List of Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks

In the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game, rule books contain all the elements of playing the game: rules to the game, how to play, options for gameplay, stat blocks and lore of monsters, and tables the Dungeon Master or player would roll dice for to add more of a random effect to the game. Options for gameplay mostly involve player options, like race, class, archetype, and background. Other options could be player equipment like weapons, tools, armor, and miscellaneous items that can be useful.

Overview

Several different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. This list is sorted by the edition of the game that the rulebook appeared in. Each section highlights the core rulebooks of an edition along with other types of sourcebooks such as supplemental rulebooks or campaign setting rulebooks.

Original Dungeons & Dragons

This original version of D&D only included a few of the elements considered core to modern D&D and required the player to own several other games in order to make full use of the rules, however it is the first role-playing game and, along with its supplements, is responsible for the creation of the genre itself.

Basic Dungeons & Dragons

The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set was the successor to original Dungeons & Dragons and was released while TSR, Inc. was working on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons set. This set was the beginning of the split into two separate games, driven by disagreements on the direction the game should take.