TEXT: A new quarterly Fanzine dedicated to a simpler time of RPGs— 
  covering the Basic and Expert editions of Dungeons & Dragons. 
  Second Issue! 
  #2 — September 2017 
  
  — Issue #2 Details — 
  Issue #2 — September 2017 
  Printed September 2nd, 2017 
  Created by:  Thom Wilson 
  Articles by: Thom Wilson 
  Cover Illustration:  Matt Ray 
  Logo:  Isa de Mendonca Silva 
  Comic: Travis Hanson 
  Interior Art:  Jack Badashski 
  Editor: Michael J. Gross III 
   
  Upcoming Issues: 
    #3 — December, 2017 
    #4 — March, 2018 
   
  Submission ideas?  Send them 
  to thom@throwigames.com! 
  1 
  Amazing Support — A Letter from the Fanzine Creator 
  I’ve been both surprised and 
  humbled by the interest and sup-
  port of this little, “thrown to-
  gether” fanzine!  I never ex-
  pected Back to BasiX to be of 
  huge interest or success, mostly  
  due to the niche following of 
  classic gaming systems.  How-
  ever, at the time of the second 
  issue creation, over 150 copies 
  of the first issue have been de-
  livered to readers!  [Note:  
  There were 50 first print copies, 
  50 second print copies, and 
  over 50 PDFs delivered.]   
   
  With such interest, I can assure 
  readers that many more issues 
  will be made.  I’ve heard from 
  gamers, potential contributors, 
  and indie publishers who want 
  to advertise.  I’ve been asked 
  about subscriptions and crate 
  services.  I think what’s impor-
  tant for everyone to know is 
  that this is still a trial period for 
  Back to BasiX; over the next 
  few issues, I’m going to try out 
  different ideas and topics.  Many 
  Fanzine Sections 
  Content 
  Page 
  Letter from the Creator 
  1 
  Publishing News 
  2 
  Product Spotlight 
  2 
  Interview — Frank Mentzer 
  4 
  Mythicology 
  5 
  The Magic Shop 
  6 
  Dungeon Crawl 
  7 
  Spellbound 
  10 
  An Ongoing Adventure... 
  11 
  things will work and some may 
  not.  When we have a size and 
  solid topic list that are both in-
  teresting and repeatable, we’ll 
  start to talk about things like 
  subscriptions and such.  Until 
  then, just hang on and enjoy 
  the ride! 
   
  My goal is to get a fun little 
  fanzine into the hands of people 
  who love Basic and Expert role-
  playing.  This is not about 
  money or recognition, but about 
  creating something that’s fun for 
  both you and me.  Adding doz-
  ens of pages or changing it to 
  a monthly release makes it a 
  larger commitment than I want.  
  If you want me to be excited to 
  produce a fanzine, keeping this 
  little book to 12-16ish pages, 
  released quarterly, will do just 
  that. 
   
  I hope you enjoy this, the sec-
  ond issue of Back to BasiX!  
  Read on!  - Thom Wilson 
  — V1 No 2 
  1st printing — 50 copies 
  
  When you dig hard enough, 
  whether it be through dozens of 
  internet searches or through the 
  beast that is RPGNow.com, 
  you’re bound to find new prod-
  ucts for the B/X world.  Some-
  times, however, a reader points 
  you in the direction of a new 
  product that’s interesting.  
  Timothy Brannan (of Elf Lair 
  Games) has an awesome new 
  class addition for B/X‟The 
  Witch.  If you like expanding 
  your system but want to stay 
  with the Basic and Expert feel, 
  this supplement might be for 
  you.  You can find his work at 
  RPGNow in PDF and soft cover.  
   
  (Picture and advertisement of 
  The Witch provided by the au-
  thor, Timothy Brannan)  
  2 
  Publishing News 
  Product Spotlight 
  In the first issue of Back to 
  BasiX, I highlighted the Moldvay 
  edited Basic rules and provided 
  my opinions of the content and 
  how it was presented.  While I 
  love these rules, they were struc-
  tured in a way that felt instruc-
  tional for beginning players.  At 
  the time in which this book was 
  sold, instruction is what many 
  new players needed.  However, 
  when Frank Mentzer was tasked 
  with creating a new version of 
  the Basic ruleset, he took a 
  slightly different approach to 
  layout and structure that I feel 
  many may have missed as they 
  jumped over to AD&D.  Some 
  players may have felt that the 
  Moldvay edition was “childish” 
  and steered clear of the Basic 
  set in favor of AD&D. Mentzer 
  was able to use his recreated 
  ruleset to pull brand new players  
  or existing gamers into a differ-
  ent version of D&D (maybe 
  even getting players who were 
  too intimidated by the Gygaxian 
  tomes in the advanced version 
  of the game). 
   
