D&D General Basic Rule Set Help

[TheFantasyHistorianYT]

Hello all!

From my understanding these are the different Basic Rule Sets:

1977-1981 Basic Rule Set by John Eric Holmes also nicknamed "Holmes Basic"

1981-1983 the Basic Rule Set by Tom Moldvay from the B/X line also nicknamed "Moldvay Basic"

1983-1986 the Basic Rule Set by Frank Mentzer from the BECMI line also nicknamed "Mentzer Basic?"

The Question I have is:
If I am looking at a module that reads, "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Basic Set," how do I know which Basic Set rules it is referring to?
-For example, the B coded modules B1-12 and BSOLO all say that they run on the Basic Rule Set. But which one? Is it mainly just looking at the publication date and sometimes the author? Is it the way it is specifically worded?

I keep looking around at different forums and websites like Acaeum and Wikipedia "List of Dungeon & Dragons Modules" (List of Dungeons & Dragons modules - Wikipedia), but it is still unclear to me as the references don't all agree across the board or don't specify, especially the ones where the Publication date overlaps. I am currently working on organizing and archiving what was produced under different editions and I was hoping to split up the Basic Holmes, B/X and BECMI lines.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

​

 

[Remathilis]

Sorry I can't add much to this except to point out Keep on the Borderlands was revised and changed editions. The original print was made for Holmes but later changed to B/X. The telltale sign is that the Holmes version gives a dexterity score to all the monsters.

 

[Reynard]

B/X and BECMI are compatible, though not identical. Holmes was a real outlier. My impression from reading histories is that Gygax was very hands off with Holmes, who injected lots of his own ideas into the product. As to which each was made for, I think the best bet is to look at publication year.

 

[TerraDave]

I think they were supposed to run under any of those sets. And maybe also the publications that came later: the Rules Cyclopedia and the 1991 "black" basic set.

In practice, people also ran them with both 1e and 2e AD&D, so while there where some differences across the sets you mention, it probably wasn't much of stretch to use any B module with any set.

 

[Reynard]

B/X and BECMI are compatible, though not identical. Holmes was a real outlier. My impression from reading histories is that Gygax was very hands off with Holmes, who injected lots of his own ideas into the product. As to which each was made for, I think the best bet is to look at publication year.

Now that I think of it, it night be an interesting thought experiment to imagine what D&D would look like now if Holmes was as influential at B/X.

 

[Voadam]

Sorry I can't add much to this except to point out Keep on the Borderlands was revised and changed editions. The original print was made for Holmes but later changed to B/X. The telltale sign is that the Holmes version gives a dexterity score to all the monsters.

B1 In Search of Adventure as well, originally for Holmes then later printings updated to B/X. The later 1981 printings with a full color cover were for B/X.

 

[Voadam]

Hello all!

From my understanding these are the different Basic Rule Sets:

1977-1981 Basic Rule Set by John Eric Holmes also nicknamed "Holmes Basic"

1981-1983 the Basic Rule Set by Tom Moldvay from the B/X line also nicknamed "Moldvay Basic"

1983-1986 the Basic Rule Set by Frank Mentzer from the BECMI line also nicknamed "Mentzer Basic?"

The Question I have is:
If I am looking at a module that reads, "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Basic Set," how do I know which Basic Set rules it is referring to?
-For example, the B coded modules B1-12 and BSOLO all say that they run on the Basic Rule Set. But which one? Is it mainly just looking at the publication date and sometimes the author? Is it the way it is specifically worded?

I keep looking around at different forums and websites like Acaeum and Wikipedia "List of Dungeon & Dragons Modules" (List of Dungeons & Dragons modules - Wikipedia), but it is still unclear to me as the references don't all agree across the board or don't specify, especially the ones where the Publication date overlaps. I am currently working on organizing and archiving what was produced under different editions and I was hoping to split up the Basic Holmes, B/X and BECMI lines.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

​

Pretty much the publication date. Any module after 83 is BECMI, which happened partway through the B and X module series which started in 81. The only things pre-BECMI are earlier B and X modules.

Everything later with different module codes or none are BECMI or later stuff. If you look at the narrative extra descriptions in the Basic PDFs it will say the publication date for them to see exactly when they cut off. Most of basic is post B/X.

Rules Cyclopedia is basically a compilation BECMI BECM stuff and the later boxed sets are just redoing levels 1-5 without system changes so those ones are all useable with BECMI with zero mechanical contradictions.

BECMI is mostly B/X but the thief has a significantly different (worse) progression in BECMI and there is a bunch of high level stuff that gets different (plus BECMI master set introduced weapon mastery which is not in base B/X at all). For a module the B/X ones are going to be fully compatible with BECMI. Holmes has a few little bits of weirdness but will still be 95% compatible as written.

I was using B1 as the first module in my 1e campaign in 85 with no problems.