A Survey of Melee and Wizard Editions

Updated October 26, 2021

Metagaming published five editions of Melee and four editions of Wizard. For various reasons I collected, scanned, and compared them. Below is a description of the changes between editions, along with some commentary.

Update: Steve Jackson has secured the copyrights to the original TFT games and published new editions: https://www.thefantasytrip.game

Melee

• First edition
• Second edition
• Third edition
• New SJGames Third edition
• Fourth edition
• Fifth edition

Wizard

• First edition
• Second edition
• New SJGames Third edition
• Third edition
• Fourth edition

Melee First Edition

The first edition is Copyright 1977 by Steve Jackson. The rules are 20 pages (including the cover) printed on regular paper with a card stock cover. There is no index or table of contents. The game was shipped in a plastic pouch with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map and a single cardstock counter sheet. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

Melee Second Edition

The second edition is Copyright 1977 by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (including the cover) printed on glossy magazine paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 4. The game was shipped in a plastic pouch with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map and a single cardstock counter sheet. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

Steve Jackson said of the second edition in “Designer’s Notebook” of The Space Gamer #17 (p. 22):

“It isn’t the total rewrite that I would have liked to do (being a perfectionist, in case you hadn’t heard, is a pain), but it does incorporate several small improvements. A number of aggravating typos (a few of which changed meanings) have been corrected and a couple of omissions rectified. Also included is a shield-rush rule, developed from the one given in a TSG article a few issues back. There’s some good new art, too.”

Substantive changes were:

• IV. TURN SEQUENCING AND OPTIONS (p. 6): Reduced the timescale from 10 seconds to five seconds per turn
• OPTIONS (p. 7): Allowed a figure to select a different action after movement
• V. MOVEMENT (pp. 8 and 13): Increased plate armor MA from 4 to 6
• MOVING ONTO OTHER FIGURES (p. 9): Replaced 1D6 roll with 3D6 DX check for falling when entering a hex occupied by another figure
• ATTACKER'S ARMOR, SHIELD, ETC. (pp. 10 and 13): Increased plate armor from DX−5 to DX−6
• WOUNDS (pp. 10 and 18): Added DX−3 adjustment for a figure reduced to ST 3 or less
• OTHER ADJUSTMENTS (p. 10): Added DX−4 adjustment for sheltering
• SHIELD-RUSH ATTACKS (p. 12): Added Shield Rush attack
• WEAPON TABLE (p. 13): Reduced spear damage from 1+2 to 1+1
• ARMOR (p. 13): Corrected chainmail armor adjustment from DX−4 to DX−3
• SHELTERING DIRECTLY BEHIND FALLEN BODIES (p. 15): Add DX−4 adjustment for sheltering, and replaced 1D6 roll with 3D6 DX check to miss hitting the sheltering body
• DISENGAGING (p. 17): Allowed a disengaging figure to attempt HTH in the same turn
• DEFENDING AND DODGING (p. 18): Replaced dodging and defending “roll twice” with a 4D6 check, and clarified that any disengaged figure may dodge
• FORCING RETREAT (p. 18): Clarified that the retreat hex must be vacant or contain only a fallen figure, and made force retreat ineffective if no such hex is available
• REACTIONS TO INJURY (p. 18): Added injury rules for giants, and clarified that ST 1 is unconscious and ST 0 is dead

Minor corrections were:

• added Pat Hidy to illustration credits
• updated page number references
• some rewording to clarify or simplify the text
• fixed several grammatical and typographical errors
• changed “Hobbit” to “Halfling”
• updated the examples to reflect the new rules

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Melee Third Edition

The third edition is Copyright 1979 by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (including the cover) printed on glossy magazine paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 4. The game was shipped in a plastic pouch with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map and a single cardstock counter sheet. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

The third edition is almost identical to the second edition. The only differences I can spot are the cover illustration and the title page. The text appears to be identical.

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Melee Fourth Edition

The fourth edition is Copyright 1977 & 1979 by Steve Jackson, and Copyright 1980 by Metagaming. This version is edited by Guy McLimore, Jr. and Howard Thompson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) printed on plain paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 3, a creature table on page 19, a DX adjustments table on page 22, and a character sheet on page 24. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and a six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

The title page has a notice which reads:

Major rule changes in this fourth edition of MELEE have been indicated by gray shading. Minor corrections are unmarked.

