More European Basement Delving. http://nilisnotnull.blogspot.de/2013/12/basement-delving-french-connection.html

More European Basement Delving. http://nilisnotnull.blogspot.de/2013/12/basement-delving-french-connection.html

The Japanese B2 in my basement. http://nilisnotnull.blogspot.de/2013/12/basement-delving-japanese-borderlands.html

The Japanese B2 in my basement. http://nilisnotnull.blogspot.de/2013/12/basement-delving-japanese-borderlands.html

I received a copy of Holmes Basic for Christmas, and it's in shockingly good shape.

I received a copy of Holmes Basic for Christmas, and it's in shockingly good shape.  I almost don't want to use it, but … I will.  Anyway, I can't tell what edition it is!  I checked the Acaeum, but no joy.  The product number is F116-R, but there's no reference to Hobbits in it on page 11.  This seems to rule out True First, First, and Second printings.  It also seems to be a UK edition, as it's got prices on the back in pounds and pence, and promotes White Dwarf on the back.

The inside doesn't say "second print" but "2nd edition, November 1978," and shows the wizard logo and the GW fairy logo.

Is this edition weird and of interest, or just not catalogued on the Acaeum?

I got a #dagonite for Xmas:

I got a #dagonite for Xmas:
http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/The_Swamp_Creature

A challenge on Clerical Spell Books from Talysman the Ur-Beatle

A challenge on Clerical Spell Books from Talysman the Ur-Beatle 
http://9and30kingdoms.blogspot.com/2013/12/books-from-above.html

Holmes-mas is here. Please comment on the blog post; comments are disabled here.

Holmes-mas is here. Please comment on the blog post; comments are disabled here.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/holmes-for-holidays-iii.html

Found a quote by Gary about the UK version of the Basic rulebook. From a 2002 interview with an Italian D&D player:

Found a quote by Gary about the UK version of the Basic rulebook. From a 2002 interview with an Italian D&D player:

Q: Games Workshop printed in 1978 (there is a photo in "White Dwarf" #5 of some guests of Games Day III having in their hands brand new copies) an entirely original D&D Basic rulebook, using the original US text but with entirely new art and book design. It's one of the rarest D&D titles in existence, long thought a myth by American collectors... Did you ever see it? What was your opinion at the time?

A: That's going back a ways! Yes, I saw the work, and I approved. Ian and Steve convinced me that their audience didn't like the illustrations used in American versions of the game, so I gave them the okay to produce their own. I had a copy of the Basic Set rules, but it was lost when Lorraine Williams took over TSR, locked me out of my office, and seized and never returned most of the games and books I had collected and stored therein.
http://www.thekyngdoms.com/interviews/garygygax.php

We have entered into Combat!

We have entered into Combat!
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-13-melee-is-most-exciting-part-of.html

A poster at the Acaeum has turned the B2 Area Map into a hex map on the old Judges Guild tan hex paper.

A poster at the Acaeum has turned the B2 Area Map into a hex map on the old Judges Guild tan hex paper. It's a free download from drivethrurpg, linked from the Acaeum post. He also provided notes on which Wilderlands hex he has in mind for it.
http://www.acaeum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?cache=1&p=218365#p218365

The last part of Spells. The section on Evil Cleric spells is missing from the manuscript.

The last part of Spells. The section on Evil Cleric spells is missing from the manuscript.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-12-clerical-spells.html

I was just reviewing "Gygax on Holmes", and found these quotes from Gygax I'd forgotten:

I was just reviewing "Gygax on Holmes", and found these quotes from Gygax I'd forgotten:

"As it happened, I reviewed Eric/s ms. and put in the material I was creating for the new AD&D system"

"I was in charge of the ms. when it was turned over. That is how it came to have new material quite similar to the AD&D game--I was writing the PHB at the time, and I wanted D&D to have some of the new features of the AD&D game"

From these it sounds like Gygax himself was the secondary editor at TSR rather than someone else like Mike Carr or Tim Kask (From Tim's posts on DF I get the impression he was too involved with Dragon magazine at the time to be working on the Basic Set).
https://sites.google.com/site/zenopusarchives/home/holmes/gygax-on-holmes

Well, here's an interesting aside from Tim Kask while discussing OD&D and the advent of Basic (on an old Dragonsfoot...

Well, here's an interesting aside from Tim Kask while discussing OD&D and the advent of Basic (on an old Dragonsfoot thread here: http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=23223&sid=1a8cfd5dbad7defd204b4be7dd828a60&start=1020 ):

"From D&D to AD&D; There and back again

As I stated earlier, all seven of the little booklets must be considered what is now called OD&D. By this time it had grown fairly complex and was beyond the ken of some of the younger players we hoped to attract.

Gary and I, and probably Gary and others, had often discussed how to broaden our market. I had told Gary all of the Deathless Bob stories, and how he had other young teen friends that would have liked to come play with us "college guys". The problem with the younger set seemed to be that while there was no lack of willing potential new players, there was an absolute dearth of young DM wannabes. And that was certainly understandable; today good players still vastly outnumber good DMs.

At some point, Gary and Brian began talking to Holmes. How they hooked up with him I have no idea. All I knew was that I certainly didn’t think very highly of him for several reasons once I met him."

That last comment really makes me curious just what it was about Holmes that rubbed Tim Kask wrong..
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=23223&sid=1a8cfd5dbad7defd204b4be7dd828a60&start=1020

Part 11, covering second level spells.

Part 11, covering second level spells.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-11-book-of-second-level-spells.html

Cool Darlene map from ~1981, "Domains of Ancient Stuard"

Cool Darlene map from ~1981, "Domains of Ancient Stuard"

Found on Ebay, Collector's Trove auction (I have no affiliation):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Darlene-Print-Fantasy-Map-Domains-of-Ancient-Stuard-/121232336457

Part 10, covering first level spells. Magic Missile requires a 'to-hit' roll in the manuscript.

Part 10, covering first level spells. Magic Missile requires a 'to-hit' roll in the manuscript.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-10-book-of-first-level-spells.html

AFS #4 includes "Variant Class – The Burglar by Scott Moberly (written for Holmes Basic)".

AFS #4 includes "Variant Class – The Burglar by Scott Moberly (written for Holmes Basic)". Also articles by Jeff Talanian Chris Kutalik and Allan Grohe (grodog).

Part 9, covering covering casting and learning spells, making scrolls and saving throws.

Part 9, covering covering casting and learning spells, making scrolls and saving throws. Holmes' scroll rules are unchanged from manuscript to published!
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-9-zombies-are-poisoned-by-salt.html

Paleologos on DF has a great write up of his group's battle with the minotaur in the Caves of Chaos.

Paleologos on DF has a great write up of his group's battle with the minotaur in the Caves of Chaos.
http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1441597#p1441597

Desert Scribe of the Super Galactic Dreadnought blog (not sure if he is a member here) found an instance of Holmes'...

Desert Scribe of the Super Galactic Dreadnought blog (not sure if he is a member here) found an instance of Holmes' use of "order" for level that survived into the print rulebook, in the entry for "Dwarf".

After a bit of delay due to Thanksgiving, here's the next part.

After a bit of delay due to Thanksgiving, here's the next part.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2013/12/part-8-successively-deeper-strata.html