  While I will compare the two 
  versions of the rulebooks, I’m 
  not going to debate which is 
  better.  Each version has its 
  benefits to both new and experi-
  enced players.  Instead, I’ll high-
  light the core differences of the 
  sets, focusing on interesting dif-
  ferences or changes that I feel 
  are worth checking out. 
   
  One of the main differences of 
  both sets is that Mentzer’s ver-
  sion comes in two books, one 
  for the DM and one for the 
  player.  Some of the core rules 
  are found in both books. 
  
  3 
  Splitting the rules between 
  “roles” makes it easier for play-
  ers and DMs to use their re-
  spective books at the same time.  
  Previously, gamers using the 
  Moldvay version would either 
  have to have more than one 
  rule book or share a lone copy. 
   
  Moldvay’s version starts immedi-
  ately with character creation, 
  spending little time on what the 
  game entails.  Mentzer instead 
  chose to kick off the player’s 
  guide with an example (solo) 
  adventure, immersing the reader 
  in the game and how it’s 
  played.  The revised red box 
  rules detail character creation 
  later in the book, around page 
  23.   
   
  Mentzer chose to put the spell 
  descriptions within the class sec-
  tion of character creation.  
  While Moldvay chose to have all 
  spells together in its own sec-
  tion, Mentzer put Magic User 
  spells in the MU class section, 
  and Cleric spells in their section.  
  The DM’ s rule book in 
  Mentzer’s version also lists 
  higher level spells that aren’t in 
  the Moldvay book (but instead, 
  are within Zeb Cook’s Expert 
  version).  Mentzer gave the DM 
  3rd level MU and 2nd level 
  Cleric spells to use. 
   
  A section of “additional rules” in 
  the revised red box DM’s rule-
  book details new concepts on 
  missile weapons, encumbrance 
  and retainers, things that were 
  hinted at in the Moldvay book 
  but not covered to the extent of  
  the revised rules.  Additionally, 
  portions of the additional rules 
  are covered in the player’s book 
  as well. 
  In the Mentzer edition, both the 
  player and DM books provide 
  an example of game play, each 
  focused on the duty of the 
  gamer’s role in the game; tips 
  for running the game are pro-
  vided in the DM adventure ex-
  ample, while the theme of col-
  laboration and working together 
  is the focus of the player’s ad-
  venture example.   
   
  Nearly every other aspect of the 
  rules are the same between ver-
  sions.  Each set has a monster 
  section (although a few are miss-
  ing from Mentzer’s edition, spe-
  cifically the Acolyte and Insect 
  Swarm) and a treasure section.  
  Mentzer’s set has many more 
  tables for players, which I per-
  sonally find to be more useful 
  during game play. 
   
  The inside back cover of the 
  player’s book in the Mentzer 
  edition has advertisements for 
  other TSR products: the Polyhe-
  dron, Dragon and Amazing 
  magazines, and Star Frontiers 
  are highlighted for players. 
   
  Both versions are extremely solid 
  sets for new and experienced 
  players.  While Mentzer’s version 
  tries to teach the new player 
  the game with example adven-
  tures, Moldvay’s version walks 
  through the steps of roleplaying 
  in a methodical order.  Each 
  version works for players; it’s 
  more of matter of what suits 
  your needs and style. 
   
  Twelfth through Fourteenth Re-
  lease of the Basic Rules, 1983-
  1989, edited by Frank Mentzer.  
  From boxed set “Set 1: Basic 
  Rules”, ISBN: 0-88038-338-0; 
  1988 version used in review, set 
  #1011, $12.00 list price. 
  
  4 
  Interview with a Legendary Gamer — Frank Mentzer 
  After my product spotlight of 
  the Revised Basic Rules, it’s 
  only fitting that I interview the 
  editor himself, Frank Mentzer!  
  Frank was kind enough to take 
  time out of his busy schedule to 
  answer a few of my questions. 
  [Thom] What is the earliest role-
  playing game you remember 
  playing (not including wargaming 
  and board games)?  Was it a 
  published or non-published RPG? 
   
  [Frank] It was an unpublished 
  homebrew finance game com-
  bined with some roleplaying, 
  roughly 1964-65. Two fellow 
  Boy Scouts named Jim Milman 
  and Robert Fourer created this 
  (self-titled) “M-F game”. We each 
  literally lived on our own cloud 
  in the sky, were entrepreneurs 
  (in keeping with the early 
  1960s), and created & sold 
  things to each other. 
   
