This has probably been discussed here before, but a quick gander through previous posts didn't immediately reveal...

This has probably been discussed here before, but a quick gander through previous posts didn't immediately reveal anything. So I figured I'd just throw it out there: page-20 of the Holmes rule book states light weapons such as the dagger allow two blows per round. Given that all weapons in Holmes inflict 1d6 damage, this little quirk in the rules would seem to make the dagger, with two attacks & potential 2d6 damage per round, the RAW weapon of choice. Curious about how others handle this. Do you ignore or embrace this apparent broken mechanic? And if you embrace it, do you classify any other weapons as light? Just as idiosyncratic are the heavy two-handed weapons such as the two-handed sword, battle axe, flail & pole arms. These only attack once every other round, which begs the question: other than being the only available weapon, why on earth would any PC choose one of these? Again, do you embrace or ignore? Or perhaps I'm missing something & misinterpreting all this.

Cleric Spell Ref Sheet now available! All spells from levels 1-6 from Holmes/OD&D, plus 2 spells per level from AD&D.

Cleric Spell Ref Sheet now available! All spells from levels 1-6 from Holmes/OD&D, plus 2 spells per level from AD&D.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/cleric-spells-reference-sheet.html

Boinger & Zereth at NTRPGCon

It's review time! A list of the major differences between the Holmes Manuscript and the published rulebook.

It's review time! A list of the major differences between the Holmes Manuscript and the published rulebook.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/part-55-summary-of-changes.html

Has anyone else played with Centaurs, Satyrs or other non-standard races in their games?

Has anyone else played with Centaurs, Satyrs or other non-standard races in their games? Any thoughts on Holmes' reference to a Samurai fighter? I wonder if he was thinking of a whole new class or a different way of looking at the Fighting Man.

Awesome cover for a very early (1978) Games Workshop mini catalog.

Awesome cover for a very early (1978) Games Workshop mini catalog. Art by Alan Hunter, who did much work for White Dwarf and Fiend Folio. Thanks to Zhu Bajiee for posting a link to the Ebay auction on the Acaeum.

Thomas Denmark on a rather obscure TSR artist - Bob Maurus, best known for BSOLO GHOST OF LION CASTLE.

A look at Chris Holmes' Monster List illustrations from the earlier (2nd) draft of the manuscript.

A look at Chris Holmes' Monster List illustrations from the earlier (2nd) draft of the manuscript.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/appendix-b-chris-holmes-manuscript.html

Tenkar reviews the forthcoming Deluxe Edition of Maze & Perils, a Holmes expansion.

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Chad Parish of the Dead Games Society, and the topic was all about one of my...

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Chad Parish of the Dead Games Society, and the topic was all about one of my favorite iterations of D&D: the Holmes Basic Set. The Dr. Holmes set fueled my imagination in the early 1980s and beyond to today. It was my first D&D set, purchased in 1981 through the Sears catalog, and I've always been incredibly fond of it. Click to listen to my interview!

http://dgsociety.net/podcast/jeffrey-talanian-holmes-edition-dgs-episode-20
http://dgsociety.net/podcast/jeffrey-talanian-holmes-edition-dgs-episode-20

I'm not signed up to run a game at #ntrpgcon and I have a fairly tight schedule of games to play in, but I'm going...

I'm not signed up to run a game at #ntrpgcon and I have a fairly tight schedule of games to play in, but I'm going to bring Holmes' other Sample Dungeon - the "Dungeon of Arzaz" from his 1981 book, in case I get a chance to run a pick-up Holmes game.

You can never have too many maps handy..

You can never have too many maps handy..

Well worth checking out are group member Tim Hartin's maps over at his Paratime Design website, with a bunch of them (including a number of old school blue dungeon maps) available for free download under the Creative Commons License:
http://www.paratime.ca/cartography/index.html

New dungeon map by Doug, member here.

New dungeon map by Doug, member here.

Originally shared by Doug Anderson

[Free Dungeon Map] The Cellar of Three Casks
Haven't done one of these in a while but had some down time today.

Detail of my drawing from the top of the MU Spell Ref Sheet:

Detail of my drawing from the top of the MU Spell Ref Sheet:

I am thinking about allowing all characters some chance at thief skills, sneaking, climbing etc.

I am thinking about allowing all characters some chance at thief skills, sneaking, climbing etc. Has anyone else house ruled something like that? If so how did it work out?

I've made a new one-page pdf reference sheet, designed for Holmes but perfectly usable with OD&D + Greyhawk as well.

I've made a new one-page pdf reference sheet, designed for Holmes but perfectly usable with OD&D + Greyhawk as well. This one compiles all of the Level 1-3 M-U spells from Holmes Basic. These are same spells appearing in OD&D + Greyhawk, plus a few new spells that Gygax debuted in Holmes and then appeared in the PHB the next year. The Holmes write-ups of these new spells are simpler than the PHB versions, so they are the closest we get to OD&D versions of these spells. #holmesref
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/m-u-spells-level-1-3-ref-sheet.html

New Reference Sheet is up! This one covers MU Spells Levels 1-3.

New Reference Sheet is up! This one covers MU Spells Levels 1-3.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/m-u-spells-level-1-3-ref-sheet.html

Howdy, I know this question has been asked I am sure a hundred times but are there extensions for the Holmes basic...

