Overview
As someone who started with Tunnels & Trolls then moved onto Advanced Dungeons & Dragons the original versions of D&D have always been something of a mystery to me. I was aware that there must have been some form of non-advanced version of the game but we had no idea what it was. We just presumed it was a board game or something.
Now with sites like DriveThruRPG and YouTube these gems of old school gaming have become available and when I saw it on sale I decided to check it out. I must admit I've been pleasantly surprised.
Game Setting
Dungeons & Dragons takes place in a (non-specific) fantasy world, although there are settings implied in products that tie into the game. The early versions of the game used adventure modules designed to be dropped into whatever fantasy world you chose to play in.
The rules themselves however give you a general feeling of what the intended setting should be like. A setting dominated by humans but shared with elves, dwarves and halflings. A world of medieval warfare, crumbling ruins and mythical beasts. The selection of items and spells give you an idea of what life may be like for a each character type. For example you can imagine the life of a Magic-User, plying their trade in a low magic setting where spells are researched and learned through study rather than innate powers.
Characters
As with later editions of Dungeons & Dragons, each player has six main attributes representing their personal ability. Higher attributes give bonuses and lower ones cause penalties. Unlike most familiar versions of the fantasy RPG you play nonhuman races as their own class. This may irk some players who prefer a diverse outlook on each race. But there have been some good arguments for races having general demeanors. Would an elf spend 80 years maturing to then become a level one thief? Magic is supposed to be woven into the very fabric of the elves so the warrior-wizard hybrid the game uses makes sense in context of the fantasy world. These races live longer and see the world differently to us. Versatility and diversity is supposed to be what makes humans so special and adaptable. So with all that said here are the types of characters available.
Fighters: This is the most basic and robust class. Great for beginners. They can wear any armour and use any weapon. They can take the most damage and have no extra rules to worry about. The book cites Hercules as an example of a great fighter.
Magic-Users: Magic-users are humans who have learned how to cast magic through study and practice. They can wear no armour and are only armed with the most simple weapons. Also they can take very little damage, although their spells are useful. Merlin is cited as an example of a famous magic-user.
Clerics: Clerics are a fairly robust character class and are always useful to a party. They can wear any armour and use any blunt weapon. They can also cast beneficial spells, normally centered around healing or aiding their allies. Their ability to drive away undead creatures is also very handy. It's worth noting that unlike AD&D or later editions Clerics do not start with any spells at first level. It appears they must earn their deity's respect before they are rewarded.
Thieves: This is a more subtle and stealthy class than the "Rogue" of later editions. Unlike some versions of D&D the thief should not be used as an offhand melee fighter. They are about as fragile as Magic-Users, albeit with the ability to wear light armour. Thieves should hide where they can and strike from shadows with their backstab ability. Among their main uses to a party are their lockpicking and trap disarming skills.
Dwarves: Dwarves are a second warrior-tank class, somewhat like the Fighter but with some handy bonuses to their saving throws to represent their sturdy nature. Dwarves also have bonuses to perception involving stonework or mining as well as infravision.
Elves: Elves are interesting class, combining the benefits of both a Fighter and a Magic-User with bonuses to spot secret doors and a handy immunity to paralysing attacks. They pay for this with a hefty advance scheme which makes levelling up a slow affair.
Halflings: Halflings seemed to be modelled more after Samwise Gamgee than Bilbo Baggins. They get none of the Thief abilities which I originally presumed they would gain, aside from one very powerful hiding ability. Their benefits seem to be more combatant with bonuses to missile weapons, defense against large enemies and very favourable saving throws.
Gameplay
The game runs very much like most versions of the D&D game but with a few key differences. Firstly the numbers are lower. Both players and enemies have less hit points which makes combat deadlier for both sides. Even a dragon can be taken out in a couple of turns if a smart and well armed party takes one by surprise. This is a big contrast to the hit point sponges of modern RPG monsters. It's a matter of taste but I feel I prefer the high stakes faster combat of these earlier editions. Secondly there are no feats, special moves or innate abilities apart from the handful of race-class features. Again this is a matter of taste. I never enjoyed the concept of "builds" used in 3e onwards, nor have I ever liked classes having abnormal abilities. The appeal of D&D to me was always that you played grounded regular people that ascended to greatness.
Players of third through to fifth edition (or beyond) may find the reversal of attack and armour bonuses jarring. I'm not going to go too deep into this as it has been debated for years with little in the way of agreement. I will say on a personal level that although I see the benefit of ascending AC over the THAC0 system I don't find the old system all that bad when playing. I also like to put an attack table on my character sheets so I always know what I'm shooting for.
It's a little hard to make criticisms when compared to later games as this is the system that got the ball rolling. But I personally enjoy the rules light feel of the game, especially for solo gaming.
Magic seems slightly more powerful in this game which I must admit is refreshing. Sure you only get one spell when you first create a Magic-User or Elf. But the spells you do get pack more of a punch than their AD&D counterparts. A single Magic Missile is more or less guaranteed to kill a bandit, goblin or kobold. Light or Sleep can nerf a room full of enemies if timed well.
I also enjoy the use of a Morale mechanic. Especially as a solo player but even when I run this as a Dungeon Master it can be fun to randomly have groups of enemies flee after seeing one of their number zapped into ashes.
Presentation
Firstly I love the cover art. It's simple and stylised which lets you know exactly what to expect in this game. Some may find it dated but personally I don't think style ever really ages. The art within the book is a mixed bag depending on taste. I enjoy it because I like simpler illustrations and the feeling that the game was put together by a group of friends rather than a corporation. But this is entirely subjective.
The book itself is laid out in a slightly odd manner. Instead of chapters for combat, movement and so forth we have "The Adventure" and "The Encounter" but when you get used to the book it falls into place and you can normally find what you're after fairly quickly during play.
Conclusion
I believe this is a great game to try at least once if you are a long term enthusiast of Dungeons & Dragons. Although not the original version I feel the Basic Set was the first to be sold as a genuine standalone game rather than an expansion for Chainmail (the wargame that D&D originally derided from). So for that reason I hold it high regard and it appears many fans do too.
However if you come from the newer school of games you may be happier with one of the many retroclones out there which tidy up the concept and sometimes introduce newer mechanics. Among the best of these is Basic Fantasy which uses ascending Armour Class like the newer editions of D&D. Basic Fantasy is also free online and physical copies are very cheap.
As someone who seldom has a group to play with I mainly enjoy this game due to how easy it is to solo. You can make an entire party of characters fairly quickly and play is fast paced enough that you can run multiple combats without too much trouble.
There are a few things I've left out of the review. It's an old game so there are enough opinions of it out there for better or worse. For my money I'm happy to be playing and I'm giving Basic D&D a solid 8/10.