  [T] What is your earliest or 
  fondest memory of a B/X char-
  acter that you played?  Any 
  relevant details, including GM, 
  adventure name (if you remem-
  ber), other players, etc.  I'm 
  mainly looking at what you 
  chose to play and why. 
   
  [F] I was introduced to the 
  game by Don Paterson, with 
  whom I played many card, 
  board, and war games from 
  1975-1980. My first character 
  was a wizard named Felonious, 
  using the Holmes Blue Book (c. 
  1977) D&D rules. We played 
  one-on-one, alternating as DM; 
  there were very few players 
  (Philadelphia PA suburbs). But I 
  remember almost nothing of that 
  first year’s fumbling adventures, 
  because in 1978 the AD&D  
  Players Handbook arrived. We 
  converted to 1e immediately, 
  taking this new book of classes 
  & spells and the Monster Man-
  ual and mashing it all together 
  with OD&D and Holmes. (The 
  DM Guide wasn’t out yet; we 
  were on our own.) TSR wasn’t 
  producing many adventures, and 
  although Judges’ Guild had lots, 
  their quality was spotty. We 
  ended up creating our own by 
  preference. 
   
  [T] Which of the BECMI rulesets 
  are you the proudest of, with 
  respect to the versions that you 
  had a hand in developing and/
  or editing? 
   
  [F] That was a 4-year project, 
  writing the five boxed sets, but 
  the Companion set clearly stands 
  out. Despite a decade of play, 
  the D&D game had never really 
  explained Campaigns. At Expert 
  character levels (4-14) we fo-
  cused on outdoor adventuring as 
  a step up from dungeons, and 
  kept Zeb’s outstanding X1 mod-
  ule (Isle of Dread) from the pre-
  vious Moldvay set. But in Com-
  panion I laid out the whole 
  realm… dominions and re-
  sources, castle-building, mass bat-
  tles, and more. 
   
  [T] Do you have any memorable 
  highlights of early B/X play-
  testing at TSR? Perhaps a TPK 
  or player inspired action that 
  introduced a new rule? Some-
  thing that perhaps inspired you 
  to get back to the design 
  phase? 
   
  [F] Tom Moldvay and I started 
  work in the same office on 
  January 20, 1980. He was im-
  mediately tasked to rewrite 
  
  Shortened from their former 
  name, “Mirrored Runt”, the 
  Mrunt is a small humanoid that 
  is similar in size and shape of 
  their distant cousin, the goblin.  
  The biggest difference is in their 
  skin and hair; their hide is glass-
  like, reflecting light and other 
  elemental effects.  Their exterior 
  is their greatest defense‟any 
  spell cast at the creature may 
  be reflected back at the caster.  
  If the Mrunt passes a saving 
  throw versus Spells, the spell 
  automatically reflects back to the 
  caster.  The caster is entitled to 
  a saving throw as well. 
  5 
  Mythicology 
  Mrunt 
  Armor Class: 
  Hit Dice: 
  Move: 
  Attacks: 
  Damage: 
  4 
  1-1* 
  60’ (20’) 
  1 Claw 
  1-4 
  No. Appearing: 
  Save As: 
  Morale: 
  Treasure Type: 
  Alignment: 
  2-8 
  Fighter: 3 
  6 
  Nil 
  Neutral 
  Each issue of Back to BasiX will 
  feature one or more new mon-
  sters for you to use in your B/
  X adventures.  Enjoy! 
  the Holmes version, but I was a 
  mere editor-in-training. I partici-
  pated in some playtests (like A1 
  and Q1), but none for Tom’s 
  set. After a learning period, I 
  won an award as best DM, and 
  was almost immediately assigned 
  to create the RPGA, which Gen-
  eral Manager Mike Carr had 
  proposed a year earlier. That 
  was really my first creative job, 
  and I quickly produced the “R” 
  series of module adventures for 
  our tournament use, plus several 
  others. 
   
  [T] Lastly, are there any rules in 
  the BECMI rulesets that you 
  would go back and revise or 
  add today if you could? 
   
  [F] Of course. A dozen small 
  things, but it ties into one fun-
  damental flaw. I worked on a 
  36-level basis, spreading the 
  game out over 4 boxed sets 
  (plus the Immortals set to put it 
  all in multiversal context). But 
  we found that even core hobby-
  ists generally play from levels 1-
  10, sometimes reaching 15, but 
  very rarely beyond that. The 
  Thief class suffers greatly 
  thereby, and I’ve already pro-
  duced an alternative (available 
  free on the internet somewhere) 
  that introduces a lot more cam-
  paign-oriented skills, while boost-
  ing the basic skill set to maxi-
  mum within 10 levels or so. 
   
