Courtesy Havard's blog, a trailer for an upcoming documentary based around Dave Arneson and his original D&D group:

I have the maroon t-shirt with the cover art.

I have the maroon t-shirt with the cover art. I wore it to my FLGS this past wknd and got some compliments. Are these shirts still available does anyone know? My friend was wanting one. Thanks if anyone has info or link. Last time I remember they maybe only had S or M left but I don't recall where I got it from

Here is a slightly oddball question.

Here is a slightly oddball question.

What are your favourite Holmes-style adventures which aren't dungeons?

That is: in your opinion, are there any adventure modules out there which apply the ideas and elements of Holmes-era D&D outside dungeon exploration?

Re-sharing this post from yesterday for the Holmes Basic crowd:

Re-sharing this post from yesterday for the Holmes Basic crowd:

Originally shared by Zenopus Archives

Romantic landscape artist Thomas Cole as DM. Inspired by Joseph Manola #romanticism
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/09/thomas-cole-dm.html

Games Workshop (UK) Holmes Basic Book (1977) - cover artwork by John Blanche, page 45 artwork by Fangorn.

Games Workshop (UK) Holmes Basic Book (1977) - cover artwork by John Blanche, page 45 artwork by Fangorn.
https://www.acaeum.com/ddind…/setpages/foreign/basicfor.html

"Isle of the Abbey" by Randy Maxwell was originally published in Dungeon magazine #34 (March/April 1992) for 4-6...

"Isle of the Abbey" by Randy Maxwell was originally published in Dungeon magazine #34 (March/April 1992) for 4-6 characters of levels 1-3. It was also featured as the cover illustration for that issue.

Although written in the Rules Cyclopedia era, the adventure is a self-declared homage to the blue book. The author only used rules, monsters, and magical items from the Basic Set (Mentzer or the black box) but I took it a step further and performed a Holmes edit (attached).

You'll notice a B1/B2 feel to the font and layout. I also included some players maps near the end. The best part? All you'll need is your copy of Holmes to run this adventure. Enjoy!
https://3f932073-a-62cb3a1a-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/holmesgrimoire/IsleoftheAbbeyforHolmes.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7cr4w8xNRJORP9QhExHR6wYVRApfg-jAgoWit90VbDjIzUSYlQvXJrFZZRigpbtk6L0oXtV3LydZe0dIxuibst0zls3Zo3LEcFiPcrgfE9W4Fahr_RmorGmgoE1uXYOYf5-hVWibiJh0TFahAiIVZGUkgzXziT2E_S1UZFeyjVDJwOgJBFYCqCt6zJlEHJ9vy1VRgKSNyqMkQv6IGugWbYsZxSpJ9frGzreXXrw-PoZzSlWpj40%3D&attredirects=0

A fun What-If on the Against the Wicked City blog: "If Romantic-Era Artists Ran D&D Campaigns"

The first session in my Hirst Arts/ Tower of Zenopus recreation is in the can, and you can read about it here:...

The first session in my Hirst Arts/ Tower of Zenopus recreation is in the can, and you can read about it here: http://thedicearealie.blogspot.com/2016/09/ruins-of-zenopus-session-05.html

So last night I ran my #tridentcon adaptation of Corsairs of Tallibar (Judges Guild) for my regular game group.

So last night I ran my #tridentcon adaptation of Corsairs of Tallibar (Judges Guild) for my regular game group. Used #holmesref as my rules reference during the game (had Holmes Basic & the Monster Manual handy as well). It was fun & handy, as it forced me to get organized well in advance of the con & showed that I'm still using too much material for the 4 hour time slot.

Evocative Player's Map showing the way to Quasqueton, as mentioned in the module text, by austinjimm on the K&KA.

Evocative Player's Map showing the way to Quasqueton, as mentioned in the module text, by austinjimm on the K&KA.
http://knights-n-knaves.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?p=221884#p221884

Hirst Arts Sample Dungeon

Room B

Room B

Room D

Room F

Room H

Room J

Room M

Captcorajus wrote:

Well, I'm 95% Done with my 'Tower of Zenopus' Hirst arts dungeon. Of course, its not an EXACT recreation. Table space, and the number of actual pieces I have preclude that, but I have tried to maintain the core layout, and themes. Gone are the 'empty' rooms. The thaumaturgist in room F is now a Necromancer... which makes sense due to the catacombs, and Room B now is the 'guard room' for room F. The 'Charmed' smuggler has been changed into a zombie under the necromancer's control. The tower rooms of S1 and S2 have been combined into a single room, and yes, I have an ape in a cage!!

I altered Room J just a bit, to include a 'Mimic' treasure chest, so that the spider and the mimic sort of 'work together'.

Zenopus note --- See more here: https://thedicearealie.blogspot.com/2016/10/tower-of-zenopus-full-map-and-overview.html

Here is a question for the community:

Here is a question for the community:

How much monetary treasure would you expect to carry out of the dungeon on the average while playing Holmes-scaled characters (1st to 3rd level; the system I am using goes up to 6th)? Where would you draw the line between "this was a bad haul", "this was OK", and "this was more than we expected"?

I have a hunch I may be a bit too tight-fisted, and would like to know how much do you think is too little and too much.

Let's assume a party of 3-4 PCs with an average of two followers each.

