Since its creation, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has been dogged by controversy. As the game reached broader audiences, those on the inside—the players—have often found themselves at odds with outsiders who do not play the game. Glimpsing into this seemingly strange world, some of them see D&D as a repository of ideas that glorify societal ills. One notable artifact of the 1980s-era D&D moral panic was Dark Dungeons, published by Chick Publications.

This is the fourth installment of Confounded Rules! Once more, it takes a close look at difficult, ambiguous, and little-known rules in First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). Some rules suffered from obtuse or incomplete language, making it difficult for Dungeon Masters (DMs) and players to determine how they were intended to work. Over the game’s 12-year run, many rules evolved or were clarified in later books.

Welcome to the campaign journal chronicling the battle against the stone giant clans of Flóndisheim. This adventure became the DUNGEON DELVE module DDS5 Valley of the Stone Giant Clans. The journal features the main characters from my weekly Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) group, who began their careers a few years ago as 1st-level characters.