  The chance will never come, of 
  course, but I’d revise the whole 
  thing into levels 1-5, 6-10, 11-
  15, and 16-20. Level 20 maxi-
  mum seems fitting, and far more 
  appropriate for actual use. 
  Their reflective skin and hair is 
  as strong as thin steel, providing 
  them with a bonus to their Ar-
  mor Class. 
   
  Mrunts are found in small 
  groups away from other human-
  oids.  They are shunned by 
  most creatures, including goblins.  
  They prefer to run from conflict 
  (instead of fighting) but can be 
  extremely dangerous when cor-
  nered. 
  
  The Magic Shop 
  Venezoan 
  Armor Class: 
  Hit Dice: 
  Move: 
  Attacks: 
  Damage: 
  8 
  2* 
  60’ (20’) 
  1 Tentacle 
  1-4 
  No. Appearing: 
  Save As: 
  Morale: 
  Treasure Type: 
  Alignment: 
  1-4 
  Fighter: 2 
  12 
  Nil 
  Neutral 
  This free-swimming sea creature 
  resembles a jellyfish except for 
  its glowing, green exoskeleton.  
  The Venezoan 
  is extremely 
  venomous‟even the slightest 
  touch will cause intense pain 
  and suffering.  Characters who 
  come in contact with this crea-
  ture must save versus Death Ray 
  or Poison (at a penalty of „1) 
  to avoid succumbing to uncon-
  sciousness.   
   
  These creatures are often found 
  in shallow spots along the sea 
  Venezoans will often surround a 
  single prey, attacking until the 
  victim falls unconscious.  Unless 
  they are attacked, they will ig-
  nore other creatures while they 
  consume their victim. 
  Magical items come in various 
  forms and with different rarities.  
  Not every magic item will pro-
  vide a benefit to combat‟some 
  will benefit the adventurers in 
  simpler ways.  In this issue, we 
  highlight a couple of rare magi-
  cal items that are extremely use-
  ful in different ways. 
  Lantern of Living Daylight 
  Resembling a normal lantern, 
  this magical item is filled with 
  captured sunlight that never 
  ceases.  When opened, the lan-
  tern shines twice the distance of 
  a non-magical lantern, up to 60’ 
  in diameter.  A specially con-
  structed hood can be used to 
  focus the light as a single beam 
  instead, increasing the distance 
  another 30’ (90’ total). 
   
  Any creature affected by natural 
  sunlight is equally as affected by 
  the lantern’s natural rays.  The 
  sunlight within the lantern never 
  ceases or expires. 
  Value: 5,000 gp. 
  The Never-hungry Bowl 
  What looks to be a simple 
  wooden bowl and spoon is actu-
  ally a powerful magical item.  
  When one of the command 
  words are spoken, the bowl 
  magical fills with food enough to 
  feed two people.  Three com-
  mand words are known to exist, 
  each creating a different type of 
  food; porridge, soup and a 
  hearty stew can be requested 
  with the respective command 
  words. 
   
  The magical bowl can be used 
  three times per day. 
  Value: 2,500 gp. 
  Cursed Coin 
  Appearing as a gold coin with a 
  medusa head on one side, this 
  cursed item magically transfers 
  any other gold coins within one 
  foot of it to a random location 
  (DM’s choice).  It has no effect 
  on other types of coins, al-
  though it is rumored that cop-
  per, silver, electrum and plati-
  num versions also exist. 
  Value: 250 gp. 
  6 
  
  Quarterly Dungeon Crawl 
  The Lost Cove  
  by Thom Wilson.  An adventure 
  for 3-5 characters of 1st or 2nd 
  level. 
   
  Background:  From their sea 
  vessel, the characters spy a hid-
  den cave along the shore of a 
  deserted isle.  It seems tidal 
  waters enter and exit the narrow 
  cave mouth under the massive 
  cliffs. It appears that even a 
  small boat will not fit in through 
  the cave mouth; the characters 
  will have to swim in. 
   
  Detailed Background:  Mrunts, 
  shunned by the other humanoids 
  of the island, have made their 
  home in the underground cave 
  under the cliffs.  Using the sea 
  and cave fungus for food, the 
  Mrunts are perfectly happy living 
  out their lives away from their 
  enemies.   
   
