Mail Room: Adventures Dark & Deep Lite

Is there a new trend for slimming down games? If so, I am on board with this concept all the way. Adventures Dark & Deep is my favorite First Edition reimagination, but the sheer size of a pair of 500-page books might intimidate most new players. A need for a Lite version of the rules, covering core classes and races, and playable up to level eight, was thus created. This book is a lean 174 pages, and gives you the best-of-the-best in terms of characters, monsters, spells, and magic items.

This book is all you need for most campaigns. Most games rarely go into high levels, and the cut material can be found in the other volumes. For "table play" during the first few months, this is the only book you need. Also, having the fluff and variant classes cut does not lose much of anything. The skill system has been cut, but that is more of a mid-to-late game feature in the core rules and is an optional subsystem. The book also needs an index, but I can't complain too hard about that.

This book would appeal to Shadowdark players, which is where I feel it fills an important niche. A complete first-edition experience in under 200 pages? A tight game that is compatible with 90% of the classic first edition adventures? You mean I could go and play any of the classic adventures with a set of rules that gives me the most authentic experience? Granted, you could always buy the AD&D PoD books and do that, but having a game presented in a modern, clean, concise, easily-understood layout that is easily grasped and referenced is a huge plus these days.

I love Gygaxian prose, but there is an argument for lowering the reading level needed to understand and play the game to a more accessible level, and ADAD Lite does that very nicely.

Page-count-wise, this book is a thing of beauty. The entire characters and equipment section only takes 30 pages! Combat is about 12 pages. The spells are 34 pages. The last 100 pages contain GM information, including treasures, monsters, creating dungeons, and how to run the game. Compared to the corebooks, this version of the game is extremely tight and focused, and reminds me of classic OSR games such as Labyrinth Lord or Swords & Wizardry.

The tight control of page count (174 pages) gives us a game that is half the length of the Shadowdark rules (344 pages), but gives us a whole First Edition experience in a comparable level range. The original AD&D PoD books, combined, are 486 pages and can be daunting for newcomers due to their size and reading level. Granted, the Shadowdark experience is much different, and more of a Dungeon-style board game, but for beginners to First Edition gaming, this is an excellent place to get started.

This book is a winner, making it an excellent resource to start a game that eventually transitions into a full ADAD game, and 90% of what you need to start a new campaign. This book is all you need for low-level ADAD play, and the ideal campaign starter book. ADAD Lite is one of the best of 2025 and an excellent gateway book for players looking to go back to the hobby's roots with the 1977-1979 original First Edition releases.