My B1 hack is ready to rock this Sunday.

My B1 hack is ready to rock this Sunday. I hope my "new-to-old-school" players are ready for things to get very, very wierd. 

Originally shared by Adam Muszkiewicz

Did you want more info on my B1 hack? No? Too bad!

Ben Djarum Zach Howard

"Hallowmoor" - Halloween interactive fiction.

"Hallowmoor" - Halloween themed interactive fiction. Like Zork, but hypertext based.

http://www.sidneymerk.com/hallowmoor/hallowmoor.html

Some inspiration for Halloween.

Some inspiration for Halloween.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/danse-macabre-filmstrip-1963.html

Holmes box lid

Originally shared by Wayne's Books

Got this D&D Holmes box lid, one side flap is totally gone, the rest barely hanging on. Yet the cover art is in pretty decent shape... Hmmm, thinking it will look nice framed in my office!

Some ideas for using Dexterity-based initiative.

1976 D&D ad using the Eldritch Wizardry cover art, ran in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, scan courtesy...

1976 D&D ad using the Eldritch Wizardry cover art, ran in Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine, scan courtesy BNagata at the Acaeum.

"You Enter a World of Swords & Sorcery ... when you adventure into the strange and fantastic places awaiting in Dungeons & Dragons"
http://www.acaeum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?cache=1&p=216945#p216945

1978 ad for Holmes Basic that I hadn't see before, from Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine.

1978 ad for Holmes Basic that I hadn't see before, from Fantasy and Science Fiction magazine.
http://www.acaeum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?cache=1&p=216950#p216950

For discussion: do we even need initiative in Holmes Basic?

For discussion: do we even need initiative in Holmes Basic? Is it just a time suck? Would it make everything faster to just use something like "simultaneous initiative" where every one gets a turn to go, even if they die that round?

Giants Hogs were one of the Original D&D wandering monsters.

Giants Hogs were one of the Original D&D wandering monsters.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-giant-hogs-of-greyhawk-and-blackmoor.html

Comparison of the Wandering Monster Tables in OD&D and Holmes.

Comparison of the Wandering Monster Tables in OD&D and Holmes.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/basic-level-monster-tables-1974-1978.html

A scan of the Wandering Monster Table from the 1st print rulebook.

A scan of the Wandering Monster Table from the 1st print rulebook.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/wandering-monster-table-1st-print.html

Dragonsfoot thread on modifying/expanding B2.

Dragonsfoot thread on modifying/expanding B2.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=63399

Aeons & Augauries has a d100 table of dungeon vermin incorporating manyof my 1 HP monsters...

Aeons & Augauries has a d100 table of dungeon vermin incorporating many of my 1 HP monsters (http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/02/one-hit-point-monsters_23.html)

Low-Life Encounter Table (Version-1)

Here's a low-life encounter table meant to fill-out a dungeon with a bunch of minor encounters to have a dungeon teeming with a host of critters but not all party killers.

Some comparisons of Holmes and Moldvay for fighting-men.

Zenopus Archives, Advertisement for GEN CON XI, August ‘78 from The...

http://zenopusarchives.tumblr.com/post/63918094576/advertisement-for-gen-con-xi-august-78-from-the

The artwork for the original cover of B1 is credited to Sutherland & Trampier, but it was derived from an earlier...

The artwork for the original cover of B1 is credited to Sutherland & Trampier, but it was derived from an earlier cartoon by Trampier:
http://zenopusarchives.tumblr.com/post/63818646502/top-dave-trampiers-original-mushroom-garden

Dungeon/Basic Set ad from 1978 with cool Trampier artwork.

Dungeon/Basic Set ad from 1978 with cool Trampier artwork.
http://zenopusarchives.tumblr.com/post/63723599666/youll-be-amazed-tsr-ad-for-the-dungeon

I've added a Zenopus Archives Tumblr. This post is the first Basic Set advertisement that ran in Dragon magazine.

