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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)

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Here is the indispensable encyclopedia of fantasy role-playing. Everything the player needs is here: how to create a mighty hero or crafty wizard; uinque aspects of the elves, dwarves, halflings, and other fantasy races; all the weapons, armor, magical spells, and rules for thrilling battles against supernatural monsters. This fresh, new format for the Player's Handbook is your complete and illustrated guide to the world of heroic adventure!

Product History

Player's Handbook (1989), by David "Zeb" Cook with Steve Winter and Jon Pickens after Gary Gygax, is the first core rulebook for the AD&D 2e game. It was published in February 1989.

About the Title. Apostrophes were famously absent from the AD&D 1e line (1977-1988). The second-edition Player's Handbook (1989) was the first to show its apostrophe proudly; the punctuation would be used ever-after for the D&D line.

Moving Toward AD&D 2e. The first hint of what Gary Gygax called the "expansion, reorganization, and revision of the AD&D game system" appeared in Dragon #90 (October 1984). Gygax said it was about a year off, because his right-hand man, Frank Mentzer, was busy digging through Gygax's 300 pages of info on "The Temple of Elemental Evil". Gygax's timeline proved quite accurate. The cover of Dragon #103 (November 1985) proudly proclaimed that it would reveal the "Future of the AD&D game". Inside, Gary Gygax's "From the Sorceror's Scroll" column gave the reorganization a name: the second edition of AD&D.

AD&D first edition was only six years old at the time, but the recent releases of Unearthed Arcana (1985) and Oriental Adventures (1985) had introduced lots of rules revisions and expansions for the game. Gygax thus felt that it was time to pull everything back together. According to his plan, a new Players Handbook would incorporate portions of the original Player's Handbook and the two new player books. There was also talk of adding three new subclasses: the mystic (a cleric), the savant (a magic-user), and the jester (a bard).

Similarly, a new Monster Manual would combine material from Monster Manual (1977), Fiend Folio (1981), Monster Manual II (1983), and Dragon magazine articles of note. A new Dungeon Masters Guide and Legends & Lore would then finish things, off, compressing eight core hardcovers into four "hefty volumes" — though there was some discussion of producing a learner Players Handbook focused on character creation, to keep the entry point to the game cheap.

Except it never happened. At the end of 1985, Gary Gygax was forced out of the company that he'd founded, and his plans for second edition were abandoned.

Following Gygax's departure it took more than a year for TSR to return to the idea of a second edition of AD&D. At first, they too were considering a reorganization, what they called an "editing task" — but this idea was primarily driven by management, who was afraid of angering players and of obsoleting their profitable back catalogue. Meanwhile, editor Steve Winter was busy cutting and pasting together parts of the first-edition Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide, to show how monumental of a task a simple reorganization was. He also raised concern about the shifting editorial voice in later books like Unearthed Arcana and Oriental Adventures, and so was able to convince management that more was needed. First he convinced them that AD&D should be rewritten, then that it should be redeveloped. When author Cook (re)announced the project in Dragon #117 (January 1987) he called it a "major reorganization, clean-up, and development".

And that's what Winter and Cook spent the next two and a half years on. Fans of TSR got regular updates in Dragon's new "Game Wizards" column (1987-1997). Some of those updates were quite controversial (and purposefully so). Meanwhile, work continued on. Director of Games Development Michael Dobson laid out the release plans in Dragon #124 (August 1987): the two core books were to be done by December 1987, then turned over to the RPGA for playtesting in early 1988, then returned to TSR for redevelopment in late 1988. The goal was to release the new game in "March or April 1989". By modern standards, it was a slightly short development cycle for D&D. By any standards, Dobson's scheduling was quite accurate, as the 2e Player's Handbook (1989) appeared in February 1989, then the 2e Dungeon Master's Guide (1989) in May.

Many Printings. The new Player's Handbook was reprinted more than ten times following its 1989 release. Then, about halfway through AD&D 2e's life cycle, a second edition (1995) of the book appeared. This was primarily a cosmetic change. It expanded the amount of color, revamped the illustrations, and increased the page count by 25% thanks to a looser layout. This new book was the foundation of AD&D 2.5e (1995-1997), though that nomenclature is based mainly on the books that followed it; the core rules were largely unchanged.

