The first release candidate version of Microlite81 is now available for free download in PDF form. What is Microlite81? Microlite81 is to the 1981 “B/X” edition of the world’s most popular fantasy RPG as Microlite74 is to the original 1974 “0e” edition. That is, Microlite81 is a version of the Moldvay/Cook Basic/Expert based on the superlite Microlite20 rules.

Microlite81 Release Candidate 1 is a complete, playable game with rules, spells, monsters, and treasure. It does assume a basic knowledge of D20 systems and fantasy rpgs in general, of course. As this is a release candidate, the rules are pretty much complete and the systems have been shown to work in both private and public playtesting. I do not expect to have to make major changes to the rules at this point.

We are now in the Release Candidate stage. This means that I need your help to proofread and error-check the Microlite81 rules.

I am known as the “Typo King,” so I’m sure there are all sorts of spelling and grammar errors in this document – and chances are I will never notice 90% of them. I could really use your help with proofreading. Some things to look for:

* Spelling problems –including places where I typed the wrong word (but spelled it just fine)

* Missing words – I have a habit of leaving out words and never noticing they are missing because I know what the text is supposed to say. For example, I can leave out the word “not” and never notice, even though leaving out the “not” completely changes the meaning of the statement.

* Major Grammar Errors — If I have to change text, I can really mess up the grammar, often by leaving text in that should have been deleted or by forgetting to change tense or the like in the rest of the statement. Note that I do not consider using passive voice is not a major grammar error.

* Extraneous Text – Unnecessary text left in because I moved it elsewhere and did not delete it. Or just plain unneeded text.

* Other stuff – I make all sorts of stupid errors.

Please also look for things that just do not seem to make sense as written. If you can reword it so it is clearer without getting much longer, you may have discovered something along these lines to report. Note that this is a “Microlite” style game so it assumes people already know the basics of playing/running a D20-style game, so “needs more explanation for true newbies to understand” is not really an example of this problem.

Finally, although this game has been playtested quite a bit, if you discover something that truly does not seem to work in play, please go ahead and report it. While I don’t want to make wholesale changes to the rules at this point, if something truly does not work right, it needs to be fixed if possible, so please bring it to my attention.

Once Microlite81 is in final form, serious work on Microlite81 Expanded and Microlite81 Compete can begin.

If you are interested in proofreading or playtesting (or even just reading) Microlite81, you can download a copy of Microlite81 Release Candidate 1 from Mediafire in PDF form. It’s free now — and like all RetroRoleplaying games, the final version of Microlite81 will also be free.

Download Microlite81 Release Candidate 1 (48 page PDF, about 890K)

Thank you very much for proofreading and/or playtesting these rules. You can report any comments, issues, or ideas on the Microlite81 Playtesting area of the RetroRoleplaying Forum (http://www.retroroleplaying.com/forum/index.php) or by email to the temporary email address listed in the introductory material in the document.