Basic Dungeons & Dragons

Basic Dungeons & Dragons, known as the Basic Set was the successor to Original D
ungeons & Dragons and was released while TSR, Inc. was working on the Advanced D
ungeons & Dragons set. This set was the beginning of the split into two separate
games, driven by disagreements on the direction the game should take. The Basic
set retained the simplicity and flexibility of the original game while Gary Gyg
ax took Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in a more structured and complicated directi
on.[5]
Initially it was expected that players would start using Basic edition and then
'graduate' to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.[6] However, in 1981 the Basic Set und
erwent a complete revision and not long after this the Expert Set was released f
or the first time. All references to a progression from the Basic Set to Advance
d Dungeons & Dragons were removed from the games and supplements as TSR, Inc. ma
de clear that the expected progression was from the Basic Set to the Expert Set.
From this point the D&D Dichotomy became fixed and the Basic/Expert set pair we
re considered a completely separate game from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.[7] Th
is separation continued until the eventual reintegration of the two streams into
a single game in 2000 with Dungeons & Dragons, third edition.
Boxed sets
Title Authors
Date
Item # Contents
Basic Set
John Eric Holmes
1977
Rulebook & misc. items (
changed throughout printing)
Basic Set
Tom Moldvay
1981
Basic Set
Frank Mentzer 1983
Champions of Mystara
Ann Dupuis, Bruce A. Heard
1993
Companion Set Frank Mentzer 1984
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia
Aaron Allston 1989
3 books, 2 maps
Expert Set
Tom Moldvay
1981
Expert Set
Frank Mentzer 1983
Hollow World Campaign Set
Aaron Allston 1990
Immortals Rules
Frank Mentzer 1986
Master Rules
Frank Mentzer 1985
Books