Moldvay vs. Mentzer... FIGHT!

So, which Basic D&D set was better?

  • Moldvay: Made first... therefore, it's better

    Votes: 45 52.9%
  • Mentzer: Damn you Bargle! Aleena was my friend!

    Votes: 33 38.8%
  • "Why the hell are all of you playing poxy elves!?"

    Votes: 7 8.2%

I've got the Moldvay red box, and that was my introduction to Dungeons and Dragons. I don't know what Mentzer brings to the table that's different, but I was always a big fan of the weird art in the Moldvay set. That, and mine had Keep on the Borderlands included!
 

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I've never actually seen the Mentzer set. I own the Modvay, I also bought one for my kid along with a copy of B2.

So that's what I voted for. Really though, either would do.
 

Mentzer, if only because that's what I taught myself with.

However, when I was ready to "graduate" to Expert, my parents got the earlier Cook Expert. I loved the pre-punched holes, but alas, I was slightly out of whack for quite a while.

BTW:
Mentzer's red box was the first game I ever played.. and it killed my first character. Despite this harsh treatment (damn you yellow mold covered dinner plates), I still gave him my vote.
QFT. Those cursed dinner plates came perilously close to derailing my entire gaming career!
 

(snip) I prefer the scale presented in the 1981 Basic and Expert sets, without the addition of the Companion, Masters, and Immortals sets. (snip)

As much as I prefer the 3.xE and 4E rulesets, I sometimes think running B/X D&D with just those two sets would be perfect. I had a lot of fun with those two before "upgrading"(?) to AD&D1E.
 

Morgan Ironwolf for the Win!

I owned the Moldvay Cook basic and expert and eagerly anticipated the companion one. I learned D&D on the Moldvay Basic set and it was fantastic for that as well as for use during games. A friend of mine got the mentzer basic years later and I was not impressed. I did get the Mentzer companion one eventually and loved the expanded dragon rules but I was startled at the crippling reduction of thief skills that took place in BECMI compared to the Cook Expert.
 

I started with the Moldvay set and was getting into AD&D by the time the Mentzer set came out - I have the books, went up against Bargle, but never used them beyond the introductory adventure. The idea of BECMI was good, but I've never much run a campaign past 12th, so I never got to use the higher level rule sets.

I think the Moldvay set is a better reference book, but the Mentzer is a better teaching set.

Anyone here pick up the later D&D sets - the big boxed "Classic" set (with Goblin Tower, Dragon Lair, etc. add-ons) and/or the boxed "Classic" D&D set with the CD? I have those as well, and tried to use the big boxed set, but I found it unwieldy.
 

I sometimes think running B/X D&D with just those two sets would be perfect.
I think of the 1981 B/X sets as the "sit yer ass down and play it" edition. Everything you need is there with no fuss and no muss. It's clear and straightforward (no need for rules interpretations or arguments,), complete (doesn't require house rules), has an ideal range of levels and all the classic D&D elements, etc. It's also the perfect D&D rules set for pick-up games at conventions and such, precisely because of that "sit down and just play it" quality that it has.

Like you, I choose other editions for my main game (OD&D or AD&D 1e, in my case), but I still have a lot of love for B/X.
 

Definitely Moldvay, by far. The Moldvay set retains some of the coolness of the original books. Mentzer is made of bland and fail by comparison.
 

I like them both equally. I started playing with a friend's Moldvay Basic set, and purchased a Moldvay Expert set for myself before buying the Mentzer Basic set (and Keep on the Borderlands as a separate purchase).

Before it was clear to me that I was going to have kids, I always thought it would be cool to introduce my kids to D&D using these same materials.
 

I prefer the Moldvay edition, everything in one book.
I don't like the Mentzer presentation, I can't say exactly what it is but it just doesn't come off very well to me.
 

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