First Published 20 January 2020

Basic Rules

Released 3 July 2014

There is no denying D&D can be an expensive game to play, especially for the DM (hint hint). It is also pricy (and a little overwhelming) for anyone just wanting to give it a try. Never fear - there is actually a free version available for those who may be funding challenged, or not wanting to spend a lot before giving the game a try. The Basic Rules are available for anyone to download from the Wizards Of The Coast website.

The Basic Rules actually have a bit of a history ever since their first release (back in July 2014), but the recent release of version 1.0 has tidied them up perfectly.  It is aimed at beginner's above all else, and allows you to get a game going simply and quickly.

For a free set of rules there is a surprising amount of content packed in. Not every type of character is detailed, but there is more than enough  to ensure a wide variety of characters with a decent set of equipment and spells. There are also enough rules to cover most situations that will arise in play. There are even about 50 pages of monsters!

The only complaint I have is that there are no images. This isn't so much of an issue if someone reads the word 'dwarf', but what about coming across a nothic or a bugbear for the first time? I guess you could always just use Google...?