D&D General Where to start with Mystara?

[Stormonu]

I should add that although I don't own them I have been a player through Keep on the Borderlands, Isle of Dread (TPK), Curse of Xanathon, The Secret of Bone Hill, The Lost City (My very first adventure), and the Desert Nomad adventures (possibly my favorite of all time). I'm looking to learn more about the setting and introduce it to new players. I played through those adventures almost 40 years ago and my memory of them is more than fuzzy. I think I'll start with GAZ-1 and see where it leads me.

Thanks, all!

Just an aside, Secret of Bone Hill (and it's excellent follow-on, Assassin's Knot) isn't a Mystara adventure, it's set in the Lendore Isles in Greyhawk. Though it probably wouldn't be difficult to set it among the Minrothad Guild isles, or possibly in the Kingdom of Ierendi.

 

[Enrico Poli1]

• Start with Gaz1, The Grand Duchy of Karameikos
• Play a starting adventure in the Duchy. It can be B2, Keep on the Borderlands, B3, Palace of the Silver Princess, The Eye of Traldar, B5 Horror on the Hill, Rahasia...
• Play B10 Night's Dark Terror
• Play X1, Isle of Dread.
• If you want play Drums on Fire Island

(also enjoyable are X2 and X3)

• Play X4 and X5, the Nomad series
• Return to the Sea of Dread playing The War-Rafts of Kron
• Play X10 Black Arrow, Red Shield
• Play CM1, CM2, CM3
• Expand your knowledge of the world with the other Gazetteers. The best is Gaz3 The Principalities of Glantri, but many others are fantastic too

 

[Stormonu]

I've been a little curious as to how B1-9 compares to the original separate adventures. Big difference there?

Ugh. Yeah, a couple pretty major changes...I'll let the module speak for itself.

Differences by module.

Spoiler

 

[Remathilis]

I'm not a purist and if you already own the AD&D monster compendium, I prefer the Karameikos box set. It really does try to explain setting for Basic using AD&D terminology. Then work backwards into the Gazetteers when you get a feel for it.

 

[Desdichado]

Everyone's saying start with Gaz1; I presume this is under the understanding that you've already got the Known World hexmap from the Cook Expert set? (I presume the Mentzer expert set had the same map, but I don't remember anymore.) I'd certainly suggest starting with the B/X sets, and the two modules originally published with them, Keep on the Borderlands (for certain definitions of originally, I know) and Isle of Dread. The gazetteers should follow from that foundation.

 

[Remathilis]

There is also a really good summary of Mystara and the Hollow World in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

 

[Sossij]

Ugh. Yeah, a couple pretty major changes...I'll let the module speak for itself.

Differences by module.

Ah, thanks for that!

There is also a really good summary of Mystara and the Hollow World in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

I do like my rules Cyclopedia. Probably easier than trying to dig through BECMI individually. (note: I've never tried to run a BECMI campaign but I am thinking of it)

 

[Remathilis]

I do like my rules Cyclopedia. Probably easier than trying to dig through BECMI individually. (note: I've never tried to run a BECMI campaign but I am thinking of it)

The RC is probably the closest D&D ever got into cramming the whole game into one book. Seven classes, 36 levels, spells, magic items, the whole bestiary, weapon mastery and skills, the core rules, domain rules, a mass combat system, even info on gaining immortality, topped off with a mini summary of Mystara, some variant rules, and a conversion guide for AD&D. All killer, no filler. The only downsides is that there isn't a lot of customization for PCs (race as class and no choice points) and 36 levels means the power curve is shallow (a real pain point for thieves).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Everyone's saying start with Gaz1; I presume this is under the understanding that you've already got the Known World hexmap from the Cook Expert set?

No? I think this was specifically addressed.

Gaz 1 is immediately useful for many adventures the OP, or others, probably have (it's a lot harder to drop an adventure onto the Atruaghin Plateau) and it's not requiring people to shell out for a bunch of products just to get an idea of if they like Mystara to begin with.

It's a test drive, rather than saying "well, first, get a $100,000 car loan and go to the Ferrari dealership ..."

 

[Desdichado]

It's a test drive, rather than saying "well, first, get a $100,000 car loan and go to the Ferrari dealership ..."

The test drive analogy is exactly what reading basic, expert, and the modules that they originally came with is.