Basic Series (B1 - B12,
BSOLO)
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B1 In Search of the Unknown by Mike
Carr Modules B1 - B9 were later compiled into supermodule
B1-9 In Search of Adventure.
Some copies of B1, B2, B3, and B4 were 3-hole-punched
at the factory.
The working title for B4 Lost City was "The Lost City of Cynidecia".
B6 Veiled Society includes cardstock miniatures and 16 pages of
fold-together buildings. A scan of the pre-production cover is
here.
B10 Night's Dark Terror is a "bridge" module between the
Basic and
Expert D&D sets. Includes
a large, 2' x 3' fold-out map and 120 cardboard counters. Thanks to
James Caldwell for help with this info.
B12 Queen's Harvest is the sequel to B11 King's Festival.
The cover artwork would later be recycled for the cover of
WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek (thanks to Raymond Lugo
for noticing this!) The 3-hole-punching on some of the early B-series modules does seem to
indicate a different printing (probably earlier), but this is not proven.
The scarcity of these modules increases sequentially; modules B1
- B6 are fairly common, while B10 - B12 are somewhat
rare. This is probably due to diminishing print runs as time went
on.
The different printings of B1,
B2, B3, and
B7 can be accessed through these links.
Otherwise, only B4 Lost City has any distinguishable printings.
B10 Night's Dark Terror has a UK version, which is identical in
all respects to the US version except it has a "B/X1" sticker over the "B10"
code on the front cover. TSR UK, who developed the module, originally
intended it to bear the B/X1 code (since the module is a bridge between
the Basic and
Expert sets), but were overruled
by TSR USA. The "B/X1" version is substantially rarer than the "B10"
version. (Thanks to Graeme Morris and Bill Wilkerson for this info). First (1982): Angled yellow banner in upper left.
TSR Face logo. ISBN on back cover bottom left, Product Number
(394-52498-5TSR0550) back cover bottom right. Second: Contents identical to First, but has a cardboard
header stapled to the top of the module, with the D&D logo and some
other advertising. Note that the module itself, separated from
the header, is indistinguishable from a First print. (Thanks to
Michael Deaton for this info). Further info on header modules
is here. Third: Angled yellow banner in upper left. TSR
Face logo. ISBN is centered on the back cover bottom, and Piece
Code (9049XXX1401) is on back cover bottom right instead of the Product
Number. Fourth (1983?): Red banner across top and more modern
"Dungeons & Dragons" logo. Angled TSR logo. ISBN and Product
Number back cover bottom center, Piece Code back cover bottom left.
(Thanks to Michael Deaton for this info and the scan). Thanks to Leonard Riotto for the scans of B5 and B6, and
to Adrian
Newman for the scan of BSOLO. The Fourth print of B4 Lost City (with the red banner) appears
to be more rare than the other prints.
B10 Night's Dark Terror often fetches supermodule-high amounts
at auction, most likely due to several reasons. As contributor James
Caldwell notes, besides the normal 64-pg module booklet, B10 also
includes a large fold-out map (approx 2' x 3') and 120 cardboard counters.
A chapter of the module is a goblin siege of a homestead and the entire
battle is played out on this remarkable map with the counters. Additionally,
as Dan Gioffre states, B10 provides a good deal of Mystara information
(specifically the Grand Duchy of Karameikos) that is available nowhere else
-- a boon to Mystara fans.
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