One of my favorite old school TSR supplements for use with Holmes is the good ole' Monster & Treasure Assortment (the single volume, Lvl 1-9 version published in 1980 in particular).
Originally published in 3 volumes (Set One / Lvls 1-3; Set Two / Lvls 4-6; Set Three / Lvls 7-9) in 1977 and then reprinted as three volumes in 1978, the Monster & Treasure Assortments were the complementary volumes to the dungeon geomorphs; create a dungeon using the geomorphs, then stock that sucker with critters and treasure from the M&T Assortments.
For stocking dungeons you could get more creative, but if you just need some encounters they're pretty darn useful. With one major caveat - between 1977 when they were first published and 1980 when the Lvl 1-9 single volume compendium was published, no less than 4 editions of D&D appeared - OD&D, Holmes, AD&D and Moldvay-Cook Basic/Expert (aka B/X). Printing history as always is available on the Acaeum: https://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/mt.html
So while I heartily recommend the M&T Assortments as a handy resource, as observed in linked Delta's D&D blog post you need to be flexible and adjust what's there. If you get the - easily found and cheap to buy - 1980 assortment, the encounters will be a mashup of OD&D, AD&D and B/X creature names, characteristics, and (for human/demihuman types) race-class combinations.
With that in mind, if you don't have one of these definitely grab one - very handy resource, and some great Dave Trampier and David C. Sutherland artwork not found elsewhere. Enjoy : )
(besides the usual online dealers like Noble Knight, there are a bunch of copies on Amazon right now starting at just $4.00 a copy for used condition: http://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Monster-Treasure-Assortment/dp/0935696369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456550418&sr=8-1&keywords=monster+%26+treasure+assortment)
The ones on Amazon are sold by Noble Knight Games through Amazon.
ReplyDeleteThe cheapest ($4 copy) one is Noble Knight, Tony Rowe, but the other 20 copies are a mix of sellers (Wayne's Books, a bunch of other guys) - not that it matters, but I always figure more choice is good when it comes to sellers : ) http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0935696369/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1456550418&sr=8-1
ReplyDeleteYup, thanks for the correction. Let's give a shout out to Wayne's Books for posting photos of the actual item and an accurate description!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I've dealt with Wayne's Books a number of times over the years, great seller : )
ReplyDeleteMy first boxed set of Holmes came with the geomorphs & the Holmes version of B2, but no MTA. The second boxed set I picked up a few years back (for $20.00 on the used games shelf of the FLGS) had MTA1-3, and a copy of B1! I thought I had a copy of 1-9 in Word, but I can't seem to find it right now. I know I have it, since I hand-copied it from a friend's copy. Looking back on it, I should have just bought it fromhim, as he had no real idea or appreciation for what he had.
ReplyDelete