Christmas 1981, my parents bought me the boxed set sequel to the Basic Game…Expert! They didn’t know D&D was divided into two different “brands.” I was more into the Advanced, hardback books and needed the Dungeonmaster’s Guide, but I really didn’t care. I cobbled Basic, Expert and Advanced rules into one giant pool of fun. My friends didn’t care. We were putting the hurt on monsters and this came with the unfairly, unloved Isle of Dread module. I loved Isle, for it was a huge setting that could be used continuously because there was more to the exotic island than just finding a black pearl the size of a basketball.
TSR continued with Erol Otus for the cover and I dig how he shows the set’s continuity; a wizard in the Expert level range spying on our previous heroes from Basic. Ergo, this box’s contents aren’t a separate game, it’s an addition or expansion. Much like The Empire Strikes Back makes little sense until you see Star Wars or how the Harry Potter books are in a set order.
Saving this for Gamer’s Weekend to wear should the weather work out.