Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition vs Basic Fantasy RPG

Compare Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition and Basic Fantasy RPG side by side. See differences in complexity, dice, genre, and more.

	Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition	Basic Fantasy RPG
Genre	Fantasy	Fantasy
Tags	Classic Fantasy, Crunchy, Descending AC, Dungeon Crawl, Inventory Management, Random Tables, Resource Management, Strong GM Support, Tactical, Vancian Casting	Classic Fantasy, Dungeon Crawl, Rules-Light, Ascending AC, Vancian Casting, Deadly, Exploration, Resource Management, Random Tables, CC-Licensed Rules
Core Mechanic	Attack rolls use a d20 against class-and-level matrices to hit descending Armor Class. Other actions follow distinct procedures rather than a universal check.	Roll d20 plus attack and ability modifiers to meet or beat ascending Armor Class. Saving throws use d20 against targets determined by class and level.
Dice	d20	d20
Complexity	Very High	Low
Availability	Paid	Free core rules
Runnability	4 of 5 book tools	5 of 5 book tools
License	All Rights Reserved	Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Third-Party Publishing	No verified route found	Commercial publishing allowed — Creative Commons license
Summary only, not legal advice. Check current terms before publishing.
Publisher	TSR Games	The Basic Fantasy Project
Year	1977	2023
Languages	English, French, German	English, Portuguese
Best For	Groups who want a referee-built fantasy campaign driven by treasure expeditions and careful resource planning.	Groups who want straightforward fantasy dungeon expeditions with lethal combat and careful management of supplies.
Highlights	Recovered treasure earns experience, rewarding successful expeditions back to a safe base. Prepared spells make choosing tomorrow’s magic part of expedition planning. Dungeon generators let the referee create unexplored passages during play.	Separate race and class choices allow elves to combine spellcasting with fighting or thieving. Encounter reactions and morale let negotiation or retreat resolve threats without fighting to the death. Dungeon stocking and wilderness encounter tables help the GM prepare expeditions.
Considerations	Racial limits restrict which classes and advancement paths a character can choose. Successful hits interrupt casting and expend the spell. Failed saves against many monster attacks can kill characters outright.	Characters normally die at zero hit points unless the GM adopts an optional survival rule. Racial ability requirements and class restrictions limit character combinations. Casting can be interrupted by an attack on the same initiative count even if it misses.