Knights & Knaves Alehouse

Holmes w/B2.

1E AD&D with an experianced DM and a mix of new and experianced players (though all new players works well too). If you don't have that OSRIC. If not that 0E. For modules, probably B1. Or better yet, something of the DMs own creation (within his own setting).

1983 (Mentzer) Basic Set, B1, B2, 1981 (Cook/Marsh) Expert Set, X1. Worked for me...

EDIT: to expand/clarify, yeah the first 20 pages of the Mentzer Players Book are corny and lame for any reader over the age of about 11, but it does the job of teaching somebody with absolutely no prior idea what the game is about and how it works. The Mentzer DM Book is better, giving both detailed step-by-step instructions for how to run a D&D adventure and lots of practical advice for running the game and dealing with problem areas and creating adventures. I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the advice (which runs heavily towards "ignore the dice/rules and make stuff up that will make for dramatic/exciting play") but any DM who reads this book and follows the advice in it will come out knowing how to run, as well as play, the game. The two Basic modules instill more of a classic/old-school sensibility.

The Cook/Marsh Expert Set introduces the rest of the rules (outdoor adventures, hirelings, castle-building, higher level spells, monsters, and magic items) -- I chose it over the Mentzer version because that version has more stuff about hanging around in town that I find kinda lame, and because it's more explicitly tied to Mentzer's "complete" game via the Companion Set whereas the 1981 version (even though it also includes references to a D&D Companion) feels more like a complete game in its own right, not an installment in a series (also there's the personal idiosyncracy that those are the versions I had as a kid -- I didn't acquire the 1981 Basic or 1983 Expert Sets until years later). X1 puts the rules of the Expert Set into action, and gives the DM practice running large-scale outdoor adventures.

With all this, the DM will have a good grasp of the game and its rules and probably about 6-9 months of experience. By this point he'll be more than ready to graduate up to the "real" game -- he'll have a solid enough grounding that everything will make sense, and he'll be able to recognize (and, presumably, appreciate) the rules differences rather than being confused by them. And if he ends up deciding to stick with the B/X D&D procedures for surprise, initiative, etc. but use the AD&D "data" (ability score charts, class/race descriptions, weapon lists, spell lists & descriptions, to hit, saving throw & XP tables, magic item & monster descriptions, random encounter tables) well, as I mentioned in another thread, that still counts as "playing AD&D" to me (as is, as we now know, the way the vast majority of "AD&D" games were actually played back in the 70s & 80s anyway).

I'm not a big fan of the band in general, but I think the opening few bars of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Metallica are an excellent way to introduce AD&D.

Screw what I said, just go straight for the PLAYERS HANDBOOK.

I remember this 14 year old guy in 1983 had no idea what the game was about and I let him look at the PLAYERS HANDBOOK and he came back and said that he wanted to play a monk.

Why pussyfoot around? Just give them the real deal.

geneweigel wrote:Screw what I said, just go straight for the PLAYERS HANDBOOK.

I remember this 14 year old guy in 1983 had no idea what the game was about and I let him look at the PLAYERS HANDBOOK and he came back and said that he wanted to play a monk.

Why pussyfoot around? Just give them the real deal.

To be honest, my group didn't know there even was an AD&D. Sure it mentioned them in the product list on the back of the basic books, but we knew of no hobby shops that carried the books. We played Gamma World and B/X D&D. We bought them at Toys-R-Us. To us TSR was GW and B/X D&D. We learned and played these for about two or three years until someone heard about a gameing convention in town. It was there we played in our first advanced game (with an experienced DM) and it was there I bought the DMG not sure what it really was. Looking back, if I could only buy one book, I should have picked up the PHB instead, but then I was young and nieve.

Edit- But I do agree with geneweigel, nowadays, when introducing new players to D&D, letting themread the PHB is the best way to go. Chances are there will be other experience players at the table willing to help the newbies out. Hopefully their minds won't have been corrupted by 4e previously.

rogatny wrote:I'm not a big fan of the band in general, but I think the opening few bars of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Metallica are an excellent way to introduce AD&D.

And to introduce Zombieland. I pretty much creamed in my pants at the movies during that intro. Same thing happened in Old School.

Ok, sorry for shitting up this thread.

Master of Puppets is still a masterpiece.

It's got a tune about cthulhu for cthulhu's sake! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIj60VJQ8Wo

Ok, carry on.

Thanks for all the thoughts. My sister actually wants to DM for her friends, and she has played like 1.5 sessions with me. I figure with my guidance and Holmes + B2 she should be fine.

geneweigel wrote: Screw what I said, just go straight for the PLAYERS HANDBOOK.

I remember this 14 year old guy in 1983 had no idea what the game was about and I let him look at the PLAYERS HANDBOOK and he came back and said that he wanted to play a monk.

Why pussyfoot around? Just give them the real deal.

I think to get a sense of the style of the game, this is probably the best advice.