BECMI - Mentzer (from 83) D&D ruleset for fantasy grounds, is there one?

[Wisewind]

I have been poking around the forums for a while, trying to find a D&D basic game ruleset (with character sheet and such) for the D&D basic game by Mentzer, from 83... would have loved to run some of those oldschool adventures again.
Is it hard to program a ruleset if there is not one available yet?
The BECMI rules being rather simple, it shouldnt be too hard... right?
Thanks for any help and advice.

[LordEntrails]

There are several threads at the top of the Classic D&D sub-forum talking about various available rulesets, here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?73-Classic-D-amp-D).
I believe rulesets are major undertakings, but I'm not a developer and have never looked to do one.
Some similar rulesets you may want to look into:
- OSRIC (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Ruleset:_OSRIC)
- Dungeon Crawl Classics (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Ruleset:_Dungeon_Crawl_Classics_RPG)

[LordEntrails]

Oh, and the More Core Extension, which will become a ruleset with the release of v3.2, may get you close.

[Wisewind]

Thank you!

[damned]

I have been poking around the forums for a while, trying to find a D&D basic game ruleset (with character sheet and such) for the D&D basic game by Mentzer, from 83... would have loved to run some of those oldschool adventures again.
Is it hard to program a ruleset if there is not one available yet?
The BECMI rules being rather simple, it shouldnt be too hard... right?
Thanks for any help and advice.

No there is not and yes it is hard.
There is nothing simple about RPG logic. Nothing.


There are several threads at the top of the Classic D&D sub-forum talking about various available rulesets, here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?73-Classic-D-amp-D).
I believe rulesets are major undertakings, but I'm not a developer and have never looked to do one.
Some similar rulesets you may want to look into:
- OSRIC (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Ruleset:_OSRIC)
- Dungeon Crawl Classics (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/wiki/index.php/Ruleset:_Dungeon_Crawl_Classics_RPG)

None of those are really BECMI but there is the OSRIC and Labyrinth Lord and AD&D2e rulesets to look at. Again - not BECMI.


Oh, and the More Core Extension, which will become a ruleset with the release of v3.2, may get you close.

MoreCore offers little in the way of Automation. It is generic so it cant know how to compare your attack roll with your particular systems defense/target/armour/whatever etc. In saying that - yes it should allow you still to play BECMI.

[Zacchaeus]

What on earth is a BECMI?

[damned]

What on earth is a BECMI?

Philistine.

Basic Expert Companion Master Immortal

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15579&d=1475978300

[Zacchaeus]

Heh, never heard it called that before. This can be today's lesson :D

[damned]

Expanding on todays lesson....

In the beginning there was OD&D (which is not really relevant to todays lesson except that...)

There was a Holmes edition of D&D called Basic D&D. It was closer to OD&D than the others that follow.
The next version was the Moldvay/Cook Basic and Expert books sometimes referred to as B/X or BX but probably most commonly called Basic D&D.
The next version was the Mentzer Basic, Expert and later Companion and later still Expert and Immortals and this was eventually referred to as BECMI.
BEC&M along with a few other bits were also published in a single hardback volume called D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

[kalmarjan]

I didn't even know there was a ruleset? Man, I've got to dig out the box of all my stuff... I'm sure my wife will be impressed lol

[Zacchaeus]

I believe that I got as far as the BEC part before we switched over to AD&D :)

[kalmarjan]

Isle of Dread is one of my all-time favourite modules...

[Zerbious]

Philistine.

Basic Expert Companion Master Immortal

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15579&d=1475978300

Can I cry now? Looking at those boxes make me want to!

I used to have all of those and tons of AD&D stuff. When our first daughter was born and we decided my wife wouldn't go back to work, I hadn't played D&D in some 20 years, so we sold a lot of my old stuff. Looking back, I wish we hadn't.

[Nylanfs]

Are you prepared to love me?

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17171/DD-Rules-Cyclopedia-Basic&affiliate_id=200170

[damned]

Are you prepared to love me?

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17171/DD-Rules-Cyclopedia-Basic&affiliate_id=200170

I bought that when they first put it online - it is unfortunately a SCAN but the Index is hyperlinked at least.

[JohnD]

So many pdfs so little money.

