Kamikaze" Hughes web page: What's Wrong With AD&D? On that page, Mark posts a large number of deficiencies in AD&D, and for the most part I found myself in agreement with him.

So, if it's deficient, why was I looking for AD&D information? Quite simply, because we like it. The game setting my current players were using was one I had created for AD&D use almost twenty years earlier. I had tried it with two different non-AD&D game systems, but it just wasn't the same.

Reading Mark's page, it occurred to me at last... what I need isn't a bunch of rules patches, but an entirely new AD&D compatible core system.

That's what you're looking at now. I call this rule system "Project 74" because the original D&D "white box" rules were marked with a copyright date of 1974. I want to preserve the feel of D&D but remove the majority of its warts.

I have written a comparison between the complaints given on Mark's site and the rules I have written. Click here to view it.

On Peter Mikelsons' FADAD site, he says:

In my opinion, the strengths of the ancient and formidable AD&D role playing system lie in its lists. Its many tomes contain seemingly endless lists of detailed magic spells and monsters.

His project is much like mine in purpose, though very different in detail; but I really liked his statement.

Contributions are welcome! Email your comments to:

chris@gonnerman.org

Contributed rules will be credited to you even if I make changes to them.

Well, you can decide for yourself how well I've done here. Feel free to download the rules and look them over; remember that, though compatible with a lot of (A)D&D material, the rules are intended to "plug in" to the 2nd edition ruleset.