Mentzer Expert Dungeons & Dragons Box Set & Low Level Grand Duchy of Karameikos Campaign Action

When it comes to grabbing onto the gusto of Mentzer Expert Dungeons & Dragons edition there's no better edition to add onto Basic Dungeons & Dragons. 'The D&D Expert Rules Set (1983), by Frank Mentzer, is the second iteration of the boxed Expert Rules for Basic D&D and the second volume in Mentzer's BECMI rules series. It was published in August 1983.' 
With Expert the players & their PC's have been playing & adventuring for bit now. But perhaps its time that they make the next leap within their adventuring career. They'll need a home base but within striking distance of their adventure patrons.


Mystara's Karameikos is unique in that regard because the PC's are in the center of the action & able to deal with the day to day matters of the kingdom. They find themselves swept along with royal ebb & flow. GAZ1: "The Grand Duchy of Karameikos" (1987), by Aaron Allston, is the first book in the "GAZ" series of Gazetteers for the Known World. It was published in April 1987. This is a must have for the DM & puts the information on the capital right at the DM's finger tips. Couple this campaign setting with Mentzer Basic & Expert D&D, then its off you go to play right in the middle of the empire. 


Your adventurers are going to want to put themselves down on the street level of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. Here they'll embroil themselves in the thick of adventure. But there are some other 'add ons' books that can save a ton of time for the dungeon master. Especially when running a brand new campaign. 

"Venture into the bustling capital city of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos! Learn of its colourful history and meet many personalities who call it “home”! Find your way through its maze of streets to a friendly (or perhaps unfriendly) tavern, to a boarding house to rest your limbs, to many businesses that sustain adventurers in the wilderness lands beyond the city! Specularum is a very cosmopolitan place - you’ll never know who you might meet there. Around any corner your characters may find someone or something that may lead them on a new quest. It may lead them out of the city, but the intrigue and power struggles (not to mention crime) means that the streets and buildings of the city contain as much adventure as might be found in the wilderness. They say there are more than fifty thousand stories in this city - will you be part of one?"

So from yesterday's post I had a ton of questions emailed to me especially about where could a party of beginning characters begin in Mystara, what module do you grab to get the PC's off to a very epic start, & what's the best way to get them into the thick of Mystara adventuring. So let's start with the basics first off as a DM grab a free  copy of Threshold Magazine issue 21 v3.  So why is this an important add on to your campaign? Because its going to put your adventurers center stage at ground zero within the bustling capital city of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

"The vast city is not only a place to obtain supplies to enable adventurers to equip themselves for their quests or somewhere to store or sell the treasure they may acquire in their missions, it is a place of adventure itself. Along every street, around every corner, there are opportunities. The many trades and nationalities that inhabit the buildings all have stories to tell, rumors to share, and so much more.
The articles in the the magazine will tell you more about the history of the city, of some of the people and groups you might encounter; there are maps of the distinctive neighborhoods and information about some of the landmarks you might find your way to, and much about the intrigue behind the scenes. "
I consider Threshold issue 21 v3.  essential reading for running a Mystara campaign set in  the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. But the module to couple with this material might surprise you. DDA3: "Eye of Traldar" (1991), by Carl Sargent is simple, easy to run, & offers the PC's some quick & dirty dungeon crawl action. This is a good module to get the players hooked on a campaign quickly & efficiently Couple this with Mentzer's expert set & play is going to go as smooth as glass. Why?! Because DDA3: "Eye of Traldar" (1991), by Carl Sargent can be linked into another TSR classic era module. 

B6 The Veiled Society By David 'Zeb' Cook is a classic but more importantly it hooks into Specularum, the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. The "Veiled Society"  becomes an integral building block for a  Known World campaign.

Now your ready to take on some of the secret conspiracies, back room dungeon deals, & high flying dagger filled fun of Specularum, the capitol of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. The reason for choosing B6 The Veiled Society By David 'Zeb' Cook is simple. The adventure is plot driven, this is going make the players think a bit more, & they'll have to deal with both events & NPC's in perfect measure. The framework of these modules will introduce important NPC's to the campaign that as a DM I strongly suggest that you take advantage of. All of these modules take full advantage of Frank Mentzer's Dungeons & Dragons Expert set. The combat is streamlined, the material in Expert is handled well, the iconic artwork is all there. But most importantly this is a very well heeled & handled set up which is easy to run for the dungeon master & actually enjoyable for the players.