A third major edition (2013) of the 2e Player's Handbook appeared as part of Wizards of the Coast's premium reprint program. It used the 1995 revision as its basis, though it swapped out a couple of illustrations and cropped the original cover with a faux-leatherbound frame.

A Different Sort of Player's Handbook. The 1e Players Handbook (1978) was a very limited book that only provided the rules for creating characters — and not even all of those. Players didn't get to know how combat or saving throws worked. They weren't even told how to roll their characteristics! Unsurprisingly, the 1e Players Handbook was also a lot shorter than the 1e Dungeon Masters Guide (1979).

Second edition totally revamped those ideas, with the new Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide changing places in page count. Now the Player's Handbook was the core rulebook of the game. You got (almost) all of the character creation rules and everything else that players should know. There were still a few weird omissions — such as the level caps for demihumans only appearing in the Dungeon Master's Guide. Nonetheless, the new release was much closer to the modern conception of a D&D Player's Handbook.

What a Difference an Edition Makes: The Controversy. The controversy of 2e started early on, with a "Game Wizards" column that Cook wrote for Dragon #118 (February 1987) called "Who Dies?" There, he wrote about the need to trim down the list of character classes and suggested reasons to remove every one of the classes from Players Handbook, Unearthed Arcana, and Oriental Adventures. Then, he invited players to write to him with their own opinions.

Cook later said that he was intentionally trying "to get a reaction". And, boy did he. He was soon digging out from a deluge of hundreds of correspondences. Though many classes would eventually be cut from AD&D 2e, most of the classes that Cook talked about were actually safe — so call this a manufactured controversy.

A more sustained controversy emerged following James M. Ward's "Game Wizards" article in Dragon #154 (February 1990). There he admitted that "When the AD&D 2nd Edition rules came out, [he] had the designers and editors delete all mention of demons and devils." He said that this was because he was trying to avoid "Angry Mother Syndrome" and that TSR had been receiving a whopping "letter or two of complaint each week", many of them about the demons and devils in the original Monster Manual (1977). So, fiends were out. Though they'd appear under different names in MC8: "Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix" (1991), D&D wouldn't see hints of the forbidden names until the Wizards of the Coast era (1997+).

As it happens, one of the classes that Cook ended up cutting was the assassin, and many assume that this was also a part of Ward's bowdlerization of D&D. Cook says otherwise, stating that the class just wasn't good for party dynamics. The half-orc was also cut, but no one has talked about the precise reason for that removal.

What a Difference an Edition Makes: The Goals. Much of the organization of the new AD&D game came from editor Steve Winter, who was very clear about his goals. There were four of them, all clearly laid out in Dragon #126 (October 1987):

"First, the books should be restructured for easy reference. Second, all of the information on one topic should be in one place. Third, a player shouldn't have to pay for information he doesn't need when he buys the new Player's Handbook, and the DM shouldn't have to pay for redundant information when he buys the new Dungeon Master's Handbook. Fourth, everyone who currently owns the Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide should feel that his money has been well spent when he buys the second editions of these books."

Cook had a few design guidelines of his own. First, the second edition must be largely compatible with the first (to preserve both players' investments and TSR's backlist). Second, the rules should be better written — a goal that Cook had a leg up on thanks to his writing of the D&D Expert Set (1981). Third, the new rules should once more be guidelines.

The last goal was a big change for AD&D, which Gygax had created to purposefully provide the D&D game with a very strict set of rules — in part to support tournament play. However, Cook was able to have his cake and eat it as well: though he presented the rules as guidelines and simultaneously included many optional rules, he also defined tournament rules that would be used for competitive gaming.

What a Difference an Edition Makes: The Mechanics. AD&D 2e was indeed relatively compatible with AD&D 1e. And, the biggest changes did turn out to be the paring down of character classes. Following Cook's thoughts in "Who Dies?", the assasin and monk were both dropped. However, the bard, which had also been marked for elimination, was saved by player response — though he now appeared in a dramatically different form, one that didn't have to move through other classes.