I've added a Zenopus Archives Tumblr. This post is the first Basic Set advertisement that ran in Dragon magazine.
http://zenopusarchives.tumblr.com/post/63657807711/the-first-advertisement-for-the-first-d-d-basic

Sidhe class for OD&D from the Manual of Aurania (1977)

Sidhe class for OD&D from the Manual of Aurania (1977)
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/sidhe-aurania.html

A variation on Holmes initiative using Move instead of DEX.

"polyhedra die" by Eric Harshbarger

"polyhedra die" by Eric Harshbarger

http://www.dicecollector.com/HIGHLIGHTS_MAY_2011.html

http://www.ericharshbarger.org/dice/

I found a blog that discusses the history of dice by The Armory.

I found a blog that discusses the history of dice by The Armory. The "A" dice (with an "A" replacing a "1") were their earliest dice. They were "low impact" like the TSR dice.

Please welcome Eric Harshbarger

Please welcome Eric Harshbarger, puzzle/game designer & lego sculptor. He's the one who asked me about The Armory dice with the letter "A".
http://www.ericharshbarger.org/

New update by 'pjork' to this old Dragonsfoot thread, with some creative new monsters, written up in minimally in...

New update by 'pjork' to this old Dragonsfoot thread, with some creative new monsters, written up in minimally in OD&D style:
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=29114&p=1424363#p1424347

Blog post about Sutherland's customized Saurians.

Blog post about Sutherland's customized Saurians. They are now with a miniature collector who will appreciate them and has posted many photos on his blog, The Lead Dragon. #dcsIII
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/dcsiii-customized-saurians.html

d20 with an "A" instead of a "1"

I received a query about these dice which came with a Holmes set bought in 1980. They have the letter 'A' in place of the number 1. The d20 is 0-9 twice, but one of the 1's is an 'A'. Anybody ever see these before or know who made them? Armory?

Random Wizard: Gygax's CastleGreyhawk vs TSR's Geomorphs.

Random Wizard notes the similarity in the style of Gygax's Castle Greyhawk to TSR's Geomorphs.

Original Link:
http://randomwizard.blogspot.com/2013/10/castle-greyhawk-caverns.html

Now at:
https://www.kirith.com/random-wizard/articles/castle-greyhawk-caverns.html

An early review of the UK edition of the Holmes Basic Set from a Jan '78 Diplomacy zine.

An early review of the UK edition of the Holmes Basic Set from a Jan '78 Diplomacy zine.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/holmes-basic-review-gallimaufry-12.html

Post by Talysman the Ur-Beatle (member here) from yesterday.

Post by Talysman the Ur-Beatle (member here) from yesterday. See also today's follow-up post, which I left a comment to:

http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com/2013/10/post-lbb-d-as-house-rules-documents.html
http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-i-like-about-holmes.html

1st print D&D Holmes edition rulebook

Originally shared by Wayne's Books

1st print D&D Holmes edition rulebook

Found this going through the game parts and pieces in our Boneyard. [No, it's not for sale.] The very first print of the Dungeons and Dragons blue rulebook has:
* TSR's lizardman logo
* 1977 copyright
* soon-to-be-dropped F116-R product code (all subsequent printings went to a 2001 code)
* "T.M. Reg. app. for" (still getting the Dungeons and Dragons trademark registered).
* Page 11 has references to Hobbits that were dropped from later printings.

Our RPG Reference site D&D page: http://waynesbooks.com/DungeonsDragons.html
Printing info can be found at the Acaeum: http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html

An OD&D Grue from the Manual of Aurania. This predates the Grue in Zork.

An OD&D Grue from the Manual of Aurania. This predates the Grue in Zork.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/grue-aurania.html

Shannon Appelcline has written a summary of the product histories he's written so far for the dndclassics pdfs.

Shannon Appelcline has written a summary of the product histories he's written so far for the dndclassics pdfs.
http://www.rpg.net/columns/designers-and-dragons/designers-and-dragons26.phtml

1978 D&D article from a Long Beach CA newspaper, though the author is Associated Press so it may have run elsewhere.

1978 D&D article from a Long Beach CA newspaper, though the author is Associated Press so it may have run elsewhere. Doesn't mention the Basic Set but has other interesting info, inc sales data from the time period.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/10/1978-ap-d-article.html