Basic Dungeons and Dragons or D&D Basic/Expert Editon (B/X ed.) was the mainstay of D&D for years.
In recent years, Moldvay D&D (after designer Tom Moldvay) has become a common name for Basic D&D that existed alongside Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. There was also a version of Basic published in 1977 called Holmes D&D after designer Eric Holmes.
The Expert Set was a rules expansion to Basic D&D that was again separate from AD&D.
Now, you can get the PDFs of Basic D&D and the Expert Edition on DriveThruRPG. I learned to play D&D with the Moldvay edition and it is awesome to read through the old rules to see how things have changed over the decades.
Here’s a list of the most common B/X edition PDFs.
Dungeons and Dragons Basic PDFs – DriveThruRPG
- D&D Basic Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Basic) – Moldvay D&D
- D&D Expert Set Rulebook (B/X ed.) (Basic)
- D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic)
- B2 The Keep on the Borderlands (Basic)
- D&D Companion Set (BECMI Ed.) (Basic)
- Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set Rulebook (BECMI ed.) (Basic)
Even More D&D B/X PDFs
There were many adventures and supplements for Basic D&D. Wizards of the Coast has released PDFs of most. Check them out on DriveThruRPG.
D&D Resources
If you need Basic/Expert character sheets, here’s a collection of OSR sheets. Or do you need resources for other D&D editions? Check out these publishers.