The biggest addition to the D&D rules was the "proficiency" skill rules, which built on the non-weapon proficiencies that Cook himself had created in Oriental Adventures (1985), and which had become increasingly prominent in the AD&D 1.5e era (1985-1988). The proficiency rules were listed as "optional", but they appeared throughout the examples in the new rules, and were generally considered standard by most gamers at the time.

The other big change was in the magic-user (now: mage) class. The traditional schools of magic in D&D now became "specialities", allowing for the creation of abjurers, invokers, necromancers, and other specific sorts of wizards. The traditional illusionist class was reimagined as one of these specialists. Clerics were similarly revamped so that their spells fell into spheres, with access determined by a god's portfolio. The game also moved toward the ideas of specialty priests by offering variant rules that allowed some clerics to use edged weapons.

Winter and Cook had considered much more far-ranging ideas while working on AD&D 2e — including eliminating character classes and reversing armor class — but in the end what they did was mostly cleanup. So, for example, THAC0 was brought into the core rules, where it had previously only been seen in supplements; and psionics were removed, to later be detailed in a non-core book. There were lots of other small changes, encompassing spells, combat, weapons, XP, levels, and everything else you can imagine. AD&D 2e was a very thorough rewrite and redesign … but one that kept as close to its source material as it could, given its goals.

About the Creators. TSR lost a lot of its rules writers in the mid '80s. Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer headed off to form New Infinities Productions, while Tom Moldvay began writing for Avalon Hill. Fortunately, they still had David Cook on staff. He was the coauthor of Star Frontiers (1982) and Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn (1983) and the author of the D&D Expert Set (1981), The Adventures of Indiana Jones (1984), the Conan Role-Playing Game (1985) … and perhaps most notably Oriental Adventures (1985).

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the editor-in-chief of RPGnet and the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

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Reviews (25)
Discussions (83)
Customer avatar
Darren W June 26, 2024 1:02 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Would love a POD hardcover of the set!
Customer avatar
Christopher T April 24, 2024 8:59 pm UTC
POD in hardcover please!
Customer avatar
Lesley N April 06, 2024 11:37 pm UTC
Once upon a time I owned all of 2nd edition. More money than self restraint I think :)

But the books were in the case of the core set the worst bindings I have ever subjected myself to.
I don't do soft covers. The spines crack and the covers bend and crease and in general are not worth it.

I think most of the supplements had neat ideas, but they were always soft covers and were inconsistent.

But I don't hate the edition. I just demand it be hard cover or I'm not interested.

I have pdfs, I'd rather not go to the effort needed though to print out and bind (I am a skilled book binder) as 2nd is sufficiently close to 1st AD&D, as to make it a choice to just go with my first edition hard covers.

The 1st DMG has never been equaled since. The 1st Players was a bit lackluster but it's ok. The 1st Monster Manual was fine.

But it is the hardcover thing.
I will go back to 2nd only when they offer me the core books here as POD...See more
Customer avatar
Dennis N August 22, 2023 7:41 am UTC
PURCHASER
I don't need hardcover versions of these books, but I'm curious about the quality of the softcover ones. What do they look like and to they feel like they're well made?
And what does it mean when it is "revised"? Are these official revisions, and are they only better?
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Customer avatar
Zach C October 05, 2023 3:18 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hey Dennis, the revised refers to the fact that it is a later printing that includes Errata. Furthermore, the cover/content is from the 2013 reprint that WOTC did of 0e, 1e, 2e, and 3.5e before the release of 5e. Nothing functional was changed for these reprints. The cover is glossy but sturdy and will do fine as a regular reference/at-home play copy. I will note that if you carry it around in a bag a lot, the corners do start to fray/dent quickly. All the text is readable, though some of the photos/headers in my book seem a tad blurry. Not enough to be unreadable but definitely noticeable. Overall, one of the best PODs I've gotten and totally worth it for the cost.
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Customer avatar
Dennis N October 30, 2023 4:15 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thank you very much for your reply. I got the impression that the revisions were bad for some reason, but apparently not.
Customer avatar
Dylan C July 27, 2023 2:08 pm UTC
Give us hardcover! I want to give you my money!!!
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Customer avatar
Zach C October 05, 2023 3:19 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Mention you want a hardcover