Substantive changes were:

• (grey) IV. TURN SEQUENCING (pp. 5‐7) was entirely re-written, with no apparent rule changes:
• split the turn into Movement and Action phases
• Initiative Roll: replaced “winner” with “high roller”
• Second Player Movement: proceeds in initiative roll order
• Actions: rearranged in order of permitted movement
• V. MOVEMENT (pp. 8 and 13): Reduced plate armor MA from 6 to 4
• MOVING ONTO OTHER FIGURES (p. 8): Replaced 3D6 DX check for falling with 1D6 roll when entering a hex occupied by another figure
• ATTACKER'S ARMOR, SHIELD, ETC. (p. 10): Reduced plate armor adjustment from DX−6 to DX−5
• (grey) POLE WEAPONS (p. 11) Added requirement for three hexes of movement to qualify for double damage charge attack
• Removed the Shield Rush attack
• WEAPON TABLE (p. 13): Increased spear damage from 1+1 to 1+2, and changed chainmail armor adjustment from DX−3 to DX−4
• SHELTERING DIRECTLY BEHIND FALLEN BODIES (p. 14): Removed DX−4 adjustment for sheltering, and replaced 3D6 DX check with 1D6 roll to miss hitting the sheltering body
• HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (p. 15): Added initiating hand-to-hand combat via side hex
• DISENGAGING (p. 16): Allowed a disengaging figure to initiate a hand-to-hand with another figure, and allowed an enemy with lower adjDX to attack a disengaging figure with a DX adjustment of the adjDX difference
• (grey) DEFENDING AND DODGING (p. 17): (grey) Added exceptional results when rolling against Dodging or Defending figures
• FORCING RETREAT (p. 17): (grey) Force retreat with no vacant hexes requires the target to pass 3D6 DX check or fall down
• REACTIONS TO INJURY (p. 17) Removed injury rules for giants, removed clarification that ST 1 is unconscious and ST 0 is dead, removed note regarding DX adjustment for figures reduced to ST 3 or less

Minor corrections were:

• fixed several grammatical and typographical errors
• changed “Halfling” to “Hobbit”
• updated the example combat to reflect the new rules
• slipped in some Wizard references
• Dodging applies to missile spells
• DX adjustments for various defensive spells
• Wizards using iron instead of silver weapons suffer DX−4 adjustment
• Wizards using any weapon other than staff or dagger suffer DX−4 adjustment

It appears the fourth edition was published after Steve Jackson sold The Fantasy Trip rights to Howard Thompson. The packaging changed dramatically: the rules were printed without a cover, the game components were packed in a cardboard box instead of a plastic pouch, and a small six-sided die was included.

There are some puzzling aspects to this edition, the most curious being the reversion of some third edition edits:

• plate armor MA went back to 4
• spear damage went back to 1 + 2
• the Shield Rush rule was removed

while in other places third edition changes were retained:

• the time scale is five seconds per turn
• 4d6 roll against dodging and defending figures (but includes exceptional results found in Wizard...?)

and (somewhat confusingly) mixes parts of first and third editions:

• the DX adjustment chart (p. 10) lists DX−4 for sheltering (3/e), but the Sheltering section (p. 14) uses the 1D6 roll (1/e)
• the DX adjustment chart (p. 10) gives DX−3 for ST 3 or less (3/e), but Reactions to Injury (p. 17) makes no mention of it (1/e)
• The text refers to both “Hobbits” (p. 18) and “Halflings” (p. 19).
• Chainmail adjustments disagree: DX−3 (p. 10 and 23) and DX−4 (p. 13)
• Plate armor adjustments disagree: DX−5 (p. 10 and 23) and DX−6 (p. 13)

In addition, there spots where text is clearly missing, possibly due to paste-up errors:

• Action (j) (p. 7)
• Example Combat Turn 7 (p. 21)

While some of the text looks to have been pulled directly from third edition Wizard:

• DISENGAGING (p. 16) is the same as Wizard 3/e, including the note “(See MELEE rules)”
• DEFENDING AND DODGING (p. 17) second paragraph repeats the first paragraph, and is the same as Wizard 3/e

And finally, this edition debuts the infamous “three hex charge” rule.

