When comparing Basic Set ("BECMI") / Rules Cyclopedia vs Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the Slant community recommends Basic Set ("BECMI") / Rules Cyclopedia for most people. In the question“What are the best editions of Dungeons and Dragons?” Basic Set ("BECMI") / Rules Cyclopedia is ranked 2nd while Advanced Dungeons & Dragons is ranked 4th. The most important reason people chose Basic Set ("BECMI") / Rules Cyclopedia is:
Basic D&D is 6 ability scores, a few skills, a character's saving throws, some equipment and, if a spellcaster, some spells; and that's it. This makes the game more about what's happening in the game rather than an exercise in firing off various powers on your character sheet.
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Pros
Pro Focus on the game, not the character sheet
Basic D&D is 6 ability scores, a few skills, a character's saving throws, some equipment and, if a spellcaster, some spells; and that's it. This makes the game more about what's happening in the game rather than an exercise in firing off various powers on your character sheet.
Pro Vibrant online community
As with AD&D 1st Edition, Basic/Expert D&D is one of the favored editions of the Old School Renaissance community, who regularly offer wildly creative material for it and have published several retro-clone editions, all of which are currently available online either for free or for low prices. OSR blogs on Blogspot and Google+ communities serve as sources of considerable materials that can be used without modification for this edition, and some of these materials break far away from the "standard vanilla fantasy" flavor of Wizards of the Coast's publications.
Pro Character balance
Warriors with weapon mastery and wizards with spells at higher levels feel more on par with each other than in other editions, where the wizards easily overshadow the warriors of the party. Magic is the best in other editions whereas in BECMI they had a place in the party and it was usually in the face of some monster.
Pro Lamentations of the Flame Princess
Lamentations of the Flame Princess is a horror/fantasy game (not for kids). Fully compatible with Basic D&D material, it features a few non-breaking adjustments such as a vastly simplified encumbrance system.
Pro It goes with grimtooth's trap handbook
Pro Feels mysterious and gritty
Pro Gary Gygax's personal touch
Later editions were, to varying degrees, designed for market appeal; but the original AD&D is little more than one man sharing notes on his personal vision. It's tailored to his thematic tastes, and very often as much care is put into explaining the reasoning behind a rule as into defining the rule itself.
Pro Has a vibrant online creative community
The Old School Renaissance community has a significant online presence on Blogspot and Google+, and features some of the most creative minds in fantasy gaming, all offering their ideas to the gaming audience for free or for generally low prices on PDF storefronts. As they aren't bound by Wizards of the Coast's need to cater to a mass market, they aren't obligated to present only a single "flavor" of fantasy. People playing 1st Edition (or one of its many available retroclones) will have no lack of material and inspiration to draw from.