  Unfortunately, Venezoans have 
  begun to use the lagoon as 
  their home, preventing the 
  Mrunts from fishing, and gather-
  ing crabs and oysters from the 
  sea.  Additionally, strange noises 
  have begun beyond the strange 
  iron gates to the rear of their 
  caves.  Unable to eat or flee, 
  the Mrunts are getting desperate. 
   
  Note that Mrunts and Venezoans 
  are described in the Mythicolgy 
  section of this issue (pages 5-6). 
  Each issue of Back to BasiX will 
  have at least one simple dun-
  geon crawl for you to use in 
  your ongoing B/X campaigns. In 
  this issue, we give you “The 
  Lost Cove”. 
  Cave Entrance 
  Even at high tide, the lagoon 
  entrance is visible from the sea.  
  The cave mouth is tall but nar-
  row, preventing small vessels 
  from entering the interior.  Dur-
  ing low tide, characters can 
  wade into the lagoon beyond 
  the entrance. 
  A1: Lagoon 
  Warm tidal waters ebb and flow, 
  filling the lagoon at high tide 
  and nearly draining it during low 
  tide.  Three Venezoans have 
  made the lagoon their new 
  home, catching trapped fish and 
  crabs in the salt water (AC 9, 
  HD 2*, hp 8 each, #AT 1, D 
  1-4 + poison, Save F1, ML12).  
  Larger prey (like Mrunts or char-
  acters) are very appealing to the 
  large jellyfish. 
   
  The creatures have consumed 
  most of the plentiful resources in 
  the lagoon.  It will take several 
  days for fish, crabs and other 
  aquatic life in the pool to re-
  populate. 
  A2: Mrunt Cave 
  Several Mrunts, hungry and 
  scared, are huddled in the back 
  of this cave.  Although they 
  would prefer not to engage 
  characters, if they are attacked, 
  they will defend themselves (AC 
  4, HD 1-1*, hp 3 each, #AT 
  1, D 1-4, Save F3, ML6).   
   
  Interestingly, the Mrunts may 
  offer information in exchange for 
  clearing out the lagoon of Vene-
  zoans and ceasing the “scary” 
  noises in the back of the cave 
  system.  They know of a secret 
  cache of treasure beyond the 
  7 
  
  A3: Fungus Chamber 
  Mrunts normally supplement their 
  diet with fungus from this cave 
  but have recently turned to it as 
  their only food source.  Most of 
  the cave mushrooms have been 
  picked clean and haven’t grown 
  back.  Only a handful of glow-
  ing fungus remains, mostly in 
  hard to reach areas.  Ingested 
  fungus is toxic for those unused 
  to them (save versus Death Ray 
  or Poison or take 1d4 damage). 
   
  There is a 50% chance that 
  one or two Mrunts may be 
  here, searching for mushrooms. 
  (AC 4, HD 1-1*, hp 3 each, 
  #AT 1, D 1-4, Save F3, ML6)  
  A4: Mrunt Burial Mound 
  8 
  iron gate (area A5).  If the 
  characters initially act non-
  threatening, the Mrunts will ask 
  them for help. 
  Several Mrunts have been buried 
  here recently as their clan slowly 
  dies of hunger and disease from 
  rat bites.  Two Mrunts stand 
  vigilant over the burial site, pro-
  tecting it from scavenging rats 
  from beyond the iron gate.  
  (AC 4, HD 1-1*, hp 3 each, 
  #AT 1, D 1-4, Save F3, ML6) 
   
  There is a 1 in 6 chance that 
  the characters may arrive to find 
  the Mrunts battling six Giant 
  Rats.  (AC 7, HD 1-4 hp, hp 
  2 each, #AT 1, D 1-3 + dis-
  ease, Save F1, ML8)  The rats 
  carry a special disease that saps 
  Constitution by one point per 
  day until a successful save. 
   
  Note that the giant rats can also 
  use a small tunnel from area A7 
  to get to this burial chamber. 
  The Lost Cove 
  A8 
  A7 
  A6 
  A5 
  A4 
  A3 
  A2 
  A1 
  Ceiling  
  trapdoor 
  ocean 
  North 
  
