So I've been RPing for a long time... Like 14 years or so. I don't really remember. I started on d20. I skipped 3.5, because I learned GURPS (both 3 and 4) and loved GURPS. I've done a few 'indie' games. I've got a few Pathfinder books. Will never do 4th ed D&D or Next. What is BECMI? I've read some stuff on wikis and whatnot but I only had more questions than I did to begin with. Ended up confused. Had to do a barrel roll. So what is BECMI?
This message was last updated by a moderator, as it was the wrong forum, at 05:34, Wed 19 Mar 2014.

Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, Immortal.

I.e. one of the earlier forms of D&D, contemorary with AD&D (which then spawned 2e AD&D, which became 3rd edition D&D, which...). The details of which came first and who stole what from whom are not overly relevant.

Largely comparable to AD&D, with much fewer bells and whistles at low levels (Dwarf, Elf and Halfling are classes, only three alignments). A lot more detail on running a kingdom / mage tower / whatever than AD&D provided (this is in E (a bit), C and M (more)). A very weird endgame if you reach level 36 and try for Immortality.

So dungeon crawls up to level 3-4, exploring the world and founding your own barony up to level 14 or so, then you start playing with nations and world shaking events.

So... like a transitory between AD&D and 2?

One of the early forms that came before / at the same time as AD&D, really, so definitely before 2. Lawyers were involved. In many ways, closer to the wargaming roots, so far fewer rules.

- Attribute bonuses / penalties were all on the same track, with a maximum of +3.

- Nonhuman races were classes (with low maximum levels)

- Morale was rolled on 2d6

- Fixed xp for monsters (unlike AD&D, like 2e)

- AC started at 9

- Clerics had no spells before level 2

- You could trade attribute points 2:1 at character creation to get better main stats

- No unarmed combat rules

- Fighter, Cleric, Rogue and Wizard for human classes

etc.

Aah ok. In that case, sounds like something I'd avoid like the plague.

You also forgot: "Died at zero hit points".

Fixed that for you.  :)

I always think of it as the "original" Dungeons & Dragons, before AD&D of any version.  That's probably why parts of it may seem odd or skeletal by today's standards.  Still, its simplicity had its charm.  Back in the early days (late 70's to about 1980), this was all there was (Basic and Expert, I think), so we didn't complain -- any more than we complained about the terrible graphics of Pac Man.

Basically the history of D&D and other systems like that was that people played wargames, sort of like Warhammer 40k.  Then someone had the idea of each person playing one hero instead of an army and that hero would "level up".  It's not as though it was a completely unique idea that nobody had ever done before, but the idea started spreading and D&D was one of the very first, and it started spreading, then then TSR later did wonderful marketing things to really spread the idea.

So a lot of those rules are the same as wargame rules.  Dead is dead.  "But what if I just sort of barely died, I don't want to start with a new character again?"  And so as the game editions progressed you got a sort of reprieve from death if you weren't "super" dead and were just "barely" dead.  That's why eventually the game went back to a sort of wargame once you were considerably more powerful than someone who'd be on the front lines of a battle -- around 10th level or so you started to get keeps, followers, etc.

Yeah, the newer rules were created for the whiners.  :)

In reply to Heath (msg # 10):

Funny, I thought it was because you could pass out before you die IRL.

Only whiners pass out.  Real men die on the battlefield!  ;)

In reply to Heath (msg # 12):

Haha!

In those systems, I recall that poison was also almost always fatal if a saving throw was missed.