Please request POD here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWuv5ypRICEVxiOZ8wXda06E354X23IWFYhOc2P8qP7Hf26Q/viewform?entry.1569704748=Dungeon%20Masters%20Guild.
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Customer avatar
Bruce L November 14, 2023 5:17 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I posted a request for premium ink and paper, in a hardcover, for the 2e AD&D Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Monstrous Manual, for both DriveThruRPG and for the DMsGuild. Hoping WotC will offer it. I bought a softcover, low quality ink and paper, PHB. Would like revised copies of the DMG and MM, as well, but I want all three in hardcovers, on premium paper, with premium ink... Willing to pay for it, too. Cheers!
Customer avatar
GEORGIOS M May 05, 2023 4:37 pm UTC
Where is the hardcover option?!
Customer avatar
David P April 03, 2023 1:21 am UTC
PURCHASER
Give us the first printing. The end-of-life revised layout not only introduced new errors it was also enjoyable for me.
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Customer avatar
Scotia D May 03, 2023 11:07 am UTC
I keep checking back for the original 2nd Edition, hoping against hope it will eventually make its way here. I can't stand the formatting of this one. I want the black and blue pages.
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Customer avatar
Jeffrey W June 09, 2023 1:46 am UTC
I'm with you. The original black and blue interiors were far superior. The interior art was a lot better, too.
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Customer avatar
John P September 11, 2023 11:19 am UTC
Same. The original 2e books were far friendlier on the eyes. Been hoping to see them for PoD.
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Customer avatar
Neil L October 25, 2023 2:54 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Totally agree. Don't understand why the 1st edition POD AD&D books are the original versions but the 2nd edition are these horrible revised versions.
Please please please allow the option for us to buy POD copies of the original 1989 versions.
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Customer avatar
David M December 07, 2023 4:58 am UTC
Same, please bring back the 3 column books
Customer avatar
Guy W December 30, 2022 9:15 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Premium Hardcover versions please!
Customer avatar
William L November 17, 2022 5:31 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Make hardcover pod please.
Customer avatar
Jason R October 06, 2022 11:01 am UTC
Hey WotC. Let's get some hardcover options for these books please!
Customer avatar
Sergio N September 27, 2022 12:39 pm UTC
So... B/X (rules cyclopedia), 1e and now 3.5e gets Hardcover, but 2e does not.
Customer avatar
Bruce L August 09, 2022 4:44 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Attn: WotC... POD, High Quality paper and ink, Hard Covers, please, for all three core rulebooks. Thank you.
Customer avatar
François C July 14, 2022 11:29 am UTC
Sooooo why does rulecyclopedia has a premium paper quality + HC option and the best AD&D edition does not ???? That's mind blowing! People are WILLING to pay for it? Why can't Drivethru take the initiative to publish a hardcover version??
Reply
Customer avatar
Michael M August 06, 2022 4:21 pm UTC
Because it is up to Wizards, not OneBookShelf.
Customer avatar
Cameron M July 11, 2022 10:19 am UTC
Absolutely crazy that these don't have premium hardcover versions for PoD.
Customer avatar
Nicholas R June 17, 2022 2:05 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just posted my review. For anyone who happens to read it and then happens to read this (what are the odds?) - it wouldn't let me go back and edit and couple issues I found. For one, formatting is extemely limited. Two, I know this is WotC, not TSR. There was a comment I made about TSR editing. I'm still fuzzy on when TSR was purchased by WotC and when editing staff changed, but the observations were valid no matter who was doing editing back in the day, and it was WotC staff editing this for the 2013 release. I love 2e. I was not impressed with the editing of this version. Not only did they miss a golden opportunity for clarification and consistency, but basic editing errors that would have been pathetically easy to fix were plentiful. My old hardcover revised 2nd printing (can't find my original format...5th printing I think it was, so probably got lost at my ex's) is still quite strong, the binding just starting to show signs of wear, and its almost twice as old as my oldest kid. So really when I picked this...See more
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Product Information
Adamantine seller
Author(s)
Rules Edition(s)
Pages
320
Edition
1.0
Publisher Stock #
TSR 2159
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