I was away from the internet for about a week and whist away I started doing a number of things that I used to like read books and really get into the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. I'm really fascinated by the construction of character classes and their application within campaigns. They're one of the backbones of creating unique campaigns and world settings for me as a dungeon master. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across these two resources for BECMI black box! This basically means that your now in control of your own world setting completely within Black Box BECMI.
This takes all of the pressure off to create your own unique world that belongs to you. It also means that once you create the PC's you want and need then you can expand upon your own ideas. This is one of the backbones of DYI D&D.
This was one of the design conceits to the Rules Cyclopedia, "This was the second revision to the D&D rules.[4] These guidelines allow a player to develop and play characters from levels 1-36, and includes a special section on skills.[1] The book also contained an overview of the Known World (Mystara) and Hollow World campaign settings.[1] It also has rules on how to convert characters between the Dungeons & Dragons game and the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition game."
So why is this important? Because it takes the black box BECMI series over to the next level into a solid customization game set, this means that with a bit of elbow grease you can really make this game your own.
The reviewer Rick Swan really hit it on the head about the Rules Cyclopedia;"Rick Swan reviewed the D&D Rules Cyclopedia for Dragon magazine #184 (August 1992).[1] He calls the book a "stunningly comprehensive volume", explaining that it "includes more detail than most GMs will ever use [...] but if you want it, you can probably find it here".[1] According to Swan, "Best of all, the material is a joy to read, thanks to the breezy style of Aaron Allston, who must've been genetically engineered to write RPG rules. This is a must for serious fans."
With these additions its not hard to figure out the 'ins & out's' of creating your own material and PC's from the ground up. This gives the DM one more tool for the home court campaign setting advantage & yet more options for players who are going to be far more seriously invested in the campaign world as a whole. This actually goes back to the OD&D war gaming roots where the players were active participants within the world building process. This creates a far more unique and in some respects dangerous situation for world creation balance.
This was one of the design conceits to the Rules Cyclopedia, "This was the second revision to the D&D rules.[4] These guidelines allow a player to develop and play characters from levels 1-36, and includes a special section on skills.[1] The book also contained an overview of the Known World (Mystara) and Hollow World campaign settings.[1] It also has rules on how to convert characters between the Dungeons & Dragons game and the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition game."
So why is this important? Because it takes the black box BECMI series over to the next level into a solid customization game set, this means that with a bit of elbow grease you can really make this game your own.
The reviewer Rick Swan really hit it on the head about the Rules Cyclopedia;"Rick Swan reviewed the D&D Rules Cyclopedia for Dragon magazine #184 (August 1992).[1] He calls the book a "stunningly comprehensive volume", explaining that it "includes more detail than most GMs will ever use [...] but if you want it, you can probably find it here".[1] According to Swan, "Best of all, the material is a joy to read, thanks to the breezy style of Aaron Allston, who must've been genetically engineered to write RPG rules. This is a must for serious fans."
With these additions its not hard to figure out the 'ins & out's' of creating your own material and PC's from the ground up. This gives the DM one more tool for the home court campaign setting advantage & yet more options for players who are going to be far more seriously invested in the campaign world as a whole. This actually goes back to the OD&D war gaming roots where the players were active participants within the world building process. This creates a far more unique and in some respects dangerous situation for world creation balance.
Building the Perfect Class
& Building a More Perfect Class
Have I personally tried these rules yet? Well no because of my time factor at the moment I haven't be able to get to them. With that being said I know that there are host of people among the OSR crowd who are fans of black box BECMI D&D. Hence why I'm sharing them, as an OSR blogger and DM I want you to have the most time playing and sharing the hobby.These rules look like another option to have in your tool belt! More to come and as always keep those dice rolling.
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