Way back when, my interest in rpgs started with the AD&D Coloring Album.
I loved this thing, and I still do. It's full of D&D tropes, has neat artwork, and a fun little D&Dish game inclued in-between coloring pages. I think what interested me most of all isn't what was in the book, but what wasn't in the book. Given a bit of descriptive story and artwork, and a simple game, my imagination wanted to fill in all the details that weren't in the book. How could I do a ranger that fired a bow? Can there be ways to have more spells? How about rules for going back to the tavern in-between journeys into the dungeon?
The next step for me was the Moldvay boxed set. It did answer a lot of those questions that I had from the coloring album, but still left quite a bit to be explored. I feel the Moldvay/Metzner boxed sets were just right in the amount of rules and details, while giving the players plenty of empty spaces for their imaginations to wander around.
Take B1, In Search of the Unknown for example.
"In Search of the Unknown was an introductory scenario intended to teach Dungeon Masters (DMs) how to create dungeons.[1] Mike Carr intended it for use as an instructional adventure for new players. The module is a beginner's scenario, which allows the DM to add their own choice of monsters and treasure.[1][3] The module is coded B1 because it was created as the first adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, though it is possible to convert it to Advanced Dungons & Dragons.[4]The adventure is designed for characters of first to third level, and was written for DMs and players with little or no gaming experience"
Empty spaces, used cleverly, invite players to fill in those empty spaces by engaging their imagination.
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