While this edition did an admirable job of cleaning up vague or confusing rules from previous editions, especially regarding movement and actions, it introduced a fair number of irksome inconsistencies. Unfortunately it is difficult to determine which parts were intentional changes, and which were inadvertent errors.

On a hunch I compared the first and fourth editions, and there appear to be fewer reversions. This is purely speculation on my part, but I think Metagaming started with the first edition rules when creating the fourth edition. If I had to guess, I would say the text largely came from 1/e, but the charts were pulled from 3/e.

It is also seems as if this edition and the third edition of Wizard were edited and released together. There are portions of new text that are identical, and some Wizard-specific DX adjustments are present in the table on p. 22.

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here. For comparison purposes, you can also see the changes between first and fourth here.)

Melee Fifth Edition

The fifth edition is Copyright 1981 by Metagaming. This version is edited by Guy McLimore, Jr. and Howard Thompson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) printed on plain paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 3, a creature table on page 19, a DX adjustments table on page 22, and a character sheet on page 24. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and a six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

The fifth edition is almost identical to the fourth edition. The only differences I can spot are the copyrights on the title page and the omission of the rule change notice. The text appears to be identical.

As an aside, the Internet text apparently came from an OCR scan of the fifth edition, with editing to correct some of the glaring problems noted above. However, they also introduced a number of typos, almost certainly due to OCR mistakes.

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Melee SJGames Third Edition

The PDF rules are available for free!

The SJGames third edition is Copyright 1977, 1979, 2018 by Steve Jackson Games. This version is designed by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) printed on plain paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 1, a creature table on page 19, a DX adjustments table on page 22, and a character sheet on page 24. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and three six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

This is the version Steve Jackson Games published after Steve Jackson recovered the copyrights to The Fantasy Trip. The rules are very close to the Metagaming third edition. There are many stylistic changes in the text (such as inclusive pronouns, and writing dice rolls as “1d+1” instead of “1 + 1”). There are also a number of clarifications and minor rules changes:

• STRENGTH (p.4) figures are unconscious at ST 0, dead at ST −1
• CHARGE ATTACK (p.6) adds HTH as an option
• READY NEW WEAPON (p.7) permits retrieving weapon/shield from an adjacent hex
• MISSILE WEAPON ATTACK (p.7) permits dropping to kneeling/prone in addition to moving and attacking
• STAND UP (p.7) adds crawling as an option
• Options imported from Wizard: CAST SPELL, DISBELIEVE ()
• ONE-LAST-SHOT MISSILE ATTACK (p.7) no longer requires dropping the missile weapon
• PICK UP DROPPED WEAPON (p.7) permits retrieving new weapon/shield from an adjacent hex
• MOVING ONTO OTHER FIGURES (p.8)
• clarifies that movement effects apply even if the figure occupying the hex is friendly
• explicitly allows moving through a hex with fallen, unconscious, or dead figure for 3 MA with no DX roll †
• moving into a hex with fallen, unconscious, or dead figure costs 1 MA with a DX roll, or 3 MA without a DX roll
• “one-hex” moves likewise do not require a DX roll
• ARMOR (p.10)
• main-gauche DX penalties are removed
• cloth stops 1 hits with 10 MA and DX−1
• half-plate stops 4 hits with 6 MA and DX−4
• plate is DX−5
• FACING (p.10) clarifies that attacking prone figures is +4
• WOUNDS (p.10) The DX−2 penalty for wounds is changed to 5+ hits received since the last attack, not turn
• OTHER (p.11) Attacking while standing in a hex with with a fallen body is DX−2
• POLE WEAPONS (p.12)
• charge attack defined as moving from non-adjacent to adjacent
• pole weapon attacks are resolved first in adjDX order
• defender with pole weapon gets +1d vs charge attacks
• attacker with pole weapon gets +1d if they move at least three hexes in a straight line
• Pole weapons can jab a foe two hexes away
• THE LEFT-HAND DAGGER (p.13) parries only one-handed non-missile weapons with no DX penalty; can be used as a second attack at DX−4
• WEAPONS (p.14)
• Saber replaces cutlass
• Halberd does 2d instead of 2d−1
• Sling is a two-handed weapon
• Heavy crossbow fires every other turn for DX 14+
• THROWN WEAPONS (p.15) Failing when rolling to miss an enemy cannot hit another enemy
• DEFENDING AND DOGDING (p.20) 4 does triple damage, 5 does double damage, 20 always misses, 21 and 22 drop weapon, 23 and 24 break weapon
• FORCING RETREAT (p.20) must move away from the attacker
• REACTIONS TO INJURY (p.20) notes the DX penalty is for the next attack, not turn; prone figures may crawl
• NONHUMAN FIGURES (p.21‐22)
• Hobgoblin has min ST 7
• Goblin has min ST 6, min DX 8, total 22
• Elf may wear cloth armor with full MA (12)
• Dwarf no longer gets damage bonus with hammers or axes
• Halfling may have 22 total; DX+2 and no damage bonus only for thrown weapons; may ready and throw in the same turn
• EXPERIENCE (p.22‐23) Combat to the Death yields 100 XP for superior foes; attribute gains for XP are capped at 8, see In The Labyrinth to go higher