  least once per hour. 
  Several dozen years ago, pirates 
  sailing the waters near this is-
  land found a magical pearl once 
  belonging to a powerful mer-
  maid.  When the captain of the 
  pirate crew, “Rum-eye” discov-
  ered the pearl at the mermaid’s 
  underwater tomb, he dove down 
  and stole it.  With his act of 
  theft, he unknowingly cursed 
  himself and all whom he be-
  friended.  He and his crew 
  came to this very isle where he 
  had a secret lair to store his 
  stolen loot.  Within a few days, 
  his entire crew succumbed to 
  the “curse of the quick death”, 
  a magical affliction that disinte-
  grates flesh if the character does 
  not fully submerge themselves at 
  9 
  A5: Rusted Iron Gate 
  An ancient iron gate stands at 
  the rear of the Mrunt’s cave 
  system, padlocked from the 
  other side.  The gate is rusty 
  from the breeze of sea air blow-
  ing through the caves, but is 
  still firmly in place.  The bars 
  of the gate are wide enough for 
  small characters to fit through 
  (e.g. Halflings).  The giant rats 
  from area A7 easily fit between 
  the bars as well. 
   
  The rusty bars may be bent to 
  allow entry; three consecutive 
  and successful Strength checks 
  (at half the character’s Strength 
  score) will bend the bars enough 
  to allow characters to fit 
  through.  Each character may 
  only try this feat once.   
   
  Note that the tunnel beyond the 
  iron gate is manmade, unlike 
  the rest of the cavern tunnels to 
  this point. 
  A6: Tomb of the Cursed 
  Rum-eye’s crew died in this 
  room, many of them in their 
  hammocks.  Any noise in this 
  area will reawaken the dead pi-
  rates.  Twelve pirate skeletons 
  will arise and attack the charac-
  ters (AC 7, HD 1, hp 4 each, 
  #AT 1, D 1-6, Save F1, 
  ML12).  Each skeleton carries a 
  rusty cutlass. 
   
  Several footlockers contain the 
  pirate crew member’s posses-
  sions.  145 sp and 23 gp 
  can be found amidst the belong-
  ings. 
  A7: Rum-eye’s Quarters 
  The pirate captain used this area 
  as his personal quarters while 
  resting in the pirate lair.  Rum-
  eye was the last to die, fighting 
  the curse as hard as possible.  
  His bony hand still grasps the 
  cursed pearl to his chest.  The 
  captain arises from his bunk 
  when characters enter the room.  
  Rum-eye is a tough skeleton 
  warrior (AC 6, HD 2, hp 8 
  each, #AT 1, D 1-6+1, Save 
  F2, ML12).  In one hand, he 
  holds the pearl, but in the 
  other, wields a +1 
  cutlass 
  (short sword).  If he drops the 
  pearl, he will skip his attack to 
  regain it. 
  Art by Jack Badashski, © Jack Badashski, 2016 
  
  Spellbound 
  There are so few spells in B/X, 
  but so much to talk about!  In 
  each issue of Back to BasiX, 
  we’ll review an existing spell or 
  create a new one for your con-
  sideration… or both! 
  10 
  Three small chests are found 
  amidst the debris in the room.  
  A key around the skeleton’s 
  neck will open all of them. 
   
  Chest 1 contains 500 sp and 
  100 gp.  Chest 2 contains 
  100 rubies, sapphires and emer-
  alds, each worth 10 gp.  Chest 
  3 contains the captain’s journal 
  of the pearl, including his 
  search, discovery and findings 
  about the curse. 
   
  Note that if the characters did 
  not encounter the rats in area 
  A4, they may find them here 
  moving through the debris and 
  refuse piles. 
  A8: Pirate Lair 
  Several wooden chairs and three 
  tables are found in this large 
  room once used by the pirates 
  as they rested from their voy-
  ages.  Empty wine bottles and 
  discarded cards are scattered 
  across the tables and floor. A 
  wooden ladder leads up to a 
  trap door in the ceiling.  A 
  sloping tunnel above the trap 
  door leads to the surface of the 
  island, exiting out between a 
  narrow crack in a huge boulder. 
   
  From the surface, the crack in 
  the boulder leading down to the 
  pirate’s lair is well hidden, much 
  like a secret door.   
  Unless the DM made you roll 
  for Clerical spells (not following 
  the rulebook, of course), did you 
  ever pick the Purify Food and 
  Water spell?  Okay, first let’s 
  talk about your options here.  
  As a cleric, you don’t even get 
  a spell until second level.  With 
  your lone spell, do you take this 
  one?  I mean, really. You have 
  eight spells to choose from and 
  you pick this one?  I bet most 
  haven’t, unless they needed it 
  during a particular encounter, 
  and even then, you had to pray 
  in advance to get it!  Who has 
  that kind of foresight to know 
  what they’ll need in the upcom-
  ing day.  Every player I’ve ever 
  known has picked either Cure 
  Light Wounds or Protection from 
  Purify Food and... What? 
  Evil.  Oh, there’s the occasional 
  Detect Magic or Detect Evil, but 
  most take the healing spell, 
  man.  Your fighters are getting 
  beat up and healing potions are 
  hard to come by.  That healing 
  spell can save the group. 
   
