I used to have them all in the mid-80's, but we stopped around level 22-24, so we never reached the Masters level. Great sets of rules though--not everything is coded, so there's room for improvisation & house rules.
@@Kaiyanwang82 I have all the Gazetteers now, and I should mention that when I talk of BECMI & Rules Encyclopedia. They are one in my mind. FYI they can be print-on-demand @ DriveThruRPG for a reasonable price. I completed my collection that way, and got all the modules as well.
Recently been reading through my old BECMI stuff and I have to say I love this system. It can be as simple as you want it or it's very easy to go a bit more indepth. Really like some of the optional rules in the Rules Cyclopidia. I think you're absolutely right about this being the best system to teach people how to play.
I started with the red box - love it. I’ve started again with D&D for my kids - tried 5e - I’m going back to BECMI! Let’s keep it simple, give the players more freedom in the adventure, allow them to choose unbalanced encounters.
exactly, BECMI is less coded set of rules, allowing for improvisation & plenty of house rules. This was Mentzer's main motivation: less emphasis on rules & more in storytelling.
I liked it, I ran a campaign just reaching the end of Level 3 in the 1980s. The Basic books were more accessible and spread the hobby to make new players and DMs. The learning was programmed and let a kid pick up the red box in a suburban bookstore and have a decent chance to "get it" about RPGs, and spread it to their little friends, without necessarily having to endure a middle-aged wargamer. The structure was simpler, at least in the beginning, and there was less "rules-lawyering" possible than in AD&D, so you could keep the focus more on the role-playing. BECMI also had the excellent Known World Gazetteers (aka Mystara) detailing a setting of varied nations with their towns, major characters and mysteries detailed. This was ample material for decades of play! There were conversion notes offered in one of the boxes to convert from AD&D to BECMI D&D. One difference is that in the descending armor class system of both games, an unarmored human in BECMI is AC 9, not 10 as in AD&D, and the number went *down* with increased armor. As old fogeys may remember, in both games a character or monster's attack ability would have a THAC0 (To Hit Armor Class 0) representing the d20 roll you needed to make. To figure out the roll needed, calculate THAC0 - AC of the target to get the to-hit roll needed, and apply any other beneficial or detrimental modifiers. The system might confuse today's players, especially if the AC is so good it's a negative number. E.g. a skilled fighter's THAC0 is 16 but a wispy, super-fast monster is AC -2, so the needed roll is 16 - (-2) = 18! The target rolls rarely went over 20 and you'd need big bonuses if they did.
BX and BECMI are where I started and I still play this version regularly. It's a lot of fun without a lot of overhead. And it's really easy to take content from other editions and similar games and add it in to this version without breaking anything. Like if a Pathfinder, 4E or 5E monster has some special ability you can just give it to the BECMI version of the monster. Maybe tweak the saving throw, hit points, armor class or something like that and done.
I have all of them and the Rule Cyclopedia. Now you just have to get the Gazetteers (1-14), The Hollow World Box Set, Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia Box Set, Wrath of the Immortals Box Set, and Champions of Mystara: Heroes of the Princess Ark.
BECMI is plenty "basic" and that is a good thing. People forget that the complex rules were only added near the end (things like wrestling and weapon mastery) and those complex rules were entirely optional and you were supposed to exercise a lot of discretion when choosing whether to add them to your campaign. That said, I don't like the moniker "Basic D&D" because it does not say that anywhere on the cover... it says DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. That is the actual, correct name of the game. "Basic Set - 1" is just the subtitle of one of the BECMI boxes. Calling it "Basic D&D" means that you should also call it "Expert D&D" or "Companion D&D" etc., none of which is the actual name of the game.
I love this version of the game. It was the first DnD stuff I owned and I still have the box sets. I was looking into old school essentials which is the reimagining of BX via the open game license
I have the Rules Cyclopedia and use those rules, but I still have my Companions Books, and Master's Players Guide. BECMI is my favorite system. I started playing it back around 1982.
Solid Basic campaign for my kids and their friends still going after 8 years. Super quick to roll up and add kids fast. That way everyone can play here and now! Older kids are 9th graders now, with 9th level bad ass characters. Fast paced game play is perfect for today's teens lol.
I have often argued this is the best edition or version of basic D&D for teaching new players D&D and or introducing new players to the TTRPG hobby in general.
I grew up playing this ver. of D&D and I have always loved it , that beigning said you did not reccomend the rules cyclopdea as it collects BECMI as one volume. It is on Drive thru rpg for print on demand ...
COMICBOOKJEDI1 Let me clarify about the Rules Cyclopedia. I recommend it for those players and DMs that are familiar with D&D BECMI. For new players, BECMI is the best walkthrough to learn the system, IMHO.