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here. For ease of comparison, the new text has been lightly edited to match to the original third edition presentation.)

Wizard First Edition

The first edition is Copyright 1978 by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (including the cover) printed on glossy magazine paper, plus an eight page reference section. The rules include a table of contents on the title page. The game was shipped in a plastic pouch with a separate 12” × 14” folded map and two cardstock counter sheet, one blue and one red. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

Most of the Wizard rules are, of course, about magic. Those describing general combat fall somewhere between Melee third and fourth editions. For example, Dodging and Defending (p. 17) uses the 4D6 check but includes exceptional results not shown in Melee 3/e. Similarly Force Retreat (p. 18) when no vacant hex is available uses the 3D6 check to avoid falling down instead of disallowing the force retreat (Melee 3/e) or automatically falling down (Melee 1/e).

Other rules are taken from Melee first edition, such as the 1D6 roll for sheltering, and the omission of DX−3 adjustment for ST 3 or less.

Wizard introduces crawling (no doubt due to the Slippery Floor spell) and the general “saving roll”. Wizards may use a staff or a dagger normally, and any other weapon at DX−4. Wizards may wear armor, but incur double the DX penalty. Non-wizard figures may attack with bare hands. Multi-hex creatures may “push” smaller creatures out of the way.

Wizard Second Edition

The second edition is Copyright 1979 by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (including the cover) printed on glossy magazine paper, plus an eight page reference section. The rules include a table of contents on the title page. The game was shipped in a plastic pouch with a separate 12” × 14” folded map and two cardstock counter sheet, one blue and one red. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

Just as the second edition of Melee, this edition has relatively minor corrections. The few changes are more tweaks gradually shifting from a “tactical aid” to a full-fledged role-playing system.

Substantive changes were:

• CHOOSING SPELLS (p. 3): Removed the option for changing spells after combat
• HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (p. 21): Add DX−4 adjustment for wizards attacking with a dagger
• STRIKING WITHOUT WEAPONS (p. 21): Permitted wizards to attack barehanded
• DX ADJUSTMENT TABLE (pp. 21, R7): Dropped double DX penalties for wizards wearing armor
• DX ADJUSTMENT TABLE (p. R7): Added DX−4 penalty for wizards using iron or steel weapons

Minor corrections were:

• added Pat Hidy and removed Clark Bradley from illustration credits
• some rewording to clarify or simplify the text
• added plugs for The Fantasy Trip: In The Labyrinth

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Wizard Third Edition

The third edition is Copyright 1978 & 1979 by Steve Jackson, and Copyright 1980 by Metagaming. This version is edited by Howard Thompson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) printed on plain paper, plus an eight page reference section. The rules include a table of contents on the title page and a character sheet on page 23. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 12” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and a six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

The title page has a notice which reads:

Major rule changes in this third edition of WIZARD have been indicated by gray shading. Minor corrections are unmarked.