Howdy, I know this question has been asked I am sure a hundred times but are there extensions for the Holmes basic past third/fourth level?

It's not a perfect compilation of differences.

It's not a perfect compilation of differences.
http://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/2089/what-are-the-differences-between-holmes-moldvay-and-mentzer-dd

Somebody left a 3-D printed (were)shark in my classroom today.

Tony Rowe wrote:

Somebody left a 3-D printed (were)shark in my classroom today.

Here's a picture of the order Holmes placed for 10 photocopies of the Holmes Manuscript.

Here's a picture of the order Holmes placed for 10 photocopies of the Holmes Manuscript. Importantly, it's dated 2/4/77, which means he had finished it before that date.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/appendix-manuscript-copy-order-form.html

So I grabbed BLUEHOLME Prentice, and I was wondering what folks thinking about the idea of 3rd level BEING the level...

So I grabbed BLUEHOLME Prentice, and I was wondering what folks thinking about the idea of 3rd level BEING the level cap for player characters to reflect the limits of mortals in a fantastic world. I know it's a bit brutal, but still - it reflects the genuine limits of a normal human in the face of things like giants, dragons, and demonic creatures.

Part 23.5, where I go back and cover the missing page from the final manuscript, which had parts of the entries for...

Part 23.5, where I go back and cover the missing page from the final manuscript, which had parts of the entries for Dopplegangers and Dragons. As a bonus there is great art by Chris Holmes!
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/part-235-there-are-many-kinds-of-dragons.html

One for the Homes aficionados - skeletons and zombies as written in Holmes:

One for the Homes aficionados - skeletons and zombies as written in Holmes:

Zombies, by nature, are slow and only get an attack every other round. But zombies move at 120 feet per turn, while skeletons move only half that, 60 feet per turn, even though there is nothing in the description to indicate they are unusually slow.

Has this ever struck any of you as odd? Have you house-ruled it? I tend to try to make these Holmes quirks work, so how would you justify it in-game?

Now we're talking.

Michael Thomas wrote:

Now we're talking.

Originally shared by Wayne Rossi

Expanding and personalizing (see my post from yesterday on my D&D).

Save or Die 122: Chris Holmes interview

There's an interview with Chris Holmes in the latest episode of Save or Die! Elizabeth Stewart - member here - is DM Liz.

http://saveordie.info/?p=1449

Fantastic "Dungeon Degenerates" posters by Sean Aaberg (Pork Magazine).

Fantastic "Dungeon Degenerates" posters by Sean Aaberg (Pork Magazine).
http://goblinkomegamall.com/collections/dungeon-degenerates

This is great - an enthusiatic blog-thru of the Holmes rulebook by someone who started with D&D 3E.

Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow.

Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow. One of the comics is a reprint of four classic stories of The Phantom for his 80th Anniversary. The cover shows his Skull Cave lair in the background.
http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/206?articleID=174280

After a longer than expected delay, here's the next installment of the look at the Holmes Manuscript.

After a longer than expected delay, here's the next installment of the look at the Holmes Manuscript. Part 54: "An Ape in an Iron Cage" covers the last area of the Sample Dungeon and the final coda paragraph. It's also the end of the manuscript!
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/part-54-ape-in-iron-cage.html

My friend and I called this guy "Blaster" when I was a kid.

My friend and I called this guy "Blaster" when I was a kid. He could tunnel through the ground, and had the power of "exploding". Later in a bookstore I spotted him on the title page of the first D&D book I ever looked at - the Monster Manual.

Originally shared by Wayne Rossi

Landshark!

Tracy and Laura Hickman started off with Holmes Basic:

Tracy and Laura Hickman started off with Holmes Basic:
""It was my wife who first introduced me to D&D," Tracy said. "She bought me what we call now the blue basic set back in ’78. And I immediately regretted it because I was suddenly off into new worlds and making up new adventures almost immediately."
http://www.polygon.com/2016/1/18/10777502/d-ds-ravenloft-returns-with-the-help-of-its-original-creators

New post with shorter versions of the Portown Rumors, done in the style of the tables in B1 and B2.

New post with shorter versions of the Portown Rumors, done in the style  of the tables in B1 and B2.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/portown-rumors-short-table.html

Random table of 20 rumors for the Portown setting from the Sample Dungeon in the Holmes Basic rulebook.

Random table of 20 rumors for the Portown setting from the Sample Dungeon in the Holmes Basic rulebook. There are all extrapolated from various items in the Background and dungeon encounters. A number of them will lead to encounters outside the dungeon proper, turning the town into more of a mini-campaign area. #holmesref
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/portown-rumors.html

What David Wesely had to say about the origin of D&D...

1d20 rumors told in the Green Dragon Inn in Portown.

1d20 rumors told in the Green Dragon Inn in Portown.
(An article I started months ago & just finished.)
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/05/portown-rumors.html

Old School FRP features the poster art from the 1974 film The House on Skull Mountain: #skullmountain

Old School FRP features the poster art from the 1974 film The House on Skull Mountain: #skullmountain  
http://oldschoolfrp.tumblr.com/post/143686822584/another-skull-mountain-that-calls-to-mind-tom