Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition vs Swords & Wizardry

Compare Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition and Swords & Wizardry side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition	Swords & Wizardry
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Crunchy, Descending AC, Dungeon Crawl, Inventory Management, Random Tables, Resource Management, Strong GM Support, Tactical, Vancian Casting	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Deadly, Vancian Casting, Hexcrawl, Random Tables, Resource Management, Sandbox, Domain Management, Strong GM Support
Core Mechanic	Attack rolls use a d20 against class-and-level matrices to hit descending Armor Class. Other actions follow distinct procedures rather than a universal check.	Roll a d20 with attack modifiers and meet the target number for the chosen Armor Class system. Ascending Armor Class allows a direct roll against AC; descending Armor Class uses attack tables. Saving throws use a single class-based d20 target number with bonuses against particular hazards.
Dice	d20	d20
Complexity	Very High	Medium
Availability	Paid	Paid
Runnability	4 of 5 book tools	4 of 5 book tools
License	All Rights Reserved	Swords & Wizardry Compatibility-Statement License (CSL)
Third-Party Publishing	No verified route found	Commercial publishing allowed — Swords & Wizardry Compatibility-Statement License
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	TSR Games	Mythmere Games
Year	1977	2023
Languages	English, French, German	English, German
Best For	Groups who want a referee-built fantasy campaign driven by treasure expeditions and careful resource planning.	Groups seeking dangerous dungeon expeditions and open wilderness campaigns. Higher-level characters can establish strongholds and govern surrounding settlements.
Highlights	Recovered treasure earns experience, rewarding successful expeditions back to a safe base. Prepared spells make choosing tomorrow’s magic part of expedition planning. Dungeon generators let the referee create unexplored passages during play.	One class-based saving throw target replaces separate hazard categories. Treasure grants experience points, rewarding successful expeditions even when monsters are avoided. Stronghold construction and settlement taxes support campaigns that grow into territorial rule.
Considerations	Racial limits restrict which classes and advancement paths a character can choose. Successful hits interrupt casting and expend the spell. Failed saves against many monster attacks can kill characters outright.	Low starting hit points and death below zero make early combat dangerous. Damage during casting interrupts a prepared spell and expends it. Nonhuman ancestry restricts available classes and level advancement.