Substantive changes were:

• (grey) Section IV Turn Sequencing (pp. 4‐6) was entirely re-written:
• split the turn into Movement and Action phases
• Initiative Roll: replaced “winner” with “high roller”
• Second Player Movement: proceeds in initiative roll order
• added Counter Placement phase
• Actions: rearranged in order of permitted movement
• added several actions from Melee: ready weapon, change weapon, missile weapon attack, enter hand-to-hand, last missile shot
• DISBELIEVING AN ILLUSION (p. 16): (grey) Disbelieving requires an IQ of 7 or more
• THE WIZARD'S STAFF (p. 18): Dropped rule prohibiting wizards from carrying weapons other than a staff
• DISENGAGING (p. 19): Allowed an enemy with lower adjDX to attack a disengaging figure with a DX adjustment of the adjDX difference
• MAGIC ITEMS (p. 22): Dropped rules for Magic Items

Minor corrections were:

• Changed option to action
• Omitted advice to prefer Wizard rules over Melee rules
• Dropped advertisement for The Fantasy Trip: In The Labyrinth
• Removed Steve Jackson copyright notice from the References pages

It appears the third edition was published after Steve Jackson sold The Fantasy Trip rights to Howard Thompson. The packaging changed dramatically: the rules were printed without a cover, the game components were packed in a cardboard box instead of a plastic pouch, and a small six-sided die was included.

The transition from Jackson to Thompson seemed smoother than in Melee, as there are many fewer curious omissions, apparent contradictions, and outright errors. The only paste-up mistake I can see is under VIII. Casting Spells (p. 11).

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Wizard Fourth Edition

The fourth edition is Copyright 1981 by Metagaming. This version is edited by Howard Thompson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) printed on plain paper, plus an eight page reference section. The rules include a table of contents on the title page and a character sheet on page 23. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 12” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and a six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

The fourth edition appears almost identical to the third edition. The only differences I can spot are some illustrations, the copyrights on the title page, and the omission of the rule change notice. The text appears to be identical.

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here.)

Wizard SJGames Third Edition

The SJGames third edition is Copyright 1977, 1979, 2018 by Steve Jackson Games. This version is designed by Steve Jackson. The rules are 24 pages (with no cover) plus an eight page reference section, printed on plain paper. The rules include a table of contents on page 1. The reference section inclues a DX adjustments table on pages 7‐8 and a creature table on page 8. The game was shipped in a cardboard box with a separate 8.25” × 14” folded map, a single cardstock counter sheet, and three six-sided die. (Click on the title page to see a larger version.)

This is the version Steve Jackson Games published after Steve Jackson recovered the copyrights to The Fantasy Trip. The rules are very close to the Metagaming second edition. There are many stylistic changes in the text (such as inclusive pronouns, and writing dice rolls as “1d+1” instead of “1 + 1”). There are also a number of clarifications and minor rules changes:

