Basic Fantasy RPG 3rd Edition

A year later.

I might be refuting some of my earier comments in the process here.

I have purchased the softcover on Amazon, great price, only to decide, no, I want hardcover, so I bought that as well. Just means I have a spare item. I think I got a good deal.

Over the course of much of 2022, I have obtained by one method or another pdfs, printed outs of pdfs, purchased POD items and items on Amazon (more less the same thing as POD) for quite a few rolegames. Mostly some form of old school D&D wannabe. I have OSE and OSRIC and a variety of more or less the same basic objective, something that looks or feels like pre 2nd edition D&D.

Long story short, I mulled and fussed and generally had trouble making up my mind, until in the end, Basic Fantasy Role-playing Game won out over all competitors. Beat out some big names as well. Actual D&D editions, as well as big names like Palladium Fantasy and Warhammer.

Many reasons. But, mostly because...See more I can use actual D&D products such as monster manuals and adventures with no real aggro. And I have a vast array of those. They fit into actual D&D settings, and I have oodles of that as well. And the price is right.

I have researched and found that Basic Fantasy has some good adventures made for it as well. If you add all of what can be bought on Amazon (I only know of 1 that isn't on sale on Amazon), it comes out to over a 1000 pages of printout. Not sure what my printer would charge, but I'm confident it will be at least double the cost of buying the lot of them on Amazon (comes to 48 bucks CAD free shipping).

Next month, that's the plan, treat myself to the lot of them. I don't mind adventure modules being separate items, you only need the one in use while using it. I have printed out the 3 anthologies and 3 field guides and hand bound them as 2 items. Likely cost less to buy the real thing. But to my knowledge they are not currently on the market.

Anyway. I have voted with my decisions, and I have decided, Basic Fantasy Role-playing Game outshines the others. Some will disagree, and cite all manner of reasons. Let them. I've been rolegaming since 75. I've seen just about everything that is essentially cliche fantasy genre (as well as a lot of other too). I made this choice after considering all the rest.

Thanks for indulging my views :)

I reserve the right to change my opinion :) (it's a rare skill).

Got my Amazon purchase yesterday. Sometimes seeing something in your hands makes a difference.
Ok, I'm not saying this comment is for the entire system's books, but I AM saying it for this particular book (Basic Fantasy).

With both books in my hands Rules Cyclopedia and Basic Fantasy, one can make certain observations.
Rules Cyclopedia is bloated. Basic Fantasy is concise.
Rules Cyclopedia is twice the page count of Basic Fantasy.
That might actually matter. Depends on your needs.

You CAN play a complete D&D experience with either book. You need no other books.
But Basic Fantasy is very well 'organized'. Organization is it's own reward.
Full game rules, bestiary, magic, nothing is missing.
Rules Cyclopedia has the maps and the world of Mystara built in.

You DON'T need any of the other books that have been made along with Basic Fantasy. But like usual,...See more they exist.
I might go and order the hardcover option. I likely was being too cheap. I'm unsure it will weigh enough more to matter.

All my other comments aside, I have come to accept, that Basic Fantasy is likely the best NOT official D&D product out there. That includes some of the good rival options. Old School Essentials is good. To expensive really. There are plenty of guys who have created the same ole design, but in the end, I haven't seen a better solution than Basic Fantasy is you are requiring it to be JUST ONE book.

There ARE other one book RPGs of course. Warhammer 4th edition CAN be run from just one book. Palladium Fantasy does NOT need any other book. But of course they have lots of product to offer. D&D hasn't been able to be a one book design since Rules Cyclopedia. It's always at least 3, and a hefty price. One of my favourite new designs (Forbidden Lands), is 2 books. And keep in mind, I have limited the search to cliche fantasy D&D style games (elves dwarves halflings orcs goblins).

Last word. Basic Fantasy will give you a genuine D&D experience, one book, under 10 bucks, and you can buy it on Amazon as easy at it gets eh.
And if you end up buying more, that's on you :)

There really is only one downside to Basic Fantasy RPG. Inconsistent product options.

I'd like to go to say Amazon, and just gulp it all down.
The first book is available as a hardcover. Not the others though.
Anthology 1 and 2 are there, not 3. First Field Guide, not 2 and 3.

There's a book worth of odds and ends call it a Companion potentially. But it hasn't been created.

A lot of fuss, to amass a unified purchase.

Or I take the pdfs, rip them apart, and do it myself I suppose.
Base manual, 3 anthlogies, 3 field guides, and a hand created companion.
Size wise, The base manual COULD be reorganized with the other content.
Sizewise, just make one big anthology and one big field guide.
It COULD be a really awesome set.

But it's easier to just buy the Rules Cyclopedia, Monster Manual 1, Dungeon Masters Guide, and Unearthed Arcana here in Hardcover.
I didn't mention the Players Handbook because I don't consider...See more it vital.

Sometimes, you can clone a design, and sometimes you might as well just use the original design.
I'd pay top price for Basic Fantasy RPG if it wasn't a disorganized mess.
But currently, I'm doing better to just imagine doing it myself and printing as usual.

Or, I do what I have actually done, buy the real thing. D&D/AD&D.

I've just stumbled onto this - could older d20 stuff (like the Iron Kingdoms books from PP) be rolled into these rules?

Thank you very much for making it available as a harback copy here. I've been using bfrpg for about a year and it's a bliss, it made my whole family like get into rpgs. Imo, it's a quality product that is easy to read and understand, approachable and extremely enjoyable. Thanks again.

Super Awesome...DM since 1979:)

Please, Samuel, contact RPGNow support and ask them to fix it.

You DID get the 3rd Edition from our website, right?

The version of the file on RPGNow's server appears to be R96, the first print release of 3rd Edition. When you go to My Library, what filename does it show for the file?

Y'know what, let's cut out the middleman. All Basic Fantasy Project titles are always free in PDF on our site, www.basicfantasy.org. Just go to the Downloads page, and you can get the current R97 version from there. The cover PDF is available there as well.

I would be interested in knowing why they sent you the 2nd Edition version; I removed it some time ago.

When I download this file, the title page says 2nd edition (version 75).