Ok, there's a bunch of products with very similar names and overlapping ... mess.

Can someone point me where to (legitimately) get useful early (or retroclone) D&D products?


I'm still interested in putting together a 5e microlite something or other, but it'd help to have some perspective on other early games.

http://www.dndclassics.com/product/110274/DD-Basic-Set-Rulebook-B-X-ed-Basic

From there you can fins all else. Prices arent bad usually, but not allways.

In an interest toward 'illustrative/good ideas,' any other editions you'd suggest?

Quote from: Will;802744Ok, there's a bunch of products with very similar names and overlapping ... mess.

Can someone point me where to (legitimately) get useful early (or retroclone) D&D products?


I'm still interested in putting together a 5e microlite something or other, but it'd help to have some perspective on other early games.

What do you have already?

Basic Fantasy is a great clone of B/X D&D, with a few modern tweaks (ascending AC, etc.). It's also free in PDF, and sold at cost on Amazon.

And then there's also OSRIC, for a similarly "free in PDF, cheap in hardcopy" take on AD&D 1e.

You can also buy the Rules Compendium from dndclassics.com which is the BECMI version of Basic (minus Immortals).

Quote from: misterguignol;802754What do you have already?

5e and Pathfinder

Quote from: Will;8027615e and Pathfinder

In that case I'd recommend getting the B/X pdfs from drivethrurpg or just downloading the free Labyrinth Lord pdf. (LL is a clone of B/X and it's probably 97% the same as B/X.)

You also might want to take a look at 1st edition AD&D, since it was a design that inspired a lot of stuff over the years. For a free clone, OSRIC is the way to go.

After looking at those two "sets," I think the other editions and clones more or less repeat the same ideas with very small changes or additions.

I'm a big fan of Beyond the Wall, so that's the one I'd recommend if you want to take a look at a modernized version of earlier D&D with lots of tweaks. (Lifepath systems, different magic system, very different setting/inspiration assumptions, etc.)

D&D Basic Set - Player's Manual (BECMI ed.) (Mentzer, 1983)

D&D Basic Set - DM's Rulebook (BECMI ed.) (Mentzer, 1983)

D&D Basic Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Moldvay, 1981) (Levels 1-3)

D&D Expert Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Basic) (Moldvay, 1981) (Levels 4-14)

D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic) (Levels 1-36)

Swords and Wizardry

Labyrinth Lord

Basic Fantasy

Quote from: misterguignol;802768I'm a big fan of Beyond the Wall, so that's the one I'd recommend if you want to take a look at a modernized version of earlier D&D with lots of tweaks. (Lifepath systems, different magic system, very different setting/inspiration assumptions, etc.)

Seconding this. Beyond the Wall is probably one of my absolute favorites for its mood, simplicity and especially for its lifepath character creation system. You can download a bunch of their playbooks for free on DriveThru (legitimately): they give you a really good idea what that lifepath system is like.

For my next 5e campaign, I will be adapting BtW's character creation system.

Quote from: Necrozius;802788For my next 5e campaign, I will be adapting BtW's character creation system.

Could you post that somewhere when you've got it written? I'd love to see that.

(I tried writing a bunch of lifepath stuff using the ones in BtW as a guide, and it felt like a TON of work. Much respect to the writers of BtW.)

I am a HUGE fan of lifepath systems. Intrigued.

The only problem is that one would have to modify how many ability score points one could get. Theoretically, a PC could get really lucky and end up with a stat much higher than 20 (taking a combat-oriented playbook, I calculated the final ability scores if a player got the boosts to Strength every time)

Quote from: Will;802794I am a HUGE fan of lifepath systems. Intrigued.

Basically, you pick a "playbook" (character class like Witch's Apprentice, Village Hero, etc.) and roll the dice on the playbook's tables to generate your ability scores, skills, special abilities, and the events of your background.

One of the neatest parts is that you make characters as a group and one of the events always involves another character--which they get a bonus for when you aided them or they aided you, or whatever. It's really excellent for making groups of characters that actually have reasons to be together.

Quote from: misterguignol;802798Basically, you pick a "playbook" (character class like Witch's Apprentice, Village Hero, etc.) and roll the dice on the playbook's tables to generate your ability scores, skills, special abilities, and the events of your background.

That sounds very Darklands-like to me, so consider me intrigued.

How do these lifepath tables compare to, say, Classic Traveller, Mongoose-Traveller or Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0? Is it all mechanical, or does it also have background implications and adventure hooks?

Can the same tables be used for NPCs? Does it have random tables to flesh out wilderness, adventure sites, NPCs and so on?