• STRENGTH (p.3) figures are unconscious at ST 0, dead at ST −1
• CHARGE ATTACK (p.6) explicitly includes HTH and excludes missile weapons
• STAND UP (p.6) happens after combat instead of during movement, and adds crawling
• Options imported from Melee: READY NEW WEAPON, MISSILE WEAPON ATTACK, ONE-LAST-SHOT MISSILE ATTACK, CHANGE WEAPONS, ATTEMPT HAND-TO-HAND ATTACK, HTH ATTACK, ATTEMPT TO DRAW DAGGER, ATTEMPT TO DISENGAGE (pp.6‐7)
• PICK UP DROPPED WEAPON (p.7) explicitly permits dropping ready weapon/shield, and retrieving new weapon/shield from an adjacent hex
• MOVING ONTO OTHER FIGURES (p.8)
• clarifies that movement effects apply even if the figure occupying the hex is friendly
• explicitly allows moving through a hex with fallen, unconscious, or dead figure for 3 MA with no DX roll †
• moving into a hex with fallen, unconscious, or dead figure costs 1 MA with a DX roll, or 3 MA without a DX roll
• “one-hex” moves likewise do not require a DX roll
• MISSILE SPELLS (pp.12‐13)
• are restricted to front hexes
• have maximum casting ST of 3
• clarifies that failing a “roll to miss” is not a hit
• notes that spells do at least as much damage as ST used to cast
• clarifies that megahex spells do not need to be aligned to megahex markings on the map
• SPECIAL SPELLS (p.18) use range modifiers as per Thrown Spells
• THE WIZARD'S STAFF (p.19) notes a dead wizard's staff may eventually be safe to touch
• DEFENDING AND DODGING (p.20) rolling 4 or 5 against Dodge does triple and double damage, respectively
• FORCING RETREAT (p.21)
• only melee weapons that penetrate armor can force retreat
• the defender must move away from the attacker
• retreat cannot be forced if no hex is available (no DX roll)
• REACTIONS TO INJURY (p.21) DX−2 for injury is restricted to next action phase only; figures reduced to 3 ST are DX−3, as per Melee
• MONSTERS AND BEASTS (p.21)
• elves have MA of 12 in cloth armor and MA of 10 in leather armor
• halflings get 6 extra points, are only +2 DX for thrown attacks, and may ready and throw on the same turn
• goblins are ST 6, DX 8 plus 8 extra (p.21)
• hobgoblins are ST 7, IQ 7 plus 8 extra (p.21)
• giants and gargoyles are dropped from the character race list
• ARENA COMBAT (p.22) removes the option to kill figures who fall unconscious due to spellcasting
• EXPERIENCE (p.22) experience gains past 8 points are described in ITL
• Magic Fist (p.1) can knock the target down; minimum damage is ST used
• Reveal Magic (p.2) is limited to 5 MH range
• A missile attack bounces between two Reverse Missiles (p.3)
• Blast (p.3) damage is rolled for each target separately
• Fireball (p.4) minimum damage is ST used
• crawling on a Slippery Floor (p.4) requires no DX roll
• Lightning (p.5) no longer destroys magic items
• Remove Thrown Spell (p.5) does not affect magic items
• Adjustments (p.7) DX−2 for being in a hex with a fallen figure, DX−3 for ST 3 or less, adds cloth and half-plate armor, main-gauche modifier is 0, and notes the DX−4 for iron/steel weapons is for spellcasting only

(Complete changes in “diff -u” format can be found here. For ease of comparison, the new text has been lightly edited to match to the original second edition presentation.)

† The original rule requiring a 3/DX save to avoid falling down when entering a hex containing a fallen figure could be read to include moving through a hex; I mean, you have to enter to go through, right? Except looking closely now, I see that the rule specifically refers to “jump[ing] over,” which was perhaps intended as different from entering.

Afterword

This all began about 2012. My sons showed an interest in role-playing games, so I thought it would be fun to run them through a few old adventures. After some thought I decided the original Melee and Wizard rules would be a good starting point: character creation is simple, action and combat resolution is quick, and magic is straightforward. Unfortunately, I did not have ready access to my copies of the rules.

A little digging turned up Dark City Games’ excellent Legends of the Ancient World. However, those rules weren’t quite what I remembered, causing cognitive dissonance when I ran the first few adventures.

More digging yielded HTML transcriptions on the Internet, and eventually uncovered the fine folks at Brainiac. So now I had a high-quality electronic text! But again, things were not quite as I remembered them.

I could have mounted an expedition to the attic, but instead I did what any self-respecting grognard would do and checked eBay. I was surprised to see just how many editions Metagaming had published. Curiosity piqued, I patiently acquired them all so I could see how they changed.

But comparing the texts side-by-side was not all that easy. I tried starting from the Internet text and editing backwards, so to speak, but that was an exercise in frustration. Eventually I scanned all the rules then converted the images to text using PDF OCR X. After that was a tedious cleanup to remove junk text resulting from attempting to OCR the illustrations(!), followed by an even more tedious spellcheck to catch most of the OCR mis-reads. I then made a pass to clean up the presentation to match (more or less) the typeset text. Finally, I compared the text between each revision, and cleaned up a few more OCR-induced typos.

The result was nine text files; five for Melee and four for Wizard. Comparing them now was simplicity itself, and yielded the results you see above.

$mike cremer, March 2016