This was my first D&D when I was a boy. We played from level 1 to an XP amount for level 26 for cleric (the rest was demi-humans, which worked differently). I still remember specific scenes or dungeons and fights to this day. From Companion to Master, one thing I remember, too: the undead are BRUTAL. There are a few entries in both books organized in triplets. Say Nightshade (3 types, wing, walker, crawler), Spirit (3 types) etc. They are all absolutely NASTY.
yeh, we do (6) 4D6 Rolls, take Highest 3 Diice each roll, Then put them where you want them, I also let them have MAX Hit Dice at creation, and the rest they Roll for. I feel these are supposed to be the heroes, Not a commoner, and should get the best start they can, BUT this is also because I do not make it EASY mode for them as well. (Only Own the PDFs of Box sets, but I do own the Encyclopedia ... we normally Play AD&D 1e .
These sets go back to the time..where if you got a +1 sword...that was like a huge deal. THere was more a sense of risk and consequence. Now there isn't a fear of death in the new rules
I do have the pdfs for these from Drivethru Rpg and love rereading them from way back in the day. If the opening slot for a cleric is still available, I would really love to play this classic again. Please let me know.
I’m presently running an AD&D 1E campaign with 8 players, with 2 Clerics, a Paladin and a Druid. An abundance of healers. I do know someone in my group that is running a weekend game of D&D Holmes edition.
@@DM_Bluddworth If it’s on Sunday’s (I play the palladium system Rifts on Saturdays) and you can either get me in contact with him or ask him for me, that would be great. I only mentioned cleric because you said in your video you were looking for a cleric or Magic-user, but I’ll be happy to play anything (although I prefer elf).
Anyone jumping into BECMI shouldn't just go straight to Red, then Blue, etc. Because there are interesting additions in the later sets that apply to low levels (such as weapon specialization). Plus there are subclasses (Fighter has a few, Cleric has Druid) that are alignment based. And the Gazetteers introduce new character classes/races. So it's better to look over all of it before starting a campaign. One of the fun parts of BECMI is that was back when player XP was tied to gold. A PC could get quite rich along the way! Very handy when the Dominion rules arrive!
I think this would be a good way to play. I haven't heard of the last 3 other than in passing. I think it would be perfect to start in the Basic set and advance through the series.
The hardest part, imo, of going back to BECMI is the PC options are extremely limited by today's standards. I created a few custom options based on construction rules I found in Dragon Magazine--character options like a Thief-based Halfling, Fighter-Elf, Magic-User Elf, and a Dwarf-Cleric (which showed up later in the Dwarven Gazzetteer). Plus there are the sever limitations for Magic-Users that are off-putting. One magic missile or sleep spell per day is just boring to play. And magic wasn't provided any bonuses, no using one's intelligence modifier for magic related rolls or any of that. And most Thief skills aren't worth the bother until the Xpert set (I have a 10% chance of success? Nevermind.) But the overall richness of the series, and the way it all works together as a system is quite remarkable. No other D&D version was so well put together.
idk i find most of the 5e options to be stupid and/or pointlessly convoluted. you want to be a ranger? why do you need that as a class? fighter with bushcraft skills and appropriate weapon skills. races that dont breathe or can fly or teleport? yeah i love having encounters and obstacles cheesed with nonsense abilities on lv 1 characters.
With the new OSE rules you can add in versions of the AD&D classes and/or separate race & class while keeping the elegant simplicity of B/X. It's really the best of both worlds.
Yeah. I ran a 12 week long campaign, PC party all pretty much reached 3rd level, and it was an awesome run. But as some of use started by to school, or back to work, it has dwindled down. I was getting a bit of DM’s burn-out too, so I’m chilling out as a player in a 1E campaign. Oh the joys of just having to show up, ready to play.
@@DM_Bluddworth I can sympathize! The campaign I was running for my son and his friends came to a halt when schools shut down last spring. I need to get something going again soon. Enjoy being a player for a while!
I lost or sold my boxed sets over the years, but I've held onto my Rules Cyclopedia over the decades. A couple years ago I finally got all the boxed sets in pdf, but I don't feel much of an urge to try to get hard copies.
I’m pretty sure the first version of D&D I played was the Holmes Box set, it belonged to my friend. The first set I owned was Moldvay’s Magenta Box Set. I may have to take out one of those and DM a one-shot. I have a video series I’m planning that you might be interested in.
I had all of those, but they were lost to time long ago and I now miss them :( I might like to play, though I worry about making time commitments in my disorganization. In the past, I always played elves as a player.
We play on Fridays at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. We have about 9 players but usually about 5 show up. The others come the next week, and different ones can’t make it. It is very flexible, as long as we have 4+ we play.
