I know that this isn't old, and I doubt it is of much interest to the die hard collectors among you (You'll have boxes of these in your garages). Hopefully someone can give me more information about this, as it doesn't seem to be listed on the rulebooks page of Acaeum.

It's a copy of the 1983 basic rule books (both DM and Players) in one paperback sized book. It has a 272 page count and strikes me as a great size for the rules if you're a Basic D&D enthusiast.




Is it rare? I've never seen one before. Did TSR publish the Expert Rules in the same format?

Faithfully,
Ian

Thanks.... It's a great little book. It's a shame they didn't publish the Expert Rules in this format. The layout and text have a more formal feel about it, and they haven't overdone the graphics.

Having grown up with the three hole punched US basic and expert books, the 1983 reprinted boxed set really jarred. I had a younger brother who bought the five sets and I really didn't like them at all. I've never been too comfortable with extremely high level characters anyway. I prefer the long slow developement to maybe 15th level and then retiring to some craggy real estate.

Having stumbled on this by accident, I was surprised that I really like the look of it.

Thanks for the feedback.

Ian

Aneoth wrote:Page Not Found

It is a UK Version, and is quite rare in the USA and Canada. Obviously, since it was not sold in those countries.

The pic on the page linked above is about half way down the page. The listing shows that the book is a Fifth Print, although your book states it is a thrid Edition.    Perhaps someone else here can tell us the meaning of that anomoly.

The notes say it has auctioned off at $19 and $56 in the past in NM condition. Yours appears to be a bit less nice then NM. Both auctions were in 2003.

It is a third edition, not a third printing (and nothing to do with "3rd edition D&D" as we know it today of course).  Very confusing stuff.  It's considered by Acaeum to the the 5th printing of the UK version.  A paragraph from the Basic Set page explains it fairly well:

Over the years, TSR and Dragon Magazine have referred to Basic Set "editions"; Original D&D was referred to as "First Edition", the 1977-79 Basic Sets as "Second Edition", 1981 Basic Sets as either "Second Edition, Revised" or "Third Edition", 1983 Basic Sets as "Third Edition" or "Fourth Edition", etc.  Our suggestion: use the "printing" or "Revision" references below, and avoid lots of confusion.   Using the word "Edition" typically implies editions of AD&D (1st, 2nd, or 3rd Edition).