[hawkwind]

I have been poking around the forums for a while, trying to find a D&D basic game ruleset (with character sheet and such) for the D&D basic game by Mentzer, from 83... would have loved to run some of those oldschool adventures again.
Is it hard to program a ruleset if there is not one available yet?
The BECMI rules being rather simple, it shouldnt be too hard... right?
Thanks for any help and advice.
You could always use Castles and Crusades which is very similar and is a modern fantasy grounds rule set with all the bells and whistles

[Talyn]

You could always use Castles and Crusades which is very similar and is a modern fantasy grounds rule set with all the bells and whistles

Well, many of the bells and whistles anyway. It won't do any automation of spell-casting like 5E and a few others will. Other than that, it's good stuff. I'm told the OSR players don't mind manually creating spell-weapon entries since it feels "old school." ::shrug:: I'd like to see the spell stuff added someday but the Lua to do so is very complicated and involved and too far over my current skill level for me to help @phantomwhale with it.

[damned]

Well, many of the bells and whistles anyway. It won't do any automation of spell-casting like 5E and a few others will. Other than that, it's good stuff. I'm told the OSR players don't mind manually creating spell-weapon entries since it feels "old school." ::shrug:: I'd like to see the spell stuff added someday but the Lua to do so is very complicated and involved and too far over my current skill level for me to help @phantomwhale with it.

Its not going to happen. ..
50% of the games played on FG (and roll20a nd in real life) are 5e. Everything else is fighting for scraps. The ROI of building out the spell automation for C&C just isnt there.
I played C&C on FG for 4 years and never missed spell automation - it is my personal opinion that as good as it is in 5e it just isnt needed.

[damned]

You could always use Castles and Crusades which is very similar and is a modern fantasy grounds rule set with all the bells and whistles

C&C is definitely somewhere between 1e and 3.5e rather than BECMI but it is good stuff :)

[vodokar]

I'll chime in with regards to Dungeon Crawl Classics. Once you remove some of the unique setting specific rules from it, such as the variable and mercurial magic, mighty deeds and whatnot, what you basically have left is a 3e light engine. While DCC does a very good job of emulating the feel and vibe of old school rpg's, it isn't actually a retroclone, it is a modern game based on a stripped down version of 3E and doesn't have any actual dna of 0e, BCMi or AD&D.

Having said that, it does actually do a great job of making you feel that you are playing one of those games, even though you actually aren't, mysterious and cryptic as that may sound. Best I can tell anyone, you have to play it to really understand how sometimes the feel of the gameplay is much more than the sum of its parts in the nuts and bolts of the rules. For example, many peoples first impressions after perusing the rules is that DCC is a very swingy and luck dependent game, but it really isn't because it is counterbalanced with a lot of player luck mitigation, control and player agency. Those things just don't jump out at you until you are at the table actually playing.

[Myrdin Potter]

This was the rules I started with and then moved to AD&D:

15754

My version was a later printing with Keep on the Borderlands.

[leozelig]

Its not going to happen. ..
50% of the games played on FG (and roll20a nd in real life) are 5e. Everything else is fighting for scraps. The ROI of building out the spell automation for C&C just isnt there.
I played C&C on FG for 4 years and never missed spell automation - it is my personal opinion that as good as it is in 5e it just isnt needed.

I have always felt that too much automation takes away from the tabletop vibe. The 5e spells border on tedious, at least for me.


This was the rules I started with and then moved to AD&D:

15754

My version was a later printing with Keep on the Borderlands.

Awesome, me too! I would love to play some B/X modules again.

[Myrdin Potter]

Funny enough, the very first version of the "basic rules" was really meant to be an intro to AD&D. The later versions split off and became their own game. I was an early editions war guy and looked down my nose at people that did not play the "Advanced" version.

:-D

As for spell automation, the basic check saves and automatically apply damage functionality saves a lot of time for me when I DM 5e.

[leozelig]

True, that is nice. I don't love the setup on the player side though. :)

[Zhern]

Expanding on todays lesson....

In the beginning there was OD&D (which is not really relevant to todays lesson except that...)

There was a Holmes edition of D&D called Basic D&D. It was closer to OD&D than the others that follow.
The next version was the Moldvay/Cook Basic and Expert books sometimes referred to as B/X or BX but probably most commonly called Basic D&D.
The next version was the Mentzer Basic, Expert and later Companion and later still Expert and Immortals and this was eventually referred to as BECMI.
BEC&M along with a few other bits were also published in a single hardback volume called D&D Rules Cyclopedia.

Preach.

[bawsr]

If someone converts that or does all the hard work. I am in :) That was my wife's favorite version of DND :) (Not enough magic Items in 5e for her :D )