Boinger & Zereth at NTRPGCon

Fantasy Wargaming article Battle magazine April 78

Chris found an article, from the April 1978 issue of Battle magazine, by Charles Grant describing pre-D&D fantasy wargaming convention events organized by Tony Bath. The article is, strangely enough, illustrated with pictures from Holmes Basic (UK and US versions) with permission from Games Workshop, who was distributing/printing TSR material in the UK at the time.

Originally shared by Chris Kutalik

I came across an interesting artifact in researching old Battle magazines from the 1970s (a British wargaming magazine that got folded into Military Modelling). Here's an April 1978 report from Charles Grant relaying an early fantasy miniatures event from 1972 (set up by other UK wargaming great Tony Bath no less) that clearly has many, if not all, the elements of what people say are RPGs. It does make me question (again) the Great Man theory of how RPGs developed.

In itself the event sounds off the chain. A quest where a gonzo literary range of 20 player-heroes (John Carter, Beowulf, Cuchlain, Boromir, Gandalf, Robin Hood etc) move over a series of four by four tables with firecrackers and kookie poetry.

In which I succumb to cloying nostalgia.

Originally shared by Chris Kutalik

In which I succumb to cloying nostalgia. 
http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2014/01/holmes-homecoming.html

Holmesian Alignment

Chris Kutalik:

I wrote something.

http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-curious-cosmology-of-holmesian.html

Rules expansions from B1?

Chris Kutalik:

Question to the community: have any of the various Holmes clones and expansions throw in the de facto rules expansions of B1. You know things that were drawn from the Greyhawk supplement like demi-humans thieves, hireling rules, STR mechanical stuff? Just curious.