BECMI Dungeons & Dragons

This isn’t the edition that started it all, but it is the edition that first got people people interested in the game. BECMI is an acronym for the different levels of the rules as they were published: Basic, Expert, Companion, Master, and Immortal. The Basic rules were released in 1981 (the original edition was released in 1977 but saw limited success) with the expansion rules being released as they were published through 1985. These rules are the most brutal of all the versions of D&D, the premise being that your character is a slightly above-average person with an incredibly dangerous occupation. You begin the game with very few special abilities and grow in power slowly, so survival depends on your ability to play intelligently… and the dice being merciful. Enemy power also scales slowly so there is balance. Play this edition if you want to experience what it was like at the beginning.