Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy is a complete retelling of the classic 1980s Basic/Expert game, including all rules, character options, spells, monsters, and magic items. Celebrating 40 Years of Basic/Expert! The Basic/Expert game which Old-School Essentials is based on was published in 1981 — 40 years ago! In celebration of this anniversary, we're delighted and honoured to announce that Erol Otus, legendary creator of the original B/X covers, has painted a brand new cover for the Old-School Essentials Classic Game Set!