How does it hold up?

>>54924078
I personally think DnD basic/b/x is a very good game for beginners, more than 5e.

>>54924078
It works just fine. I like it much more than 3+. Shit man, in this version you can launch a fire ball 3 and a half football fields away. Grab a copy of B2 Keep on the Borderlands from the archive and run that for your group. It's a great intro adventure in general and especially for BECMI DnD.

If I run with battlemaps I prefer to not use a grid and use a small tape measure for movement and range like a TT wargame, but you can easily use a grid map too if you wanted.

Best edition of D&D by a decent margin. The reason "modern" gamers don't like it is things like Race as Class and not having 10 billion fiddly bits to make your character with. New players would be totally fine with it.

>>54924078
The weapon specialisation/proficiency rules are kind of horrible and I'm not sure about the nonweapon proficiency system either, but otherwise it's a very solid complete-in-one-book edition.

>>54924342
Those weapon mastery rules are optional, and I agree they are a bit of a mess as written. Not a fan of the skills as written either, but again they are optional after all.

>>54924078
probably the best option if you want to get into retro D&D. that or B/X. maybe look into some retroclones. BFRPG is free

>>54924342
>>54924429
Weapon mastery is one of the most fun part of the book.
High level sword masters parry and "tank" like crazy, and polearms are amazing.
Sap and dagger for rogues can do miracles. The staff can avoid the wizard being one-shotted (use the optional rule and give staves to wizzies other than daggers).
Weapon Mastery is AMAZING you plebs

>>54924078
Best all-in-one-book D&D ever.
You can integrate it better with the gazzeteer if you wish so (to expand more demi-humans) but 1-14 is perfect and 1-24 is still veeery good.
Only homerule could be use the old thief tables.
There, done.

>>54924342
>>54924429

So Worst case scenerio, I just tape a sheet of notebook paper over the Attack Roll and Armor Class Rules in favor of something less THAC0

>>54924489
No, THAC0 is fine. Nothing wrong with THAC0, it just requires a little math. My only problem with the rules as written is it makes people suck with other weapons they have put no "points" into. This is mostly a problem for fighters (and elves, dwarves, and halfling). When you are using random tables to generate magic items what if a really cool item drops that the characters can't use? I guess their mini-quest is to find a trainer to learn to use it but if they have spent all their points so far it could be 4 more levels (a long time in classic) before they can use it.

Of course, if they have spent all their points on one or two weapons it could be argued that they don't need a magic version, their skill is so good that they would be gimping themselves even with a magical weapon not of their specialty.

I prefer to use the mastery rules but everyone starts off at basic with all the weapons that their class can use and they get no points at first level. From then on they get the points as normal but they have to find a pay for a teacher. No mystical weapon mastery from nothing in the middle of an adventure. That way if a random +3 axe drops no one feels too short changed by it and maybe they decide to focus on axes when they get mastery points from now on.

>>54924811
That is a really nice houserule. I might try that one in my next RC game.

>>54924078

I find 2e superior, if your party can handle thac0 and roll under it should work

>>54924811
Our master used an houserule like yours and worked just fine.
The advantage of RC is that you can modify whole parts without the system going to shit.