As a GM, I play more than a dozen NPCs and monsters from incredibly spartan stat-blocks... I don't see any net benefit that the players get from having a convoluted character build.

For better and worse, 1991 was all about getting people to play AD&D instead of D&D, if only to streamline the product development to one ruleset, instead of two. I've come to appreciate BECMI decades later, especially because I'm enjoying your excellent videos.

I've recently come into the belief that the 5e "starter set", "Basic rules" should be a supported separate product line with its own set of modules. Not a one and done deal.

Darkmere! That used to be my ringtone.

81-91 arguably the best decade in DnD. 😊

What is your perspective of "The Basic Fantasy Role playing game" ?

Please keep producing these old school D & D videos. I am really enjoying them.

Going to admit it. As an accountant I absolutely love the dominion aspects. DnD & Spreadsheets ... what more can a nerd ask for. 😂 Seriously, though. Drop into an automated spreadsheet, and you're good.

Even when playing white box I found the dead at 0 un realistic. It was also unrealistic to limit a 10th level to 1 hp a day the same as a 1st level. Also fighters should heal more than wizards. Unfortunately some players like the 100% after a rest. A crippling injury can still remove a character from play but they can become an NPC and help make the environment more real.

Slowing down on video output?

Becmi has too much unnecessary math. Everything else about Becmi is cool, but having to crossreference multiple tables while just trying to play the game makes the game slow and homeworky. There's a reason people still play B/X and not BECMI.

Dude, the rules aren't writ in stone, do your own house rules, tell the players the DM sets the rules.

Hi BECMI, are you aware of any published adventure modules which specifically deal with a 36th level characters quest for immortality? None of the existing modules seem to deal with this. The highest level M series module is Twilight Calling, which is for characters up to 35th level. Then the I series begins with the characters already being new immortals. I'm sure there must be something out there which would provide an epic quest to become an immortal?

So here is my problem with Level Drain. To me, I don't understand what it is supposed to represent in universe. I'm all for undead being terrifying foes, and I have no problem with permanent consequences for PCs (My favorite system is actually GURPS, and I've crippled PCs with lost extremities and limbs in that game many times). But I don't understand what exactly is meant to be represented by a lost level. If levels represent ones experience as an adventurer, then are the PC's memories of prior adventure being lost? Has my Fighter forgotten how to fight, has my magic user forgotten how their 3rd level spells work? The rules don't say anything about amnesia, so that doesn't seem to be it. If it's merely physical injury or sickness why does it only affect my ability to fight? I am still as fast, strong, and intelligent as I was before, except in the narrow ways gained by my class, and if I'm at my full (new lower) HP, but suffering Level Drain, then... am I as healthy as I was at that lower level? Do I feel fine, if yes, why can't I fight well anymore, and if I feel sick and weak why can I still fight at all? What even IS a level to my character? What does it feel like to go from being a 5th Level Fighter to a 3rd Level Fighter? And why is the cure for this injury finding more gold (and thus XP to level up again)? This is why I prefer some sort of Ability Score damage over Level Drain. I can understand, your STRength is reduced by the Shadow's touch, much more than I can understand losing a level, and Ability Score damage should be something that is very slow and/or difficult to heal from, to maintain the fear factor of the undead of course, but I feel it makes more sense in universe.

There was no problem with THAC0 at all back in the day. At least no problem for intelligent individuals.

I know that in my current BECMI campaign, I have seen the Level 3 Magic User turn the tide of a certain TPK on its head with the judicious use of a Sleep spell.

back in 2e days we used to do this: 1. roll dice and add any mods from str/dex and magic weapon mod 2. substract the roll from Thac0 3. declare the AC hit to the DM 4. DM would say you hit or not. This created mystery tension and good anger. Love Thac0. Modern AC is boring

THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!!!😮😃😁 i have the art dnd books and some of the art is from these 'gazettes' but i never knew what they were from!!! now i know!!! they are extremely awesome sounding! they are dnd? not ad&d? and 1st ed. i think.🤔 i wonder if ppl have them for sale or if they are uploaded somewhere???!! 🙂 thank you again!!! looking forward to checking out ur other vids on these gazettes!!😊😎👏🙌🤘✌🤞👍🙏

oh also, in a competently-run 2e game, players shouldve never had to deal with thac0 anyway - all the players have to do is roll, add their mods, then the DM checks the thac0 and AC to determine whether they hit. Thats how I run my 2e campaign, and thats how I ran my intro adventure the last convention I went to. My players, all coming from 3e and 5e, all had an overall positive "I wonder what all the thac0 fuss was about?" impression from the sessions

I really feel like wotc, and fans of 3e trying to get new players or ad&d players to join up, that REALLY drummed up the thaco=bad narrative. It was a dramatic change and everyone was trying to get those on the fence on board with the new ways. IMO Descending AC was the only problem with the old system, and thac0 took the fall for it. E.G. For all the 5e players who complain that you shouldnt have to subtract to figure out your hit roll (thac0), I ask them how many times they've done the following: "so the enemy has a 16 AC? Let's see, my total bonuses are +7, so I need to roll a... 9 to hit!" Subtracting to figure out what to hit is apparently fine in d20 systems, but not fine with thac0.

I recently looked at the population statistics of Denmark from 1769 and then the capital of Copenhagen had a population of around 81030 (10%) people and the rest of the city population was 78911 (10%) , while the rural population was 637643. It fits actually quite well the numbers given in the table. If we assume that the population distribution is the same, then we have a capital of 50000 (9%) and the rest off the cities are 60450 (11%)- which should leave us with a rural population off around 441800 people. Since the size of the duchy is huge compared to small Denmark, I assume there is a lot wilderness in between

I'm fine with monsters causing the attributes to drop or the hit point maximum to decrease or anything like that, but I don't like level draining because it's just a lot of shit to keep track of, especially for newer editions.

G'day. I have always favored earlier editions like BECMI and AD&D 1st/2nd Editions where the characters sheet is a framework and the player completes the character build during play. I did bring in the specialisation of weapons and skills where skills just gave an extra bonus when that particular aspect of the skill was used. I also fondly remember a Mass Combat where the characters lost their Stronghold and had to regain it through a lot of subterfuge during the following campaign. Everyone had a lot fun as rules didn't overwhelm anyone and everyone had the freedom to customise their characters through their actions and the equipment gained and utilised.

Good old "Bree-Yark" rumour. Get's them every time

Eh, it kind of sucks. I'm a dm from the early 90s. I'm working on something much better. Perhaps if it's enough fun, I'll publish a pdf.

I understand thac0 perfectly but it’s still just a dumb way to do it😂😂😂

I hear environment, I think hexcrawl bay-beeee

D&D Begone.

I really like this. My brother and I got started on First Quest and the D&D classic black box. I think First Quest did alright in the same vein as the classic red box, but that may just be my nostalgia talking