@@noobiesnacks1636 That is incredible, you are a lucky person. I wish I had gotten my daughters involved when they were younger. Their hobby however was in dance, and my oldest is semi professional dancer. Remarkably the RPG hobby is cheaper than dance.
@@DM_Bluddworth Yeah they love it and hate when we miss a session. Weve played the Eye of Traldar and the two adventures in the BOX SET "KARAMEIKOS, Kingdom of Adventure". Whilst older players might not enjoy those ones the kids loved the CD actor interactions. They are still tramatised by the HAG chasing them throught the forest. Its the BEST game ever. Im reliving my childhood and creating memories for them too.
I am pro BECMI. But I am fond of Advanced aka 1st. Mainly because of a few tomes. I think the 1st DMG might be the most perfect D&D book ever released. The 2 Monster Manuals are well done. Unearthed Arcana and the Dungeoneers and Wilderness Survival Guides are good as well. But Rules Cyclopedia being about the best one volume effort from official D&D is hard to top. I don't care for having a mountain of books needed. But after 1st/Advanced, the book bindings and paper just went down hill fast. 2nd being about as craptastic as I have ever seen in the hobby. The 3.0 spending and then opps we meant 3.5 was disgusting wastage. So yeah, I support BECMI but make allowances for 1st/Advanced fans. The rest of D&D has always failed to be as good.
I’ve always considered BECMI (well BE) to be the best introductory books to the hobby as a whole. That being said, AD&D 1E is my favorite edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
If your looking for a player to fill in let me know I have sub access to Roll 20/ fantasy grounds and D&D beyond I’m working on getting my rule books built up for B,E,C,M,I and trying to figure out a miniature map camera system to make online more like in person. Thanks for the videos enjoyed them.
You mention you prefer the BECMI booklets to the Rules Cyclopedia, but you never explain why? The contents are nearly identical... what makes you prefer one over the other?
As a DM I’d rather introduce the players to the game through the level ranges of each booklet. When players can see all that lies ahead in the RC, they then begin thinking ahead rather than experiencing the game’s mechanics as they unfold.
Chris Simpson There is one in my player group. The Halfling in the group, in our mist recent adventure, scouted out a Goblin camp in the wilderness while remaining completely undetected. They are useful outdoors.
Ok sure but why is this better than 1st Ed. AD&D or even 5th edition? You don't make much of a case here - you just talk about the mechanics of Basic D&D.
TheLoyalOfficer i believe it is better for two reasons. First, it is a much simpler system for a new player to pick up. Having just 7 classes, and chunking the depth of knowledge required to set level ranges is easier to grasp. Secondly, character growth is easier to manage because each box set builds upon the last. Monsters and treasures are also better controlled, where the risk vs reward is more easily managed. If your running a game using Basic (levels 1-3), the monsters and treasures are already measured for the DM. He or she doesn’t have to worry as much about TPK, nor the PCs getting too many or too powerful magic items.
@@DM_Bluddworth True, but those challenge factors (monsters and treasures) are easily controlled in AD&D as well. Your simplicity argument has merit, but really only for versions 3, 3.5, 4 and maybe 5. When I was a kid I made the transition to AD&D easily enough and never looked back after Castle Amber and the Isle of Dread. Although I will say that Gygax's initiative system in AD&D was a bit obtuse (I'm still not exactly sure how round segments work!) Myself, I settled on 2nd Edition - although it's so close to 1st that I can easily go back to that as needed and remain in a kind of hybrid. I did not like 3 through 5 - although 5 is a great improvement over 3 and 4. Plus - is simplicity always the best? Straight d6 for initiative with no modifiers, for example? Granted, I played that way for many years with Keep on the Borderlands, etc., but adding weapon speed factors for example I find to add some cool realism. Magic Users are also extremely weak - d4 hp and just one measly spell at level 1. I changed that in AD&D as well by adding the Clerical spell bonuses from Wisdom to Magic Users re: INT. As for the other books, I thought the Companion territory rulership rules to be SUPER cool, but the Master and Immortals rules to be just re-hashes of a lot of AD&D stuff - like adding armor and pole arms. Why does a 20th level character care about that stuff anyway? Overall, you might as well make the "old leap" to 1st Edition AD&D to lap up the extra features - or to 2nd.
@@DM_Bluddworth got pdfs only of those was seriously thinking of porting a 5e campaign to that. I know it's very different, but a little tinkering(Races kept separate from classes but using the Immortals set for the gods) I think it might work just not sure it's free from their CGL
@@DM_Bluddworth Fair enough. I have not given it much thought myself, other than not liking BECMI of course. I've never played beyond Expert and I can't even conceive of playing Master or Immortal.
TheLoyalOfficer I have no intentions of playing Immortals. Back in the day, we used the Dragon Magazine articles on Quasi Deities and my character actually became one (then was retired as a PC).
