A true leap forward in AD&D rules, the Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide adds something to the game which seems to us, 38 years in the future, like a truly necessary part of the game: a system of skills and proficiencies. This opens up the game and the storytelling in it to new options.

The book is also an extensive addition to the rules of underground adventures, particularly dealing with the underdark and giving you rules for stuff like climbing, swimming, jumping, using ropes and bridges, spelunking and so forth, all of those non-battle elements of dungeoneering which are so essential not only for caves or the underdark but also for any dungeon, be it a lost tomb or hole in the ground. 

With a spectacular cover by Jeff Easley it’s also a really pretty book, filled with great illustrations (which will make up a future post here) and divided into sections for players and for DMs. A truly essential rules addition for the game, you would do well to at least leaf through it.