Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
Encyclopedia
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...

 (TSR 1001) was first published by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....

 in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same year.

1977 printing

The boxed set contained a forty eight page rules book with artwork by David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III
David C. Sutherland III was an early Dungeons & Dragons artist. Sutherland was a prolific artist and his work heavily influenced the early development of Dungeons & Dragons.-Early life and inspiration:...

, along with a set of polyhedral dice. In 1977, TSR also published the first edition rulebook, to be sold separately. In that same year, Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...

 (U.K.) published their own version of the rulebook, with a cover by John Blanche
John Blanche
John Blanche is a British fantasy and science fiction illustrator and modeler known for his work for Games Workshop's White Dwarf magazine, Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Warhammer 40,000 games and his role as art director for the company, including his work in the field...

, and illustrations by Fangorn. (For a period in 1979, TSR experienced a dice shortage. Basic sets published during this time frame came with two sheets of numbered cutout cardstock chits that functioned in lieu of dice, along with a coupon for ordering dice from TSR.)

The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rulebook was sold either separately or in a boxed set including geomorphs
Dungeon Geomorphs
Dungeon Geomorphs is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The Dungeon Geomorphs were a DM's aid that consisted of dungeon map sections that can be cut apart and put together like puzzle pieces in various ways...

, monster and treasure assortments, and a set of polyhedral dice. The rulebook also included a brief sample dungeon with a full-page map. However, starting with the fourth printing in 1978, the two booklets of maps, encounter tables, and treasure lists were replaced with the module
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...

 B1 In Search of the Unknown
In Search of the Unknown
In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton...

; printings six through eleven (1979–1982) featured the module B2 The Keep on the Borderlands
The Keep on the Borderlands
The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragons module by Gary Gygax, first printed in December 1979. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. Designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, it...

instead.

The rulebook covers characters from level one through three, rules for adventuring in dungeons, and introduces the concepts of the game. This version of the Basic Set incorporates concepts from the Greyhawk
Greyhawk (supplement)
Greyhawk is a supplementary rulebook written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

, Blackmoor
Blackmoor (supplement)
Blackmoor is a supplementary rulebook for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game written by Dave Arneson...

, and Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...

supplements. The book suggests that players who want to go beyond third level should move to the AD&D game system.

The rulebook opens with the following description of play:

TSR hired outside writer J. Eric Holmes
John Eric Holmes
John Eric Holmes, M.D. , was a former associate professor of neurology at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, an author and promoter of fantasy role-playing games, a noted fan and enthusiast of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and an American writer of non-fiction, fantasy and science...

 to produce the Basic Set as an introductory version of the Dungeons & Dragons game. The Basic Set collected, organized, and cleaned up the presentation of the essential rules from the original 1974 Dungeons & Dragons boxed set
Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

 and the Greyhawk supplement
Greyhawk (supplement)
Greyhawk is a supplementary rulebook written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...

 into a single booklet. The booklet explained the game's concepts and method of play in terms that made it accessible to new players ages twelve and above who might not be familiar with tabletop miniatures wargaming. Unusual features of the game included an alignment system of five alignments as opposed to the three or nine alignments of the other versions.

The Basic Set was packaged in a larger, more visually attractive box to allow the game to be stocked on common retail shelves, and targeted to toy stores and the general public. It was notable in that it focused on only the first three levels of play, and was intended as a bridge between the original D&D and the AD&D rules, rather than as an introductory version of the game. Although the Basic Set was not compatible with AD&D, players were expected to continue play beyond third level by moving to the AD&D version, which at the time was still forthcoming from Gary Gygax and TSR. Players who exhausted the possibilities of the basic game were directed in that set to switch to the advanced game, although the basic game included many rules and concepts which contradicted comparable ones in the advanced game. Holmes, the editor of the basic game, preferred a lighter tone with more room for personal improvisation, while Gygax, who wrote the advanced game, wanted an expansive game with rulings on any conceivable situation which might come up during play, a document which could be used to arbitrate disputes at tournaments. This Basic Set was very popular and allowed many to discover and experience the D&D game for the first time.