1981 TSR UK flier that I've never seen before. Uses the TSR Face Logo. Some fun quotes:

1981 TSR UK flier that I've never seen before. Uses the TSR Face Logo. Some fun quotes:

"Welcome to a world where the Fantastic is Fact"

"The game that begins where others end"

"The D&D game does not belong to this world because it is a game where the imagination reigns supreme".

Plus a usage of the term "Fighting Man" - generally not seen anymore by 1981.

Originally shared by Paul Vermeren

A promotional leaflet from TSR UK, circa 1981, that I find fascinating. "...success depends on how wholeheartedly you throw yourself into the role."

I really like TSR UK stuff.
https://classicdndartwork.tumblr.com/post/149886413476/scan-of-1981-dd-promotional-leaflet-from-tsr-uk

Please welcome Gabor Lux (aka Melan on forums), author of a number of adventures for Fight On!

Please welcome Gabor Lux (aka Melan on forums), author of a number of adventures for Fight On! and other publications, and who has a new blog, Beyond Fomalhaut.
http://beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com/

Monster Face Bookmark.

Monster Face Bookmark. Another one from the scanning backlog. This one was drawn in a blue ink pen I was using for a while.

Just thought I let you all know about a little project I've been working on.

Just thought I let you all know about a little project I've been working on. Been working with Hirst Arts dungeon pieces, and am putting together a 3d dungeon of Holme's Tower of Zenopus. Pics will follow!!

1979 D&D Article in Games Magazine

Tony Rowe wrote:

I tracked down this intro to D&D article by Jon Freeman in the September/October 1979 issue of GAMES magazine. Freeman wrote The Playboy Winner's Guide to Board Games (expanded from the earlier A Player's Guide to Table Games). The dungeon at the end of the article is designed by Freeman and Jeff Johnson, Freeman's co-creator of the Temple of Apshai computer game published by Epyx (also founded by Freeman). Freeman later teamed up with his wife, Anne Westfall, to found Free Fall Associates (Freeman + Westfall = Free Fall). With Paul Reiche III (GW1: Legion of Gold, Booty and the Beasts, The Necromican) they created the fantastic action/strategy game ARCHON in 1983.

Zenopus note: I added a bunch of links to the people/items mentioned in Tony's excellent summary

Info on Tridentcon

Info on Tridentcon

Originally shared by Zenopus Archives

If you are in the DC/Baltimore area, consider attending Tridentcon 3 on Columbus Day weekend (Oct 8-9) in Severna Park, MD. Organized by Erik Jensen this con has both old & new school games. I'll be running an OD&D game in the afternoon on Sat. There are also games by other G+ers Eric Hoffman James Spahn Noah Stevens Humza K Pearce Shea Charley Phipps Reynaldo Madriñan Larry Hollis. The full game schedule can be seen on Warhorn (link below). #tridentcon  
https://warhorn.net/events/tridentcon-2016/schedule/2016/10/08

Jeff Talanian posted about this a few months ago, & I asked if I could post about it on my blog.

Jeff Talanian posted about this a few months ago, & I asked if I could post about it on my blog. After some delay, here is the promised post.
http://zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2016/09/jeff-talanian-on-holmes-basic.html

Welcome Chris Holmes

Please welcome Chris Holmes​ to the Holmes Basic G+ group!

Working on my Corsairs of Tallibar ( #judgesguild ) adaptationfor #tridentcon

Working on my Corsairs of Tallibar ( #judgesguild ) adaptation for #tridentcon . The difficulty is paring this 45-page page adventure down to the 4 hour convention slot.  The dungeon alone has over 70 rooms, and they are very descriptive with regard to the decaying contents of the previously inhabited rooms; I think this was influenced by the description of the stronghold in B1 In Search of the Unknown.

Here's the teaser for my #tridentcon OD&D game.

Here's the teaser for my #tridentcon OD&D game. The first paragraph is from the module summary (with slight editing):
"The Corsairs of Tallibar were one of the most feared bands of pirates that ever sailed the Nydar Sea, but years have passed since any captain has quailed at the sight of that dreaded band at his bow. Were they defeated in some unknown battle or swallowed up by the sea?

On a previous adventure you found a map supposedly showing the location of the Corsairs' secret stronghold on an uncharted tropical island. Having braved sea and jungle, you now stand before the long-hidden entrance to their fortress. Is their treasure hoard still hidden within?

Corsairs of Tallibar is a low-level adventure written by Mike Wilson and published by Judges Guild in 1982 in a generic FRPG format, and will be run at TridentCon using the original Dungeons & Dragons rules from 1974, with some additions from the Greyhawk supplement and the original Basic Set."
https://warhorn.net/events/tridentcon-2016/schedule/2016/10/08

Collected some information on the supposed "Holmes Witch".

Collected some information on the supposed "Holmes Witch".
http://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2016/09/in-search-of-holmes-witch.html

Tonight I sketched an unofficial logo for the upcoming Trident Con.

Tonight I sketched an unofficial logo for the upcoming Trident Con. The creature is Chessie, the Chesapeake Bay monster. #tridentcon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chessie_(sea_monster)

The Man-Dragon Sage of the Chemical Wastes.

The Man-Dragon Sage of the Chemical Wastes. Another one from a while back; catching up on a scanning backlog. #ballpointpenart