TSR I need assistance finding a possibly imaginary box set

[cavalier973]

It was probably thirty or so years ago (early to mid 1990s), when I was walking through a discount store (I think the name of the store was “Ike’s” and had a circus elephant motif), and saw a bin containing small-ish boxes labeled “Advanced Dungeons and Dragons”. The boxes, in my memory, were black, and had the image of a fighter. I’m certain that they were labeled “AD&D” and was not a version of one of the basic sets. I don’t think it was a computer game.

I remember picking up one of the boxes, and thinking, “there isn’t much in here.” I think it was an introductory set.

After searching the internets, I thought that maybe it was the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure game, but that came out in 1999, which would have been much later than the time I’m remembering.

 

[monsmord]

Hmmm. I wonder if it was one of the D&D-compatible box sets from Mayfair Games' "Role-Aids" series?

 

[Sacrosanct]

One of the Ravenloft boxed sets like this one?

 

[Sacrosanct]

Or are you referring to the classic set (1994)

 

[cavalier973]

It makes most sense that it was the classic set, but the thing I am thinking of is a smaller box, almost like it only contained the bare minimum of books, possibly a set of dice, and I am positive that it was Advanced D&D, not basic. The box was, I guess, about 9x6 inches, and about an inch or two thick. Maybe a little larger, but not much. I thought it was a box containing a computer game, at first.

It seems like it had a blurb, something about “here are the rules for the advanced D&D game that you’ve heard so much about.” At least, that’s how I remember it, because, since I did not play any sort of D&D at the time, and only had the barest knowledge of the D&D product at all, the “Advanced” part was something of a revelation to me. “Oh; I wonder what it means that it’s ‘advanced’.”

(The first time I remember hearing about D&D at all was commercials for the Mattel electronic handheld game, which made it exceptionally confusing when people were saying that people playing D&D were getting into bad trouble)

I’m probably getting my memories mixed up. It’s possible that I am thinking of the 2e Adventure Game, but that just seems rather late to me, because by 1999, I was a little more familiar with the game, and knew that there were multiple editions.

It’s also, again, possible that I’m thinking of the Basic game that sacrosanct mentions, and am just remembering the box as smaller than it really was. It was in a bargain bin, as I recall.

Additionally, I remember that I was following my mom through the store, picked it up and showed it to her, and she just said, “No”, and moved on. So, I was young enough to not have money to buy it for myself. This would have been late eighties, very early nineties.

I was hoping that there was some sort of AD&D starter set that I could add to my collection.

I was thinking it might have been a late 1e product, but it is more likely that it was an early 2e product.

 

[cavalier973]

It might have been the 2e product “1134”, the introduction to advanced dungeons and dragons, with an audio CD. The description I found said that it is in a small box, and that 1135 (also with a CD) was in a larger box.

I am trying to find a picture of it.

 

[Nikosandros]

The description makes me think of the First Quest boxed sed.

 

[cavalier973]

That First Quest box looks intriguing, but the box is bigger than what I am remembering. Set in Mystara!

I looked through some of the images of the “Role-Aids” products, but they don’t look like what I am remembering.

I don’t think it was the Ravenloft set, either; it was just generic AD&D.

I’m trying to see if there was some sort of 2e introductory supplement, like 4e’s “Worlds and Monsters” book.

Again, when I picked up the box to glance at the back, I was thinking “is that all there is to this game?” I thought the box should have felt heavier than it did.

 

[sevenbastard]

I'm sure it's not this, but it's a 2e box set.

Also it's not a bad into to 2e and has some unique rules.

 

[cavalier973]

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I believe that it is probably one of the products mentioned above, and that my memory of what I saw was flawed. It may have been the basic set, even, and not AD&D.