I tried DnD Basic

A while back, I purchased the Rules Cyclopedia for Dungeons and Dragons Basic, one of the earliest incarnations of the game, as I understand it, before (or concurrent with) Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. And I have thoughts.

I am mostly a Pathfinder player, but I am playing a D&D 5e game with my siblings as well. When I play either system, one of the areas I struggle with is roleplay. As I was reading through the character classes in Basic D&D, however, I was struck by the way that the many restrictions actually enhance opportunities for roleplay.

This is in spite of the fact that these restrictions are one of the biggest complaints and have been increasingly whittled away in later editions. However, as I read through the ways that fighters can become paladins (not a separate class in Basic, but a Fighter subclass), or Clerics become Druids, and so on, I immediately began picturing how these things could potentially come to pass as the story of the game unfolds over time. 

Furthermore, the fact that each class has the opportunity to become a land owner at certain levels (level 9, usually), and begin building up a stronghold, also creates vast potential for roleplay and storytelling. Even the choice to acquire land or dedicate oneself to being a travelling adventurer presents some interesting hooks that could be used to develop a character. As the Rules Cyclopedia notes, there are advantages and disadvantages to both, which could potentially create some very interesting story developments, both for the character (roleplay) and for the adventure.

Of course, it must be stated that the reason these restrictions are so maligned is that they are inextricably tied to race and bio-essentialism. These products of their time have been rightfully eroded as the system has been revised into later editions. This coupled with an understandable desire to be able to customize your character to your own unique tastes has led to these restrictions being all but erased in modern editions or derivatives.

I genuinely enjoy the vast customizability of Pathfinder second edition, in particular – though the sheer volume of options can also be overwhelming at times. Even so, I often wish there were a bit more guidance on how to roleplay particular classes. Don’t get me wrong, there is some – a cleric’s deity, a champion’s oath, backgrounds, certainly provide good material to work with.  Ancestry entries usually include notes about how to play that ancestry – but those are explicitly defined as options, not rules.

Meanwhile, I can’t shake the feeling that some of the restrictiveness of this earlier edition could in fact serve the story, especially of the characters involved. A paladin fighter’s obligations to a clerical order may seem restrictive, but could also open up many doors for further adventure. I can easily imagine a character who begins as a cleric turning to druidism as he becomes disillusioned with his order throughout the course of his early adventuring career. These elements of the rules still offer some freedom, as you can choose whether or not your cleric becomes a druid, or your elf (a class, not a species or race) establishes a woodland stronghold. But once the choice is made, there are certain obligations that go along with it, and they could provide interesting hooks for the character or the DM to play off of and create a story that’s all the more interesting.

On the other hand, perhaps I simply lack creativity. I was able to come up with a pretty good backstory, I thought, for my Dragonborn Druid in the D&D campaign with my siblings, but I didn’t get to actually play that character until after I had already joined two Pathfinder campaigns. I struggled to come up with a good backstory for my Skeleton Bard in Blood Lords, and I took one of the suggested Backgrounds from the Player’s Guide to Outlaws of Alkenstar. But I still struggle to figure out how these characters think and act in certain situations – though to be sure, it has gotten better over time. Even so, having choices which, once made, come with built in roleplay requirements from the D&D Rules Cyclopedia Basic would, I imagine, be helpful for someone who is having trouble coming up with good characterization for their character.