1981 revision

After the release of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, the Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by editor Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay
Tom Moldvay was a game designer and author most notable for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons .-Career:...

. The revised version of the set included a larger, sixty four page rule book with a red border and color cover by Erol Otus
Erol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...

, the module B2 The Keep on the Borderlands, six polyhedral dice, and a marking crayon. Cardboard chits were briefly included in place of dice when TSR's source dried up. The cover of the set included the tagline "Fantasy Adventure Game" under the Dungeons & Dragons logo.

This edition drew solely on the original D&D boxed set for inspiration, rather than including material from its supplements. The game was not brought in line with AD&D but instead was made even more different, and thus the basic Dungeons & Dragons game became a separate and distinct product from TSR’s flagship game AD&D. This game was promoted as a continuation of the tone of original D&D, while AD&D was an advancement of the mechanics. Although simpler overall than the Advanced game, it included rules for some situations not covered in AD&D.

With the revision of the Basic Set, discrete sets of increasing power levels began to be introduced as expansions for the basic game. The Moldvay Basic Set was immediately followed by the accompanying release of an Expert Set
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...

edited by Dave Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...

, supporting character levels four through fourteen. The Basic Set led players into the Expert Set past third level. The revised rules were visually distinct from the original rules: The Holmes booklet had a blueprint-style pale blue cover, while the Moldvay Basic Set and Cook Expert Set booklets had bright red and blue covers, respectively.

1983 revision

In 1983, the Basic Set was revised again, this time by Frank Mentzer
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...

, and redubbed Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules. The set included a sixty four page book for players, a forty eight page book for Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Dungeon Master is the game organizer and participant in charge of creating the details and challenges of a given adventure, while maintaining a realistic continuity of events...

s, six dice, and in sets in which the dice were not painted, a crayon. The 1983 revision was packaged in a distinctive red box, and featured cover art by Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...

. Between 1983 and 1985, the system was revised and expanded by Mentzer as a series of five boxed sets, including the Basic Rules (red cover), Expert Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...

(blue), Companion Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Companion Set
The Companion Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1984 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

(teal, supporting levels fifteen through twenty five), Master Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1985 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

(black, supporting levels twenty six through thirty six), and Immortal Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules
Dungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1986 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

(gold, supporting Immortals—characters who had transcended levels). Instead of an adventure module, the Basic Set rulebooks included a solo scenario and an introductory scenario to be run by the Dungeon Master.

The 10th Anniversary Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Set boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...

, published by TSR in 1984, included the rulebooks from the Basic, Expert
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The Expert Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-1981 printing:The D&D Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay...

, and Companion
Dungeons & Dragons Companion Set
The Companion Set is an expansion boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1984 as an expansion to the Basic Set.-Publication history:...

 sets; modules AC2
Combat Shield and Mini-adventure
AC2 Combat Shield and Mini-Adventure is a 14 page accessory designed for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...

, AC3, B1
In Search of the Unknown
In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton...

, B2
The Keep on the Borderlands
The Keep on the Borderlands is a Dungeons & Dragons module by Gary Gygax, first printed in December 1979. In it, player characters are based at a keep and investigate a nearby series of caves that are filled with a variety of monsters. Designed to be used with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, it...

, and M1 Blizzard Pass
Blizzard Pass
Blizzard Pass is a 1983 solo adventure module for the Basic Rules of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:Blizzard Pass is a solo adventure for a thief level 1–3. The thief must cross Blizzard Pass, and then penetrate a cavern system within Blizzard Pass to free the other...

; Player Character Record Sheets
Player Character Record Sheets
Player Character Record Sheets a short accessory designed for the Pen & Paper fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.-Publication history:...

; and dice. This set was limited to a thousand copies, and was sold by mail and at GenCon 17.

A version of the Basic Set was printed in Australia by Jedko Games in 1987.

External links

  • http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_850.html
  • http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_8045.html
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