1990s Basic Dungeons & Dragons Black Box

[DungeonDwarf]

Has anyone played (or does anyone still play) the old 1990 “Easy to master “ Basic D&D black box? I remember this was marketed more as a boardgame and played out on a board not unlike HeroQuest or Dragon Strike. I remember getting into it after HeroQuest->Dragon Strike -> Warhammer Quest. Later as a teenager I wanted more complex editions. Now in my adulthood I find myself going back to the more simple fantasy games of my youth with a new appreciation for them.

Just curious is anyone else had experience with this game, past or present.

[cornixt]

Is that the one with cardboard standees and plastic miniatures for the heroes?

[DungeonDwarf]

Yes! Well, yes and no. There were actually 2 versions of the black box. One came with all cardboard stand ups and one came with cardboard stand ups and several plastic minis. From my understanding, other than this and a marking on the box the sets were the same.

To me, it was like mixing D&D with a boardgame. Which now seems like a great idea. I have a bunch of the expansions and adventures and recently played one with some friends. Sure, it’s limited compared to newer versions... but it was simple, smooth, and fun. AND it still felt old school, which I mean in a good way.

[cornixt]

It looks like I got the 1994 version. The unfortunate thing about it was that the only scenario they gave was very board-based, so that was how I thought the game would be played. In the end I rewrote all the creature rules to be more interesting and used that instead of the stuff in the rulebook. I made a second map on the back of a poster, and we used that to play more games, but they were more roll-and-fight than roleplaying.

[DungeonDwarf]

There were several expansions and adventure modules made for this set, including an outdoor setting “Thunder Rift.” I really like this game as an RPG light game. Almost like mixing HeroQuest with full Dungeons and Dragons. Nothing against full Dungeons and Dragons.... but I don’t have the time for it anymore. Making characters alone takes forever lol.

[Clock265]

How I loved playing this game in my youth. I remember my brother and I am running out of the house and going to the next boy's house to play in the garage. Of course, we were punished, but it was worth it. The other day I remembered this game. This happened after watching the TV series "The Big Bang Theory".. So I decided to return to this wonderful world again. Guys, maybe someone will throw out different videos on YouTube or just an article. So far, I've only found one interesting D&D Guide one YouTube channel Even better to write to the boss if we can live nearby. I would also like to ask your opinion on the modern game. How do you like it?

[Davane]

I actually learnt to play D&D through the Black Box, so it has a lot of fond memories for me. The D&D Black Box was simply a reprisal of the Basic D&D, and I actually picked up the D&D Cyclopedia and got into the Known World (Mystra) through that.

[dungeonsandataraxia]

Not that product, but I prefer the Basic/Expert D&D system. I currently use Old School Essentials retroclone, which is 100% faithful to the original rules in the cleanest, clearest, most well laid out presentation of them in a digest-sized hardcover.

Funnily enough, in my setting I have the module B4 - The Lost City (which is still lost to my players, they may stumble upon it)... the big bad there being an ancient creature believed by some to be a god named Zargon. Going to start playing Heroquest again when the remake comes out and then there will be some phase shifting between worlds going on... is this Zargon that Zargon? Choose the form of your destructor...