While the early years of D&D had a certain amount of breadth and depth, there was also the light hearted tongue-in-cheek reality of what it really was. Few things expressed this than some of the whimsical drawings found in those early hardbound rule books. One of the most famous, and most beloved, was this:
I doubt there's a person who even came close to playing D&D in those days that wouldn't remember the +2 backscratcher. Note the ability to mix humor with weighty material (those are dead bodies in the background). In our day and age, nothing big. In the late 70s, still a source for controversy and debate. FWIW, my personal favorite was:
There was almost a sense of pride, the feeling that this wasn't just a joke, but a realization that something really new had just been invented in the world of fun and games. And yet it's done with a wink and a nod. A sense of respect for the inspirational materials, and yet a willingness to remember it's only a game. Those are things I remember from my early encounters with this new pastime.
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