  That being said, there are times 
  to take Purify Food and Water.  
  Maybe when the group is starv-
  ing or thirsty and there’s noth-
  ing but rotting meat and sewer 
  water around.  But even then, a 
  Cure Light Wounds spell might 
  still be better.   
  More on Cleric Spells... 
  While we’re on the topic of 
  Clerics and their spells, let’s talk 
  about optional (or standard) 
  rules.  On page B15 of the 
  Moldvay edition, it states, “...the 
  cleric has the choice of any 
  spells of the same level…”.  
  How many DMs follow that 
  rule?  I know several that didn’t. 
  
  Inside the Secret Door: 
  The interior of the tunnel inside 
  the secret exit (this was used by 
  monks to leave the abbey unno-
  ticed) is dusty and filled with 
  cobwebs.  A quick search will 
  reveal that no feet have touched 
  the dusty floor for many years. 
   
  Sconces line the walls, alternat-
  ing between left and right sides, 
  each found at 20 foot intervals.  
  Although fairly dry, there is 
  enough oil in them to stay lit 
  for a few hours. 
  Crimson Abbey of the Broken God — Part 2 
  In Part 1 of the Crimson Abbey 
  of the Broken God, our charac-
  ters found the secret door lead-
  ing into the ruins.  The group 
  now enters the dungeon, seeking 
  adventure… Check out page 14 
  to see how the comic characters 
  fare in their delve.  This section 
  is for you, the DM or player, to 
  play along with the comic.  For 
  background details on this adven-
  ture, see the first issue.  Enjoy! 
  11 
  This means that all eight of the 
  first level spells were available to 
  the second level cleric, praying 
  to receive one of their choice.  
  My first DM made me roll for 
  my spell (I mean, there are 
  numbers next to them for a 
  reason, right?  Roll that d8!).  I 
  don’t think I “picked” Purify 
  Food and Water, though.   I 
  believe I may have received Re-
  sist Cold.  Super useful. 
   
  Another DM allowed me to gain 
  an additional first level spell if I 
  had a 15 or better Wisdom, 
  usable at first level!  An interest-
  ing variant to the B/X rule, for 
  certain. 
  One creative DM made me 
  picks spells that only aligned to 
  my deity!  How’s that for role-
  playing within a campaign? 
   
  In the next issue of Back to 
  BasiX, we’ll take a look at the 
  more complicated spells ESP and  
  Phantasmal Force.  Both of 
  these spells have less finite rules 
  around their use, forcing players 
  to get creative with their spell 
  casting.  Spells like these require 
  an imaginative approach to 
  magic, not something every start-
  ing player can quite do. 
   
  Do you have a spell you’d like 
  to discuss?  Let me know! 
  Area 2:  Wooden Door 
  A well-made, highly reinforced 
  door stands at the corner of this 
  hallway.  Although it appears 
  sturdy and beckons to strong 
  characters desiring a chance to 
  smash it down, the door is 
  unlocked and easily opened.  A 
  Detect Magic spell will reveal a 
  strong enchantment on the door.  
  The door opens into the room 
  beyond. 
   
  Once the door begins to open, 
  it accelerates, slamming against 
  the interior wall unless a com-
  bined strength of 18 (one or 
  more characters) slows down its 
  swing.  If the door slams 
  against the wall, the undead oc-
  cupants in the room beyond will 
  awaken... 
  The hallway is one hundred feet 
  long before it comes to a wide, 
  thick wooden door at a 90 de-
  gree turn in the passage.  The 
  door is reinforced with bronze 
  and steel fittings. 
  
  Area 4:  Floor Trap 
  After turning the corner in the 
  hallway, characters may discover 
  a pit trap in the floor.  The 
  trap is activated with less than 5 
  pounds of pressure, but due to 
  its age is twice as easy to spot 
  by Thieves (double % on Thief 
  Abilities chart, page B8 
  [Moldvay] and Dwarves (1-4 on 
  a d6).  The ten foot wide trap 
  drops characters into a 20’ deep 
  pit onto a pile of discarded 
  straw and old clothing.  Charac-
  ters rolling under their Dexterity 
  take no damage, otherwise take 
  1d4.  A small door is found at 
  the bottom… to be continued in 
  the next issue! 
  12 
  Area 3:  Corrupted Crypt 
  Six marble slabs are the final 
  resting spots for a group of 
  corrupted monks.  Stripped of 
  flesh, the bony remains of the 
  monks are covered in small bits 
  of crimson cloth at their waist 
  and wrists.  On their skulls, 
  each wears a golden headband 
  with a single small ruby at its 
  center.  When the skeletal 
  monks rise (either from the 
  noise of the door or by a char-
  acter touching the slab or skele-
  ton), the ruby in the headband 
  will slowly pulse. 
  Six Skeletons:  (AC 7, HD 1, 
  hp 4 each, #AT 1, D 1-4, 
  Save F1, ML12).  Each attacks 
  with their bony fists. 
  If any of the characters place 
  the headband on their own 
  heads, they must immediately 
  save versus Rods, Staves or 
  Spells (and continue to do so 
  each time the headband is put 
  on or each consecutive day 
  worn).  If they fail their saving 
  throw, they will immediately fall 
  under the influence of the evil 
  and sentient ruby found far be-
  low the abbey.  Notes on gem 
  and its evil effects will be cov-
  ered in a future issue, but for 
  game-play until then, character’s 
  alignments will slowly shift to 
  Chaotic and their thoughts will 
  be of evil deeds. 
  Each uncut ruby is a shard from 
  the large gemstone discovered 
  within the old tunnels below the 
  abbey.  It is said that the 
  monk’s troubles began after find-
  ing the massive uncut gem.  
  The ruby is worth 500 gp. 
   
  If the headband is somehow 
  removed while the skeleton is 
  animated, it will cease to attack, 
  falling to the ground wherever it 
  is currently.  It takes only thirty 
  seconds for the skeleton’s bones 
  to disintegrate, leaving behind a 
  pile of dust. 
  Crimson Abbey of  
  the Broken God 
  S 
  A1 
  A2 
  A3 
  A4 
  North 
  
  Want Ads / For Sale 
  Wanted:  Any condition copies 
  of B2 Keep on the Borderlands, 
  and Moldvay Basic and Expert 
  Rulebooks.  throwi@gmail.com 
  Special thanks to Matt Ray for the use 
  of his wonderful cover illustration, Isa de 
  Mendonca Silva for her logo work, and 
  Travis Hanson for continuing to draw 
  my Dungeon Delvers story! 
   
  Additionally, a very special thanks to 
  Frank Mentzer for his interview question 
  answers! 
  For Sale:  B/X Companion by 
  Running Beagle Games. 
  PRINT orders available at 
  bxblackrazor.blogspot.com; 
  PDF available at 
  DriveThruRPG.com  
  Do you want to advertise your 
  B/X product, blog, or website in 
  Back to BasiX?  Contact 
  thom@throwigames.com for re-
  quirements and details. 
   
  If you have an idea for a short 
  piece for Back to BasiX, contact 
  thom@throwigames.com for sub-
  mission guidelines. 
  13 
  Coming Soon:  DerbyMouse 
  Games, for hand-crafted charac-
  ter and monster miniatures.  
  Made from simple materials, ei-
  ther pre-painted or unpainted!  
  Check out the back cover for 
  sample minis! 
  B/X Blog:  Check out Ancient 
  Vaults & Eldritch Secrets at 
  https://ancientvaults.wordpress.com 
  For Sale:  The Witch by Elf 
  Lair Games. 
  Back Issues of Back to BasiX:  
  Contact Thom Wilson at Throwi-
  Games to request back issues:  
  thom@throwigames.com 
  Future Issues of Back to 
  BasiX:  Head to throwi-
  games.com/purchase_b2bx.html 
  
  14 
  
  $2.50 
  Issue #2 
  B/X Fanzine 
  What’s in this issue? 
  Product Spotlight 
  Publishing News 
  A Dungeon Crawl 
  New B/X Monster 
  New Magical Items   Spell Casting Article 
  Comic Strip 
   
  Interview 
  Dungeons & Dragons, Basic Dungeons & Dragons, and Expert 
  Dungeons & Dragons are the property of Wizards of the Coast.  
  ThrowiGames LLC and Thom Wilson make no claims to IP 
  rights or ownership of said products.  The Back to BasiX fan-
  zine merely celebrates the simplicity of the original RPG systems. 
  Hand-crafted B/X character, monster miniatures and 
  dungeon furniture from DerbyMouse Games. 
  Coming soon! 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/1st Edition (ODD, D&D Basic, AD&D)/3rd Party/Back to BasiX - Issue 2.pdf